The British car manufacturer famed for its motor racing connections has unveiled its latest high powered sports car for the first time in Bahrain.

The MP4-12C made its debut at the Royal Bahrain Golf Club over the weekend. A unique feature of the new luxury sports car is its one piece chassis, known as the carbon Monocell, which has been seen before in motor sport racing, but now in sports cars for leisure and domestic use.

The MP4-12C hopes to rival the likes of the Lamborghini and Ferrari. With a 3.8 litre V8 twin-turbo engine producing 600 brake horse power, a duel clutch gearbox, and the ability to hit 60kmph in less than 4 seconds with a top speed of 322kmph, the new McLaren sports car is certain to cause a stir in the world of luxury sports cars.

Those wishing to drive away in their very own McLaren sports car will have the choice of 17 different colours and the choice of 14 different internal trims. A number of extra features can be added to the car to customise it to a customer’s personal preference.

However this high performance car comes at a price, and that price is believed to start at £168,500.

McLaren’s sports car will go on sale in Europe early next year, before being sold in the Middle East.