Niche car producers face a difficult choice: lay out the mountain of money we need to have certified their exotic trips for American roads, or save money and lose one of the largest markets. McLaren Automotive has had the new MP4-12C approved for the United States, and now I’m grateful they did.

According to Motor Trend, a whopping 40 percent of orders for the 1000 McLaren MP4-12C, which has so far taken have been asked by customers in the United States, through its extensive network of dealers here.

It was a surprise especially for Antony Sheriff, who serves as CEO of McLaren Automotive American. From his experiences as a racing fan on this side of the Atlantic, he felt that the McLaren lacked the brand recognition that names like Ferrari and Lamborghini in a market that has been enjoying an on-again, off again relationship with Formula One.