Signature doors make more than a statement
We have a mantra at McLaren: ‘Everything for a reason’. There’s no denying that the dihedral doors add unmistakable character to the styling of the car, but they also make getting in and out of the car infinitely easier. The reason for this lies in their unique design. When opened, they actually remove part of the lower sill that typically makes getting in or out of a sports car an event for all the wrong reasons.
Good ideas are timeless
We originated the concept of dihedral doors for the McLaren F1 for the simple reason of practicality. With its unique centre-lined driver position for optimum control, the doors reduced the amount of leg-swing needed for the driver to get into the car. Practical and beautiful.
Parking made easy
603mm. That’s the surprisingly small amount of space a driver needs to open the 12C’s unique doors; inconveniently lengthy door openings being another feature that traditionally makes driving a sports car every day less appealing.
Lightweight and aerodynamic
We’re proud of our obsession with weight. It’s what allowed us to create a car with a class-leading power-to-weight ratio. When designing the dihedral doors, our engineers questioned whether, with some intelligent design, they couldn’t reduce the McLaren F1’s double door hinge design to just one. The 12C’s doors pivot elegantly on a single, lightweight hinge.
On the exterior, there are no door handles. Instead, a touch-entry allows the driver to open the door by gently touching the sculpted line running the length of the door. Having no handle creates uninterrupted, streamlined aerodynamics along the length of the 12C. The dihedral doors are an example of form beautifully following function.