Adding Lightness, 88 lbs at a Time

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How do you engineer a convertible with a folding hardtop that's only 88 pounds heavier than its donor car? If you're McLaren, you think "open air" while you're designing the coupe.

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McLaren's team of engineers knew the 12C would eventually become a convertible, and from the get-go they incorporated rollover protection features like an a-pillar?internally reinforced?with a boron tube, and a steel cast buttress.

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Thanks to the inherent stiffness of the car's carbon fiber tub, no additional chassis bracing was needed when the roof was ditched. Simplicity was also maximized by keeping the moving parts to a minimum: little more was added than a small electric motor,?two composite roof panels,?a tonneau piece, and hinges, adding a total of only 88 pounds.?

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We can't discuss driving impressions of the new convertible until the embargo lifts in about a week. But suffice to say, there are few surprises when it comes to the 12C Spider's acceleration and handling dynamics... the unexpected lies elsewhere.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/auto-blog/mclaren-12c-spider-adds-only-88-pounds?src=rss

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