The McLaren supercar will give you more than just your regular 5Cs
06 Mar 2014|15,255 views
Devoted supercar drivers will have you think that all supercars are absolutely fabulous, even if it means breaking a sweat every time you try to park your car at the multi-storey car park or drive down a slope with a hump waiting for you at the end of it.
But that's not what we're here to discuss. We recently took out the McLaren 12C Coupe and as we were cruising down the highway, it suddenly occurred to me that if cars like this one were purchased because you want to show off to your neighbour's wife and not because of its pure ability to drive well, it'll be like you deciding to take a dump in the sink when the toilet bowl is right next to you.
So if that's the case, driving a supercar like the 12C Coupe in Singapore can be a tragic waste. Where can you possibly door-handle the car like a mad man on our roads? How can you possibly enjoy the car when our roads are sardine packed? How do you realise the full potential of the supercar? You idealise the 12C, that's what…
This brings us to the topic of the 'Singapore Dream'. In an effort to explain this, we have to start from the beginning, with the blood and bones. The 5Cs were extremely popular during the 90s. Known as cash, cars, credit cards, condominiums and country clubs, Singaporeans in pursuit of material wealth work towards acquiring these five different Cs.
But what if we told you there are more than just five? In fact, what if we told you we gathered 12 perfect Cs (including the 5Cs) that wouldn't make you look like the typical Singaporean who has a materialistic obsession despite driving a spanking new McLaren 12C Coupe?
We start off with the sixth 'C', which shouldn't come as a surprise. Charismatic best describes the supercar's overall look. It's wrapped by a design that, although isn't in the now, will age well in time to come. Plus, unlike the aggressive looks of in-your-face Ferraris, the 12C has the sort of understated look that will attract the right kind of owners who know how to appreciate that less is more.
As such, you should have seen the number of people eyeballing us as we took a slow drive across Shenton Way, Raffles Place and Marina Bay. Office workers, especially the ladies, had their eyes glued to the car. There is no way you can blame them. Chicks dig the McLaren. We're sure there are other cars that can make them wet with drool, but nothing quite like how a McLaren does it.
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And so we move on to the eighth 'C'. Lucky number? Perhaps. You see, the Mac isn't just your ordinary supercar that'll make you feel utterly embarrassed when you place a child on the passenger seat (above). You'll look weird and perhaps perverted if you do it on the seat of another supercar. But not so on the 12C. It's the exclusivity the British supercar has that gives you the right to dress like a butcher and be a loving father and still look supercar cool.
We wouldn't disagree when people say that the McLaren 12C Coupe is an everyday supercar and it's easy to drive. In fact, the 12C Coupe isn't hard to live with on a daily basis.
This may sound like a bit of an exaggeration but we have yet to try a supercar that's as comfortable as this one. Even if it's on 'Track' mode, it's a work of pure sorcery, considering the ride is still more comfortable than what you get in many executive saloons.
Unlike many other countries, Singapore is unique with its local dishes and chicken rice is definitely one of them.
It's so popular here that it can be found anywhere - from hawker centres and franchised outlets to food courts and restaurants - it's hard to miss the dish. If you think a supercar owner is going to eat sushi for lunch every day and rump steak for dinner every night, you'll be in for a surprise.
Then there is connectivity. No surprises here, actually, considering that the Mac is fun-filled with technologies that some bread-and-butter cars don't. In this era, if your car doesn't have a Bluetooth option or an Aux-in and USB port, you're better off getting a bike.
Let's be honest about it here. Most drivers enjoy meddling with their phones and MP3 players when they're driving and the Mac allows you to do just that. Why wouldn't it? After all, you just paid over a million bucks for the car.
Now, there will always be a time when one bad apple spoils the whole bunch. So a fat slob driving a Honda Civic made some nasty moves on the road. But that doesn't mean all Honda Civic drivers are pissheads. It's probably just like how not all British expatriates enjoy magnifying their stupidity on Facebook like what Anton Casey did.
Hence, when it comes to supercar drivers, not all of them are hooligans on the road. Driving the 12C Coupe may instil you with a lot of confidence, but it doesn't mean you can't employ some form of courtesy. What? You really didn't think we're that bad-mannered on the road, did you?
Devoted supercar drivers will have you think that all supercars are absolutely fabulous, even if it means breaking a sweat every time you try to park your car at the multi-storey car park or drive down a slope with a hump waiting for you at the end of it.
But that's not what we're here to discuss. We recently took out the McLaren 12C Coupe and as we were cruising down the highway, it suddenly occurred to me that if cars like this one were purchased because you want to show off to your neighbour's wife and not because of its pure ability to drive well, it'll be like you deciding to take a dump in the sink when the toilet bowl is right next to you.
So if that's the case, driving a supercar like the 12C Coupe in Singapore can be a tragic waste. Where can you possibly door-handle the car like a mad man on our roads? How can you possibly enjoy the car when our roads are sardine packed? How do you realise the full potential of the supercar? You idealise the 12C, that's what…
This brings us to the topic of the 'Singapore Dream'. In an effort to explain this, we have to start from the beginning, with the blood and bones. The 5Cs were extremely popular during the 90s. Known as cash, cars, credit cards, condominiums and country clubs, Singaporeans in pursuit of material wealth work towards acquiring these five different Cs.
But what if we told you there are more than just five? In fact, what if we told you we gathered 12 perfect Cs (including the 5Cs) that wouldn't make you look like the typical Singaporean who has a materialistic obsession despite driving a spanking new McLaren 12C Coupe?
We start off with the sixth 'C', which shouldn't come as a surprise. Charismatic best describes the supercar's overall look. It's wrapped by a design that, although isn't in the now, will age well in time to come. Plus, unlike the aggressive looks of in-your-face Ferraris, the 12C has the sort of understated look that will attract the right kind of owners who know how to appreciate that less is more.
As such, you should have seen the number of people eyeballing us as we took a slow drive across Shenton Way, Raffles Place and Marina Bay. Office workers, especially the ladies, had their eyes glued to the car. There is no way you can blame them. Chicks dig the McLaren. We're sure there are other cars that can make them wet with drool, but nothing quite like how a McLaren does it.And so we move on to the eighth 'C'. Lucky number? Perhaps. You see, the Mac isn't just your ordinary supercar that'll make you feel utterly embarrassed when you place a child on the passenger seat (above). You'll look weird and perhaps perverted if you do it on the seat of another supercar. But not so on the 12C. It's the exclusivity the British supercar has that gives you the right to dress like a butcher and be a loving father and still look supercar cool.
We wouldn't disagree when people say that the McLaren 12C Coupe is an everyday supercar and it's easy to drive. In fact, the 12C Coupe isn't hard to live with on a daily basis.
This may sound like a bit of an exaggeration but we have yet to try a supercar that's as comfortable as this one. Even if it's on 'Track' mode, it's a work of pure sorcery, considering the ride is still more comfortable than what you get in many executive saloons.
Unlike many other countries, Singapore is unique with its local dishes and chicken rice is definitely one of them.
It's so popular here that it can be found anywhere - from hawker centres and franchised outlets to food courts and restaurants - it's hard to miss the dish. If you think a supercar owner is going to eat sushi for lunch every day and rump steak for dinner every night, you'll be in for a surprise.
Then there is connectivity. No surprises here, actually, considering that the Mac is fun-filled with technologies that some bread-and-butter cars don't. In this era, if your car doesn't have a Bluetooth option or an Aux-in and USB port, you're better off getting a bike.
Let's be honest about it here. Most drivers enjoy meddling with their phones and MP3 players when they're driving and the Mac allows you to do just that. Why wouldn't it? After all, you just paid over a million bucks for the car.
Now, there will always be a time when one bad apple spoils the whole bunch. So a fat slob driving a Honda Civic made some nasty moves on the road. But that doesn't mean all Honda Civic drivers are pissheads. It's probably just like how not all British expatriates enjoy magnifying their stupidity on Facebook like what Anton Casey did.
Hence, when it comes to supercar drivers, not all of them are hooligans on the road. Driving the 12C Coupe may instil you with a lot of confidence, but it doesn't mean you can't employ some form of courtesy. What? You really didn't think we're that bad-mannered on the road, did you?
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