People want their Ferraris parked in front of restaurants by the valet. I don’t believe any McLaren owner would give their car to a valet

Anything McLaren I like. Owning one of the original McLaren F1s, I was anxious to put my order in for the new MP4-12C. 
I was amazed at how easy the process was. In the past, buying supercars always involved ridiculous salesmen, people telling you they were sold out or not available, especially with Italian ones.

I liked the idea of just calling up McLaren and ordering my car. They 
tell me what the list price is and that’s what I pay. But what I found most fascinating when dealing with McLaren representatives was their honesty.

For example, they want the car to be as light as possible; that’s the whole mantra behind McLaren. So I was going to spec the carbon-ceramic brakes. And the McLaren guy asked ‘What are you going to use the car for?’ So I said it will be primarily a road car, I don’t think 
I’m going to do any track work with it. He said ‘Well, the steel brakes are lighter, and they’re cheaper.’ Oh, so you’re recommending the steel brakes? And he said ‘Yeah, unless you’re using it for track work and you’re really hard on the brakes a lot, you don’t need the added 
expense of that.’ So I said, OK, I can save some money there, fine.

And as we went through the options list, they suggested this carbonfibre trim kit. Does that save any weight? ‘No, it’s just decorative.’ So I don’t need that? ‘No.’ So I think I got exactly what 
I wanted for probably a little less than I expected to pay. That’s what I find satisfying and endearing about buying this McLaren as opposed to some other cars I’ve dealt with over the years.

I’ve gone for the McLaren orange because to me that’s the colour. Unlike a lot of people, I like the styling. I like the understatedness of 
it. The original McLaren F1 is a fantastic-looking car but if you don’t know cars it’s just a nice-looking car. I’m not a big fan of exterior wings and these gold-chain-looking automobiles.

The car does its job quietly and extremely well, and people who know, know and people who don’t, don’t. I like that sort of English attitude. It’s the kind of car that, when you see how well it gets the job done, to me it’s a bit like the beautiful girl who takes her glasses off, and you go, Oh my God! She’s really attractive.

Whenever I go to restaurants in Beverly Hills there are always people who want their Ferraris parked right in front by the valet. First of all, you don’t give your car to a valet. I don’t believe any McLaren owner would give their car to a valet. And I think that, if you’re buying a McLaren, you really don’t care if your car is parked in front of a restaurant. It’s a whole different mindset.
Anybody that knows cars, knows McLaren and knows what it stands for. I like the understatedness of the car and the colour makes it a nice balance. I’m still on the first wife. I’m not going to be driving around with some blonde with fake boobs. I like to drive and I like the look and the feel of the automobile. That’s why I buy it.

Some reviewer said it could be mistaken for a Lotus. What do I care? Anyone who would make that mistake is not a car person. I don’t understand why people would be upset about the styling. To me, it’s styled that way because it works best that way. It’s not like someone just picked up a pen and drew something they thought was outrageous. In terms of airflow and dynamics and all that kind of stuff, that’s why it looks the way it does. I think in ten years it will still be a good-looking car. The original McLaren F1 is 20 years old. When I drive mine, people ask ‘Hey, is that the new something or other?’. And I say no, it’s the McLaren F1, it’s a ’94. ‘Really?! That car’s a ’94? Really?’

I remember when the original F1 came out, before they won Le Mans, and you read the road test, and you thought, well no car can be this good. And it’s a million dollars. That’s crazy. If the original F1 came out today I think they’d sell 3-4-500 of them. But at the time there were so many supercars that didn’t quite make the grade. People didn’t realise the engineering and technology that went into it. I think now McLaren has the name and the reputation.

I think this will be a much easier car to own than the F1 because that’s the whole idea behind it. Something they used to say about the English: they can do one of anything. Great. Then, you say, this is fantastic! I need two more. And they say ‘F**k!’

Anyway, I am really excited about getting the MP4-12C. It will be made this summer and will hopefully be in LA not long after. Having not one but two McLarens in the garage will be amazing. I can’t wait to see how the two compare.