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

Audi News

Audi news from duPont REGISTRY News, updated daily with model reveals, first drives, technology launches and verified performance figures. Our coverage runs across the RS models and the expanding e-tron range, together with the road cars that sit beneath them. Audi is moving quickly on electrification, and we report each development as it is confirmed. Plenty of publications carry performance car news, but few carry it beside live inventory. Many of the Audis covered here appear on the duPont REGISTRY marketplace, so a review and a genuine asking price sit together. That combination is difficult to find anywhere else in luxury car news. For Audi news today, begin with the stories below.

By Andrew Nabors – April 12, 2018

2018 Audi R8 RWS: Get Ready To Drift!

Look in the door jamb of an Audi R8, and you will notice something a bit odd. The cars are not technically built by Audi. They are assembled by Audi's supercar division, which was known as quattro Gmbh until now. They were responsible for building the high-performance RS models along with the GT4 race cars. But now they are venturing into the world of Rear Wheel Drive, so the company was renamed Audi Sport. This info comes from our neighbors up north, as Audi of Canada has added the R8 RWS to their lineup before Audi USA.Their first creation was one we've been anticipating for years. The 2018 Audi R8 RWS is the first R8 to not have a front differential. It takes inspiration from its Italian cousin the Lamborghini Huracan LP580-2 by sending all the power to the rear wheels only. The V10 makes 532 horsepower and 398 lb-ft of torque. It was detuned to allow for traction, but you still might need drag slicks for a decent holeshot. Pricing will start at $139,950, or only $10k more than the Corvette ZR1. This new R8 is more affordable than many used R8 V10 Plus models so this might be the one for you. Our dealers have all the info, so click the link below for more info and stay with us for all your Audi updates.Browse Audi R8 For Sale

By Andrew Nabors – April 09, 2018

Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo: From Video Game to Real ...

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By Andrew Nabors – June 14, 2017

Audi Drops the Top On the New R8 Spyder V10 Plus

A week from now will be the longest day of the year, as June 21st is the Summer Solstice. If you plan to enjoy the most daylight of 2017, you should do so in a convertible. Audi think so, which is why they have unveiled a Spyder version of the R8 V10 Plus. The Plus arrived as a coupe last year with cleaner styling and a host of upgrades. More carbon fiber inside and out can be found everywhere from the seats to the spoilers. Power comes from the same 5.2 liter V10 found in the coupe and the Lamborghini Huracan Spyder. Rated at 610 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque, it has 60 more horses than the previous V10 Spyder. Magnetic suspension and laser headlights are just a few of the new features that are nice to have, but nothing tops the center differential. It is can divide the engine's power front to rear, or send all of it to either end. It even has a dedicated water cooling system to keep the action going. The press release also states this model completes the R8 lineup for the time being. The V8 model was axed due to low sales, but our dealers have a few pre-owned examples for you to choose from. The other details like brakes, wheels, and tires are shared with the coupe, along with 26 miles per gallon. If you demand more fun & efficiency from your convertible, stay with us for all your Audi updates.

Audi Toolmaking prints “Auto Union Typ C”

By Caitlin Duffy – November 05, 2015

Audi 1936 Grand Prix Car With 3D Printer

The advent of 3D printing has already done quite a bit to disrupt and revolutionize the process of production for countless industries. Entire items can simply be printed by using the proper materials, which can range from something as simple as chocolate to something as complex as glass and metal.Audi has not failed to notice the opportunities that 3D printing bring to the automotive world, and in a test to see what they were capable of, the German marque created a 1:2 scale replica of one of their most iconic cars. As a press release issued today shows, they created an exact model of the 1936 "Silver Arrow" Auto Union Typ C, their grand prix sports car emblazoned with the number "5."The use of 3D printing to create metal components is one of Audi's primary focuses for development of technologies, and creating this replica is a test of their abilities thus far. It's not the first car to be created using a 3D printer - a man in Australia created an Aston Martin replica in 2013, while American Jim Kor released his 3D-printed Urbee 2 car design that same year. 3D printers have even been used to create items from carbon fiber; February 2014 saw the release of the Mark One 3D printer, the world's first to use carbon fiber.To see what the full version looks like, check out the actual size of the 1936 Auto Union Typ C in the video below, shared to YouTube by F1KillerQueen in July 2013. Hopefully, we'll be seeing Audi implement more 3D printed components in their future models, but in the meantime, find your own car with four rings from our exclusive listings.Audis For Sale (via Audi, YouTube) See More Audi News

Hybrid locomotive at Audi plant in Ingolstadt

By Caitlin Duffy – October 30, 2015

Audi Introduces a Hybrid Train to Transport Vehicles

Audi is at the forefront of development for the transportation industry, but not just in the automotive sector. Four rings on rails: A new plug-in-hybrid-locomotive transports components and finished Audi models in a more climate-friendly way at the Audi plant in Ingolstadt.Check out the photos of this hybrid train, and find your own Audi, transported via sustainable tech, from our exclusive listings.Audis For Sale (via Audi) See More Audi News

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