One thing that does need explaining is the rather unconventional gallery of photos we've lined up. First, the three cars we were handed over to drive in southern Portugal were not finished cars and they were not even considered pre-production units. North American deliveries begin at the start of September 2011 following the UK/Western Europe launch in mid-May.

These three MP4-12Cs were specifically set up to be dynamics verification mules. Regardless, we didn't care, since they seemed pretty finished to us and we felt like geeked lottery winners. Trouble is, McLaren didn't want too many close details of the cabin, exterior or engine. Between this and the limited time we had to grab on to each of these three alphanumeric Brit bullet cars, we trust you'll forgive and forget this bad form. We'll make it up to you with heartfelt conformity from here out.

The track to which we were airlifted is the fairly new 2.9-mile, 17-curve autodromo at Portimão. If we were looking for a challenging layout with a myriad of ups, downs and several blind crests, by gum, we've found it in Portugal. On this day, too, we had every type of weather from sunny dryness to unseasonably cold windy drizzle. This was as complete a test as we can remember having in a car this extreme.

So, the scene is set. But first, what do we all think of the looks of the car? Our answer could take up this entire first-encounter review. The man responsible for overseeing the McLaren MP4-12C to completion is renowned multi-national Frank Stephenson of Mini Cooper and BMW X5 fame, among others. As with any of these big moments, Stephenson and his team have heard every single "From that angle it looks like a..." comment you can come up with, so we spared them. Honestly, in our eyes, the MP4-12C looks comfortingly most influenced by the legendary McLaren F1 built from 1993 through 1998. We imagine a few mouthbreathers criticizing the design as a "total rip-off of the Ferrari 458 Italia and Lotus Evora." We take comfort in the fact that these individuals are wrong.

These bold lines can be polarizing, we know. Such aggression – for us the gaping twin side air intakes to the engine radiators stand out – are bound to cause both heated and cooler reactions. But, c'mon, it's mostly hot. The only other spot where we paused, folded our arms, and acted like we were pondering something we knew a lot about, was the rear fascia. Its flushness of all elements seems a bit out of rhythm with the rest of the car. Not even a slightly protruding exhaust blunderbuss. Still, it's pretty hot...

Since the default comparo with this first 21st-century McLaren with 592 horsepower aboard will, right from the start and maybe for its whole life cycle, be the 570-hp 458 Italia, we need to see how their physical dimensions differ. In length, width, height and track widths, the McLaren is anywhere from 1.1 inches (overall width) to half an inch (overall height) smaller than the Ferrari. However, the McLaren is eight tenths of an inch larger in its wheelbase. Cargo-wise, the 458 Italia is a veritable Winnebago when compared with the MP4-12C: 8.1 cubic feet compared to the Brit's 5.1, just a bit smaller than the Lotus Evora at 5.7 cubed feet.

For those of us driving Earth-bound cars, the McLaren is roughly the same length as a Dodge Nitro, impertinent though that fun fact may sound.

Before today, debates on the performance of rear- and midengine cars generally boiled down to Ferrari vs. Porsche. But now, the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C threatens to stand alone beyond either. To quote the less-than-humble McLaren boss, Sir Ron Dennis, "It is the best-handling sports car in history."

And he should know. Dennis was the team principal of the McLaren Formula 1 team between 1981 and 2009 and is the executive chairman of McLaren Automotive — the company responsible for the legendary McLaren F1 and SLR McLaren. When Dennis says a car handles well, we're willing to listen.

But to see for ourselves, we joined McLaren at the 17-turn, 2.9-mile racing circuit at Portimão in southern Portugal. There we experienced the full range of driving conditions — dry track, damp track, good and bad public roads and the car's comfort and track setups. It was demonstrated, in no uncertain terms, that McLaren has achieved a breakthrough.

Greater Than the Sum of...

Accomplishing world-beating status demands a world-beating powertrain and McLaren delivers with its 592-horsepower 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 and rear-mounted, Graziano-built seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox. The massive power is a product of high boost (21.8 psi) and a nauseating 8,500-rpm redline. There's a long shelf of torque (443 pound-feet) extending from 3,000-7,000 rpm.

But perhaps the greatest point of contention surrounding the MP4-12C's specs was McLaren's choice to use an open differential and brake-steer technology borrowed from Formula 1. Traditionally, the idea of using the brakes to go faster has been a failure. McLaren's brake steer system operates on the inner rear wheel in fast corners. It observes steering angle and predicted trajectory with the goal of eliminating understeer and wheelspin at exit. And it works — seamlessly and invisibly. We were able to polish off most of Portimão's curves without breaking the customary sweat.

The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, too, is a joy to operate. Because the shift paddles are mounted on a rocker, the driver can favor one hand over the other to perform both up- and downshifts — pushing on one paddle or pulling on the other — to accomplish the same shift. In Track mode, the shifts aren't just fast, but smooth. This is aided by the use of the Pre-Cog function where the shift paddle is preloaded so that when the shift is requested (with a full pull at around 7,500 rpm on upshifts), it's instantaneous — thanks to years of Formula 1 field testing.

Leave the transmission in Automatic mode with all "normal" settings engaged, and we were just as impressed with its functionality over southern Portugal's variety of roads as we were by its ability to dominate the track.

The Physics of Speed

Despite McLaren's encouragement to wean ourselves off the need for carbon-ceramic brakes, our test cars on track had the optional carbon stoppers and they are magnificent. Still, the standard two-piece iron-aluminum rotors — 14.6-inch front, 13.8-inch rear — get the job done.

The brakes are aided on the track by an air brake that substantially increases deceleration of the 2,945-pound machine. A fore/aft weight distribution of 42.5/57.5 — nearly identical to the Ferrari 458 Italia — makes the dynamics even more lively. The McLaren, with an 0.8-inch-longer wheelbase, is 1 inch shorter overall. Its well-planned interior, however, buys space and shrewdly shifts human mass to the middle.