It’s been twelve years since the last six F1 GTR “Longtails” hit the tarmac at Le Mans but McLaren is now busy developing its next racing machine. The British supercar maker has been working with the CRS Racing Team on an MP4-12C-based GT3 racecar. Details have just been revealed and the MP4-12C GT3 will be available in limited numbers starting from 2012.

The McLaren F1 GTR was a very successful racecar, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans on its debut, leaving big shoes to fill for the new car. But by using an advanced one-piece carbon fibre chassis and finely tuned aerodynamic body, the MP4-12C will provide a solid base for the development of the racing version.

“The 12C’s architecture and design was always aimed at high-performance and ease of maintenance – two key criteria for potential customers. Combine that with the vast amount of racing experience in our automotive team, and CRS Racing’s specialist development experience, and the 12C GT3 should be an exciting proposition for the top teams planning to race in GT3 from 2012″, said Martin Whitmarsh, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Team Principal.

To further the development process, McLaren and CRS Racing will enter 12C GT3 prototypes in select European GT races next year. Then a limited number of cars will be made available to privateer teams in the 2012 FIA GT3 Series before McLaren looks at taking on other championships.