One of just three wild Can-Am Edition MP4-12Cs is up for sale

As the supercar that returned McLaren to road-going vehicle production 13 years after the last F1 left the line, the MP4-12C is surely deserving of collectible status. Although almost 3500 were built, the model was only available for three years before being replaced by the (very similar) 650S, further adding to its appeal. But no regular 12C is ever going to be quite as desirable as the special version pictured here – one of a mere three GT Can-Am Edition models produced, and possibly the only one in its original configuration.

According to Jez Warrant, sales manager of SB Racing, McLaren set out to build 30 examples to offer its new-found band of wealthy clients the ultimate track-day tool but, with 12C production coming to an end and the marque’s increased focus on its GT racing programme, the project was canned.

The three buyers who managed to put their money down in time were rewarded with a truly epic car that was hand-built not in the McLaren Automotive building, but in the marque’s former F1 workshops.

The fact that it was intended purely for track-day fun meant race rules didn’t apply, so the 12C’s regular twin-turbo V8 was hiked to 639bhp, weight was slashed by 40kg and downforce was increased by 30% thanks to a carbon-fibre front splitter and that giant Can-Am rear wing. The car was swathed in carbon elsewhere, too, from its door mirrors to engine cover vents and from its radiator intake vanes to its sill covers – which all added to its track-focused good looks.

The interior of the carbon MonoCell, meanwhile, was stripped-back to basics and fitted with twin race seats, six–point harnesses, an FIA-approved rollcage and a motor sport-specific air-conditioning system.

But perhaps the most obvious pointer to the fact that this 12C had left the road for the track was the steering wheel, the design and functionality of which was carried over from the 12C GT3 racer and inspired by that of the MP4-24 F1 car.

Bristling with buttons and switches, it also held the paddles for the six-speed transmission which, of course, was pneumatically activated. The electrical system too is lightweight and competition specification with a membrane-type switch panel, digital dash, auxiliary power supplies, electronic power management and a McLaren Electronics ATLAS (Advanced Telemetry Linked Analysis System) ECU as used on the era’s F1 cars.

When launched the 12C Can-Am Edition cost £375,000, on top of which buyers could choose a bespoke factory support programme that included a full ‘arrive and drive’ service and, for only another £78,000, you could also have a full spares package. The car on offer includes the latter and is said to be “on the button” and ready to go. It also comes with all the parts needed to convert it to GT3 spec, making it eligible for competition in events such as the Peter Auto GT3 Revival Series and GT3 Legends.

And, to top it all, this is chassis number 001 of the three originally built – so it could be worthy of storing away as an investment. But wouldn’t it be a whole lot more fun just to drive it?

2013 McLaren MP4-12C GT Can-Am Edition
On sale with SB Race Engineering, Aylesbury. Asking: £399,995. sbraceengineering.co.uk 

Virtual insanity: Jay Kay’s SWB Quattro 

• Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay – y’know the fella, oversized hat – has owned hundreds of cars, helped enormously by a string of huge-selling albums since 1993. He’s now offloading this 1985 Audi Sport Quattro SWB, LHD, 39,000 miles and in his ownership for 14 years. Just 214 of these F40 killers were made; it’s on sale at Joe Macari in London for £624,950.

• With seven new models to arrive by 2030, Alpine is going to need some bigger showrooms – and the refurbished Arnold Clark site in Glasgow is leading the way, doubling in size to 2600sq ft. “This allows us to offer a truly premium environment,” said David Munton, Arnold Clark’s brand director.
• “Give me Goodwood on a summer’s day and you can keep the rest” – so said Roy Salvadori, who was the first owner of this 1962 Jaguar E-Type. But it was in the hands of its next custodian, John Quick, where its wins stacked up – 43 from 1964-72. More recently it’s been seen at Goodwood’s Revival driven by Richard Attwood and Jochen Mass. It’s on sale at Fellowes Fine Cars in Essex, £POA.

• According to the SMMT, the Ford Puma was the biggest-selling new car of 2025 (55,488), followed by the Kia Sportage (47,788) and Nissan Qashqai (41,141). New car registrations were a little over two million; the market was up 3.5% yoy.
• BYD has overtaken Elon Musk’s Tesla as the world’s biggest-selling EV maker. In 2025 the Chinese firm sold 2.26 million EVs compared to Tesla’s 1.64 million. On a TV interview in 2011, Musk laughed at the idea of BYD becoming a competitor to Tesla. LG