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McLaren W1 First Drive: Ferocious Hypercar Transcends the Track

You know things are getting serious when McLaren rolls-out the ‘1’ suffix. The origin story is, of course, the very first road car McLaren ever built, the F1. Designed by visionary Formula 1 aerodynamicist and engineer Gordon Murray, it arrived in 1992 and rendered all other supercars obsolete. The tiny, lightweight F1 embraced carbon-fibre material technology, adopted a radical centre seat driving position with two passengers set back and either side and was powered by a 6.1-litre V12 engine from BMW that might as well have been passed down directly from the Gods. Game-changer? That doesn’t even come close to describing its impact, even if at the time sales didn’t come easy… The P1 was very different. Rather than a unique side project from the Formula 1 team, it was instead a statement piece for McLaren Automotive, a new road car division still in its infancy. It arrived in 2013 and was a wild-eyed showstopper. It traded the long-legged gait and supple suspension of the F1 for a weaponized hybrid system capable of delivering 903bhp and huge blue flames from its drainpipe exhaust. In Race mode, it lowered by 2-inches and its massive concave rear wing extended into the sky. The P1 was all about aerodynamic downforce, crazed acceleration and a snorting, angry soundtrack that mixed venomous twin-turbocharged V8 with the manic whirr of electric motors. Not so much a car as a force of nature. And now there’s this: The W1. It’s a true successor to the P1 with a similar brief and, on the face of it, it evolves rather than radically reinvents McLaren’s vision for the ultimate hypercar. This is not a criticism. How could it be when the result is this dramatic and has such staggering, other-worldly potential? The W1 has 1258bhp delivered to the rear wheels. It’s capable of 0-124 mph in 5.8-seconds, the quarter mile in 9.6-seconds at 167 mph and produces 2205lbs of downforce at 174 mph. The active aerodynamics – particularly a rear wing that extends way out beyond the rear of the car – are pure performance art and deliver massive aerodynamic efficiency. The result, aside from looking extremely cool, is that the W1 is McLaren’s fastest road car around a racetrack. Ever. Their benchmark circuit is the breath-taking Handling Track at the Nardo proving ground in southern Italy, where the W1 beats their previous benchmark, the flyweight McLaren Senna, by three seconds per lap. Or “a lifetime” as they call it in racing. Maybe two lifetimes! Core to the W1’s performance is the new ‘Aerocell’ carbon fibre tub. With integrated seats and a raised footwell to allow for inboard pushrod-operated front suspension – which in turn gives air a clean path to the huge underbody diffuser – it’s light, stiff, space efficient and has been instrumental in McLaren realising a full ground-effect concept. Just like last year’s F1 cars, which were the fastest ever made. There is also an active front wing and the aforementioned complex rear wing dubbed ‘Active Long Tail’. All of which is very admirable. But the ‘anhedral’ or gullwing doors and the fantastically shirnked-wrapped feel to the minimalist, highly-focussed interior are a pretty good side effect. The W1 feels special. Those fixed seats are perhaps a shade more upright than expected, and the driving position is less obviously racecar than, for example, the Aston Martin Valhalla or Ferrari F80. However, once you’ve adjusted the pedals (they move on a slider) and the delicate, slim-rimmed and alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, there’s an overwhelming sense of purpose. The cabin is so tightly tailored and imparts a sense of lightness and agility before you so much as start the all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which makes 916bhp all on its own and revs to 9200rpm. Reach up to a roof-mounted control panel to find the starter button. Maybe this fighter plane trope is a little corny, but somehow you feel thrilled rather than manipulated. The W1 has a sense of humour as well as all that motorsport-derived sophistication. There’s a short delay, but when the engine does fire it’s instant – as the high-powered hybrid system negates the need for an old-school starter motor. A sharp flare of revs tells you that this engine is hyper-responsive and angry. On some deep level your brain and body have been sent all the signals required to prepare for something new and intense. Ahead of us, an empty Mugello racetrack, so press and hold the blue button next to the red starter to select Race mode. The centre display graphic shows the W1’s transformation in real time as it lowers by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear whilst simultaneously undocking all that active aero goodness. Race mode is not road legal and is geo-locked. You can show your friends and neighbours the aero dance, but it won’t allow you to select a gear to actually drive unless you’re at a circuit. Incidentally, the rocker switches either side of the display binnacle allow further options now: Toggle up the Handling control on the left for Race+ (for F1-spec super smooth tracks) or stick to Race for gnarlier ones. On the right toggle select ‘GP’ for sustained performance over a stint or ‘Sprint’ to unleash all 1258bhp for a time attack. There’s also a DRS and Boost function on the steering wheel. But I guarantee you won’t have the mental capacity to use them… Exit the pitlane, pin the throttle and W1 takes maybe a millisecond or two to gather its might (the gearing stretches to around 60mph in first, nearly 100mph in second, primarily to aid traction), but then lunges at the first turn with incredible ferocity. It instantly feels light, almost like inertia is no longer a thing. McLaren really does prize lightweight engineering, and at 3084lbs (dry) the W1 has a 278lbs advantage over the Ferrari F80. Plus, Ferrari uses figures for cars fitted with every single carbon fibre option. In reality, the gap is probably wider still. The impression of agility and stunning control continues as the track is unravelled at startling pace. The electric motor mounted to the side of the new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission is good for 342bhp and 324lb ft and it boosts any low rev lethargy the new flat-plane crank V8 might have (spoiler alert: It doesn’t appear to have any), so the W1 just feels massively, almost impossibly powerful at any revs. Even so, there’s real reward for wringing it out to 9200rpm and the power curve feels superheated but organic, too. In Race mode the steering – still hydraulically powered – has less assistance and it is noticeably heavier than other McLarens. However, that resistance is welcome as it gives you something to push against and imparts so much information about the front grip level. New Pirelli Trofeo RS tyres with a bigger front footprint than P1 or Senna really help. The front-end feels incredibly secure and the rear-axle follows with perfectly-aligned precision. The whole car feels super-stiff, completely locked into the surface and inspires confidence, but there’s an inherent agility and adjustability that means you’re quickly confident to push at its limits and really impose yourself on the chassis. It’s such a complex car but the driving experience is intuitive, and the driver feels a key contributor rather than just amazed (or terrified) observer, holding on for dear life. Every dynamic ingredient really is shockingly effective and yet has a subtlety and lightness of touch. From that delicious steering to the incredible brakes, the W1 just feels so mission-focussed, so hooked-up. Only the new 8-speed gearbox is a slightly disappointment. It’s fast and punchy, but after the scintillating energy of the Ferrari F80 ’box it feels competent rather than inspired. Other quibbles – it’s okay to quibble when the starting price is $2.1-million before tax and destination charge. Well, that new twin-turbocharged V8 sounds tightly wound and aggressive but if you have a P1 tucked in the garage you’ll miss the snorting, Darth Vader-style soundscape and all the drama that goes with it. Ferrari does this better, too. The F80 sounds deathly dull from the outside but is a riot of turbochargers, electric motors and all sorts of mechanical fury within the cockpit. Even so, the W1 is wildly entertaining on track, and the rear-drive configuration makes it more of a challenge and more satisfying than the F80 when chasing lap times or just sliding around for fun. In the Ferrari, you must second-guess what the front e-axle might do, whereas in the W1 it’s all on you. There are plenty of tools to help, including the ingenious Variable Drift Control, but somehow the W1 is more heroic. Or at least fools you into feeling more heroic – which is surely the point! On the road? Nimble, loaded with feel and sublime response. The ride is noticeably tougher than, say, a 750S but the control is ramped-up too, and with a bit more speed the whole car finds a delicious rhythm. Sport mode for the drivetrain brings some nice turbo whooshes and chirps, but the noise remains high-quality rather than extreme excitement. It is perhaps the one area the W1 feels just a little too tame. Of course, there’s nothing tame about the raw performance… which is genuinely shocking and literally hurts your neck muscles after a few hours. How McLaren has given the W1 such immense traction through just two driven wheels is beyond me. So, is it worthy of that ‘1’? I think so. Perhaps we won’t be talking about $25-million auction results for the W1 in 30 years from now, as we are for the F1. Perhaps it doesn’t quite have the amazing presence and jaw-dropping star quality of the simply gorgeous P1. But it is such an intense experience and the way it marries stunning track performance with delicate poise and entertainment on normal roads is something akin to magic. Maybe not ‘the one’ but definitely a searing, outrageous addition to McLaren’s fiercest family line. Just 399 W1’s will be built and they’re all sold. I’m not surprised at all. View All McLarens For Sale Images: McLaren Automotive

By Andrew Nabors – May 26, 2020

2021 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport Road Trip

Masters in Molsheim have spent millions in time and effort to reveal the true identity of the Chiron. After two years of design and testing, it is time for the 2021 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport road trip. It began yesterday with a goal of visiting the major metropolises of Europe. The first stop was in Paris, celebrating the new showroom in Neuilly-sur-Seine. After a photo-op at the Eiffel Tower, CEO Stephan Winkelmann said "We are very happy to finally present the new Chiron Pur Sport. As the most extreme hyper sports car in our Chiron2 family, it has already won many fans. It is an uncompromising hyper sports car, created for even more agility and cornering dynamics. Pure and extreme. to our customers. Many were disappointed about the cancellation of the Geneva Motor Show." Much like the Veyron Grand Sport, the Chiron Pur Sport is a new model wrapped in a familiar body. We will cover the engineering behind it later this week, so click the button below to browse Bugatti for sale in the meantime. Browse Bugatti For Sale

By Andrew Nabors – May 26, 2020

Tesla Cybertruck Test Drive by Jay Leno & Elon Musk

Being the highest-rated late night host in history has its perks, and our friend Jay Leno has parlayed his love of cars into CNBC's highest-rated primetime show. To preview the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage, he gets behind the wheel of the Tesla Cybertruck along with its creator: Elon Musk. View Jay Leno's Collection Not only is Tesla finalizing their Semi Tractor, work continues on the tunneling projects of "The Boring Company." Even though Musk states the Cybertruck is 5% larger than the production model, it has no issues traversing the subterranean transport system. It will be offered with 1, 2 or 3 motor configurations, with an armored exoskeleton of cold-rolled stainless. Facing the heat from Rivian, Hummer, and Ford's electric F-150, the market for electric pickups is heating up. P.S. Elon's other venture (SpaceX) is about to launch the first Astronauts from the U.S. since the Shuttle was retired nearly a decade ago. Good luck and Godspeed to the crew and SpaceX personnel.

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By Andrew Nabors – May 26, 2020

How Audi Sport Develops the RS Lineup

Most luxury automakers have a high-performance division. While most performance cars are simply a sprinkling of chassis & engine tuning, Audi takes performance to an unprecedented level. Look in the door jamb of any R8 and you will notice something unique. Audi's top-level cars are built by a separate company: Audi Sport. What began as "Quattro GMBH" has been the R&D center for all VW brands. By divorcing luxury and performance brands, each company is held accountable for their separate goals. Top 50 Best Exotic Cars & Sports Cars Of All Time Of course, most of this is trivial to the average enthusiast. The only way to purchase Audi Sport models is at Audi dealers, but your experience will be more refined. Inquiring about an RS model alerts the staff that you mean business. You want a car that has been tested wide-open on the 'Ring. Audi Sport Manager Oliver Hoffmann had this to say: "RS vehicles have a strong and unique character: spontaneous maximum performance wherever and whenever desired, and effortless performance on long journeys. An RS is a true Dr. Jekyll and Mister Hyde. It is important for every kilometer, no matter how it is driven, to be an experience. This is achieved thanks to breathtaking design, high-end look and feel, and outstanding quality." Click the links below to find yours and stay with us for all your Audi news. RS 3 For Sale RS 4 For Sale RS 5 For Sale RS 6 For Sale RS 7 For Sale RS Q8 For Sale R8 For Sale

By Andrew Nabors – May 26, 2020

2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet Offers AirScarf & Ai...

Attention to detail is what makes the E-Class Coupe & Convertible a sensible choice. Our Sales Manager had the previous generation for 5 years, and it was among the best convertibles I have experienced. The only way it could have been better is more control of cockpit air. That is why two ingenious systems have been added to the new model. The 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet will arrive win AirScarf and AirCap. Top 50 Best Exotic Cars & Supercars of All Time I first encountered AirScarf on Mr. duPont's 2012 SLS AMG Roadster. Perfect for cool weather cruising, the seats force warm air down your back and around your head. It is computer-controlled based on speed until 75 mph when it goes full blast. The icing on the cake is the new AirCap. Consisting of a windshield deflector and a partition behind the cockpit, it creates a high-pressure bubble of hot or cold air that prevents turbulence. Not only does this reduce drag at highway speeds, but it will also cut down on wind noise so you can relax with your significant others. Browse Mercedes-Benz E-Class For Sale

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By Andrew Nabors – May 20, 2020

Bosch Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Stability Control

Let me be honest, if you are reading this you have probably avoided a crash thanks to Electronic Stability Control. The Guardian Angel that pulls your car out of a spin debuted on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in 1995. At the time it took more computing power than several desktops to literally "stay ahead of the curve". Using inputs from the ABS sensors, steering wheel angle, and a 2-axis accelerometer, it uses all four brakes individually along with the throttle to point your car where you want it to go. Their press release mentions that 82% of new cars sold around the world have this system. It has been credited with saving over 15,000 lives in Europe alone, and mine several times here in the Sunshine State. It forms the basis of all Automated Driving systems and is mandatory in many countries. Tell us how ESP has intervened for you, and stay with us for all your industry news. Browse Exotic Cars For Sale

By Andrew Nabors – May 19, 2020

Lamborghini Remains Committed to the Environment

Last year was unprecedented in Sant'Agata. The home of the Raging Bull saw an increase in deliveries from 5,750 to 8,205, an increase of 43% over the previous year. While most manufacturers would sacrifice green initiatives to meet such demand, Lamborghini remains committed to the environment. A press release earlier this morning reaffirms their efforts by using LED lighting throughout the factory and using water-based paint for almost all colors. The restaurant is plastic-free and all solvents used in production are channeled to a central scrubber before being burned. Otherwise they would float into the stratosphere to destroy ozone. Top 50 Best Exotic Cars & Supercars Of All Time Chairman & CEO Stefano Domenicali mentions their continued collaboration with "The Climate Reality Project" through an ongoing series of employee education meetings. This level of dedication is found in every aspect of all new Lamborghinis for sale, so click the button below to experience one for yourself and stay with us for all your Lamborghini news. Browse Lamborghini For Sale

By Andrew Nabors – May 19, 2020

Chevrolet C8 Corvette Academy Adds 23 New Videos

Now that the first C8 Corvettes have been delivered, the engineers want to make sure everyone can understand how to properly utilize its advanced features. The first films in the Corvette Academy sought to introduce and explain the eigth-generation car to the world. Now with feedback from owners, they have responded by adding 23 videos to the series. C8 Corvette Stingray Price, Specs, Photos & Review In the press release yesterday, we learned the topics start with proper break-in. For the first 500 miles, your new C8 Corvette Stingray will be limited on power. Throttle and spark are delayed to allow the bearings, lifters, valves, and the transmission to all get acquainted. Like all cars, if you beat on it from the dealer your drivetrain won't be as powerful or reliable. The others dive into: Track Prep, Driving Modes, Regular Maintenance, Memory Settings, and other aspects you need to know. Our dealers have trained Corvette Product Specialists waiting for you, so click the button below and find your new C8 Corvette Stingray for sale. Browse New Corvette For Sale https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7ufN7Cep1mHW17loj5tsF4iEBSPOCORB

By Andrew Nabors – May 15, 2020

Untitled Motorcycles Unveils UMC-063 XP Zero

The perfect blend of English and American motorcycles is a dream for many. So one designer decided to take on such a project, and that is what led Hugo Eccles to Untitled Motorcycles. His latest collaboration comes from California in the form of the XP Zero. Untitled's take on the Zero has an aeronautical theme. Brushed and anodized 6061 alloy has been CNC machined to perfection. It surrounds a tubular steel frame that contains a 14.4 kWh battery. The motor is rated to handle 102 volts and 900 amps to offer 140 lb-ft of torque and 110 horsepower. Showa suspension and Pirelli Diablo Superbike race tires are standard equipment, along with LED lights and a TFT display screen. Click the button below to reserve yours and stay with us for all your 2-wheel news. Learn More

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By Andrew Nabors – May 15, 2020

UPDATE Joe Bonamassa & VW Live Stream Concert

Update, if you missed last night's concert it is embedded below. Big thanks to Joe Bonamassa and Volkswagen for helping those in need. If you like good music, you will truly enjoy VW's latest press release. We learned this morning that they have joined forces with Fender Guitars to present Joe Bonamassa tonight at 8 pm Eastern Time. This live stream will take place on Facebook, with proceeds going to help musicians affected by the virus. Fender Premium Audio can be ordered in any Volkswagen for sale if you want the best in car audio. Joe Bonamassa opened for B.B. King at the age of 12, and he is an unparalleled guitar virtuoso. Click the button below and set a reminder for tonight, and you won't regret it. VW on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VW/videos/234640781176669/

By Andrew Nabors – May 15, 2020

First Brabham BT62 Competition Delivered for Britcar Debut

England's most arduous endurance race is happening soon, and one lucky competitor will have an unprecedented advantage. It might seem illogical to put the first production model into a tough situation, but the manufacturer has had this car in development for years. So we are glad to announce that the first Brabham BT62 Competition has been delivered. The automaker issued a press release last night outlining the details of "The World's Most Track-Focused Hypercar". Only 70 cars will be built, representing the seven decades of Brabham history. Each one is powered by a 5.4-liter V8 that offers 700 horsepower without turbos or a supercharger. A six-speed sequential transmission and Ohlins suspension are standard equipment, along with 2,645 lbs of downforce. With a curb weight of 2,142 lbs, you could drive upside down given enough courage. "Horsepower Racing" will field the car in upcoming events, so we wish them well. Stay with us for all your Brabham updates. Browse Exotic Cars For Sale

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