Did it shock or just put their things in their… modern place? The reason for the director of McLaren, Anthony Sheriff, who said characteristically: “V12s are engines of the past. They belong in a museum,” wanting to justify why McLaren fitted the MP4-12C with a V8 engine. More specifically, McLaren chose a 3.8-liter V8 for its model, while the first version had a 6.1-liter V12, with similar horsepower.
Supercharged V8s fit more easily into the trunk of a very sporty vehicle and have fewer moving parts, although some other companies insist on V12s, as evidenced by the Pagani Huayra and Ferrari FF models…