The good guys at Insideline decided to get personal with the McLaren MP4-12C. They strapped it to a dyno machine – that for those of you who don’t know is like a lie detector for cars – to measure how much power it actually delivers at the rear wheels. The V8 engine in this car makes 592 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque at the flywheel. That becomes 514 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque by the time it reaches the wheels.

The difference is fairly remarkable, but that is what the drivetrain loss is. And it’s not bad at all. 514 at the wheel is still plenty, and anyway, it’s about how you use that power, and the big Brit makes the best of all that 514. In these tests BMWs usually end up delivering more power than the official figures, but that’s not the case with the MP4.

The McLaren MP4-12C is powered by a twin-turbocharged, 3.8 litre 90° V8 engine – the ‘M838T’. This marks the start of a new era in ‘core’ segment sports cars – smaller capacity, lighter weight, higher efficiency and more economical power units. The engine has the highest specific power output in its segment which, when allied to its low weight carbon composite chassis, delivers exemplary power- and torque-to-weight ratios.

Read more about the test here: Straightline