Hypercar Development’s Hyper1200 Tri-Turbo McLaren MP4-12C
“So, how do I make my McLaren MP4-12C way faster?”
That’s got to be one of the ultimate, first world problems. The McLaren MP4-12C comes from the British factory with a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 that pumps out 592bhp, does 0-60mph in 3-seconds flat, and trounces the quarter-mile in a staggering 10.6 seconds at 134 mph—a time accomplished on stock tires, no less.
Those of us in the high performance world might notice right away the mid-130 MPH trap speed and call “BS” on the 592bhp rating. After all, most cars weighing over 1.5 tons need over 600whp to trap that. Depending on the dynos I’ve seen, a stock MP4-12C can put down anywhere between 515-575 WHP in stock trim. That’s the beauty of having good power and aerodynamics, while also having to haul only 3100-lb in the process (which is 100-lb lighter than the million-dollar Ferrari Enzo and around the same weight as the McLaren P1 supercar!).
Around a year ago I was fortunate enough to experience an MP4-12C. A very good (and trusting) friend of mine, Ronny, tossed me the keys to his 12C to take it out for a spin. Keep in mind that, having owned a few turbocharged cars in my life, including Project Supra (which Ronny was the original owner of); I’m not new to the power game. But—oh my goodness—this McLaren felt fast. Really fast. And, much like you would expect from a quarter-million dollar car, the power delivery was refined. Each pull felt effortless, and all of this was done using California’s infamously bad 91 octane, no less. With 93 octane I would expect an easy 20 horsepower more.
Ronny has no intentions of modifying his McLaren (at least until he reads this article). To him it's plenty fast. And he’s right because, after all, who needs more power from a car that rips a mid 10-second quarter mile out of the box? But we’ve seen these guys around, probably on YouTube for most of us. There are just some folks who want to take on the top dogs of the underground performance world. They want to take on those highly modified Nissan GT-Rs and boosted Corvettes and Vipers that we see with “hyper” performance ,but they want to do it in an exotic, and not just any—but a McLaren. Hypercar was born to satisfy this niche market.
We caught up with Hypercar at the Texas Mile, where it had two cars representing two different upgrade phases.
There are four phases to Hypercar McLarens. Phase 1 is called the Hyper800. This upgrade changes the engine tuning to advance boost and overall performance using the factory turbos. It uses its high flow exhaust as well. The Hyper800 also features Hypercar’s ultra light forged aluminum wheels, which weigh 79-lb all together (compared to 90-110 lb for stock, depending on model). The wheels are also wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2’s, making the car ready for any high-speed event. The package is rated at 827 bhp.
As you can see here, this Hyper800 is about to rip the Texas Mile, which it did at an impressive 196 MPH (a stock 12C did 180 MPH)!
You know you’re starting with quite the exotic when your first phase with basic performance upgrades nets you well over 700 wheel horsepower! As we see here, the Hyper800 setup is good for over 138 WHP at peak, but with gains of around 200 WHP around 6000 RPM and 200 lb-ft at 5500 RPM!
