Filed under: Performance, Videos, Middle East, MISC

The Middle East is an enormously vital market for McLaren, and not just because its oil barons have the cash to buy as many MP4-12C supercars as they and every member of their family could possibly want. While the team has only won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix once and has yet to do the same at the Bahrain Grand Prix - the only two in the region (discounting Turkey), the company is part owned by Saudi businessman Mansour Ojjeh, and another part by the royal family of Bahrain.

Little wonder, then, that the upstart McLaren Automotive is setting up no fewer than six dealerships in the Middle East, the first of which has just opened its doors. To mark the occasion, McLaren took its new MP4-12C to the dunes of Abu Dhabi and around the Yas Island Marina Circuit and brought a camera crew - armed with a RED video camera and Canon's new 1DX - along for the ride. The resulting high-resolution images and footage are worth a glance, so check 'em out in the gallery below, the video below that and the press release below them both.

Continue reading Watch the McLaren MP4-12C hit the dunes of Abu Dhabi

Watch the McLaren MP4-12C hit the dunes of Abu Dhabi originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 May 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6>Permalink | Email this | Comments

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There's a few of those in my city, I just saw one today in fact. Crazy cars.

I love McLarens so much! I've always wanted an F1 LM since I was a kid!

It was an awesome video!