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

Bentley News

Bentley news from duPont REGISTRY News, updated as each story breaks, covering the Continental GT, the Bentayga, the Flying Spur and Mulliner's bespoke commissions. Our reporting takes in model reveals, first drives and the auction results that establish what these cars are worth. Bentley Motors news tends to move slowly and matter for years, so we follow how values hold across a generation. This is where the marketplace becomes useful. Many of the Bentleys covered here are listed for sale on duPont REGISTRY, placing the reporting and a genuine asking price side by side. For Bentley news today, and the luxury car market news that surrounds it, begin below.

By Andrew Nabors – September 09, 2020

New 1928 Bentley Blower Engines Roar To Life

What once was old is new again, with Blower Bentleys from Crewe again. Yesterday we told you about a trio of Bentley cars built by their Mulliner custom shop. The most anticipated is a continuation of the 1928 Supercharged 4-1/2 Litre. Limited to a dozen examples, nothing has been left to chance. That is why a new 1928 Bentley Blower engine has roared to life. Bentley Mulliner is Building a Trifecta For Salon Privé After building an exact replica of the front suspension, they dusted off an engine dyno that was last used in WW2 to calibrate the Merlin V12. The analog dynamometer is a work of art, and so is the beast bolted to it. Building a new version of an old engine is not easy. In my case, it took years to learn how to port heads, lap valves, set breaker points, and listen to the ignition timing. While these procedures are not completely gone, we are looking at the end of an era. Computers and machine tools simply do a better job, but the reward of a classic engine is unlike anything else. Once the break-in is done, we will share the dyno results with you, so stay with us for all your Bentley news. Browse Bentley For Sale

By Edward Jones – August 20, 2020

Bentley Starts Production on the Limited Pikes Peak Conti...

Bentley has just announced that their limited run of the Pikes Peak Continental GT by Mulliner has begun at their factory in Crewe, England. This limited edition model will have just 15 examples produced in total, all of which feature a unique carbon fiber body kit, Radium by Mulliner paint and more. There's also Pikes Peak embroidery on the seat in Radium, Pikes Peak decal on the front fender, and a graphic that shows the track on the passenger-side fascia. For 35 percent of the cars ordered, a unique Mountain Decal Event Livery was chosen which displays the mountains of the track on the sides of the exterior. Why the love for Pikes Peak? It's because a Continental GT set a new record for the track in 2019 and this car is celebrating that momentous event. If you want to celebrate on your own by owning an example this car, you're out of luck because all 15 have already been allocated. See All Continental GTs for Sale

By Andrew Nabors – August 07, 2020

Bentley Teases Their Electric Future

High voltage and sustainability are the buzzwords from every automaker. With Europe's mandate for all production cars to have hybrid technology, Bentley has given us a glimpse of their electric future. A 3-year project named OCTOPUS has culminated in a breakthrough in electric-powered axles. The acronym stands for Optimised Components, Test and simulatiOn, toolkits for Powertrains which integrate Ultra high-speed motor Solutions. Bentley Bentayga Gets Four New Accessory Collections Using electromagnets instead of rare earth elements, the motor is able to be recycled and rebuilt for the ultimate in sustainability. Engineers also eliminated copper from the motor. This costs a bit of efficiency, but who knows how much copper our planet has left. To see the big picture, they plan to have their first EV on the road by 2026. Because Bentley is part of the VW group, they also have access to Rimac, as Porsche owns 20% of the hypercar builder. Browse Bentley For Sale " width="680">

By Edward Jones – July 31, 2020

Bentley Bentayga Gets Four New Accessory Collections

Bentley has just announced four new accessory collections for their popular Bentayga luxury SUV: Exterior, Interior, Touring and Protection. Each of these were developed by the same engineers who developed the cars themselves. Here's a quick breakdown of each one. Exterior Range: This range enhances the look of the Bentayga's exterior, as well as its sound. The highlight is the Akrapovic exhaust system. Other accessories include the high-gloss carbon fiber mirror cowls and fixed side step option. Interior Range: Designed for comfort, this accessory collection includes leather-trimmed scatter cushions and luggage. Touring Range: If the Touring Range is picked, the Bentayga's boot capacity is expanded to 484 liters and a lockable roof box is added. Options include a load assist tray and two versions of the Bentley Cycle Carrier. Protection Range: Meant for off-roading, this collection adds car covers, heavy-duty interior mats and mud flaps. See All Bentaygas for Sale

By Andrew Nabors – July 23, 2020

Bentley Flying Spur Arrives With 3D Wood Paneling

Two decades ago, the only wood found in cars was a thin veneer. Bean Counters at the assembly plants made sure to save money by cutting the wood as thin as possible. Now with a push for more sustainable materials, Bentley has unveiled 3D wood paneling for the 2021 Flying Spur. Your door panels can be had with leather as usual, but two new options are open-pore American Walnut or American Cherry wood. 2021 Bentley Flying Spur Receives Plush Updates The diamond pattern was first seen in their EXP 10 Speed 6 concept from 2015, and fans gave it rave reviews. It was inspired by the quilted leather offered by their Mulliner custom department, and it took them 18 months to develop the machining process without marring the finish. Skilled carpenters use a 3-axis router to carve each panel, and the finished product is only accepted if it meets tolerances of 0.1 mm. It is neat to think that the wood in your new Bentley traveled from American forests before coming back in style. Click the button below to find your new Bentley and stay with us for all your luxury news. Browse Bentley Flying Spur For Sale

By Edward Jones – July 17, 2020

New Bentley Bentayga Four Seat Comfort Spec Announced

According to Bentley, one in every five examples of the previous generation Bentayga was ordered with the four-seat configuration. Because of this, they have revealed the Four Seat Comfort Specification for the new 2021 Bentayga. With this spec, rear passengers are given the ultimate way to travel. With up to 3.9 inches more legroom over the previous generation, their legs can stretch out for a relaxing time. What's more, the seats offer ventilation, massage programs, winged comfort headrests, and an increased maximum recline. In between the rear seats, there's additional storage, as well as two USB charging sockets. To further enhance the experience for the rear passengers, the Four Seat Comfort Specification can be optioned with the Mulliner Console Bottle Cooler. This integrated drink cooler can house a 750ml bottle and two Cumbria crystal flutes.

By Edward Jones – July 14, 2020

Rainbow Bentley Continental GT to Enter Pride Event

The first Bentley Continental GT V8 Convertible in a rainbow-theme is set to take part in North West of England's first virtual Pride event. This British luxury sports car has been wrapped in a rainbow design that actually consists of six bespoke paint colors from Bentley. As for the event, Bentley partnered with the Cheshire East Council for this event, which will take place on Saturday, July 25. Bentley notes that this announced celebrates three key themes for their brand: pride, hope and gratitude. “We embraced the opportunity to create our first rainbow car, because rainbows are recognized as an icon for the LGBTQ+ community and Pride events which celebrate individuality and take place around the world during June and July," says Dr. Astrid Fontaine, Bentley’s Member of the Board for People, Digitalisation and IT. See All Bentley Continentals for Sale Source: Bentley Motors

By Edward Jones – July 08, 2020

New 2021 Bentley Bentayga Configurator Launches Online

Bentley Motors has just added the new 2021 Bentayga to their advanced online configurator, allowing everyone to build the luxury SUV of their dreams. Bentley's online car configurator has been consistently built upon since the automaker starting working with Intel back in 2017. Now, the Bentayga joins Bentley's portfolio of cars on their configurator. You can start your build with either the Bentayga V8 First Edition of the standard Bentayga V8. From there, the options open up. The plethora of paint finishes, veneers, interior options and more will have you spending a good amount of time tweaking your Bentayga into the perfectly personalized SUV. I'm serious when I say you can get lost in this configurator. To build yours, start by clicking here. See All Bentaygas for Sale

By Andrew Nabors – July 08, 2020

2021 Bentley Flying Spur Receives Plush Updates

It will be hard to adjust to, but we now live in a world without a new Bentley Mulsanne for sale. But in times like these is important to keep your chin up, especially now that the Flying Spur has been divorced from the Continental lineup. The aforemention retirement of their largest model has allowed stylists and engineers to dissect the Flying Spur and give it plush updates you couldn't dream of. 2021 Bentley Continental Receives New Colors & Features Starting with a new 4-seat cabin, buyers can opt for a full-length center console dividing four semi-aniline leather seats. Buyers will also receive two cup holders, storage for the 5" touchscreen remote, USB ports, heated armrests, and wireless charging. An expanded offering of wood or leather patterns allow their Mulliner department to build a car exactly to your tastes. The most detailed leather patterns require a minimum of 18 hours and 11,100 hand-sewn stitches. Powered picnic tables are covered in your choice of veneer, and the exterior color upgrades are identical to the new 2021 Bentley Continental for sale. The rear bench seat is still optional, as is the Blackline Specification, so click the button below to find our dealer near you. Browse Bentley Flying Spur For Sale

Bentley Continental GT V8Photo: James Lipman / jameslipman.com

By Andrew Nabors – July 02, 2020

2021 Bentley Continental Receives new Colors and Features

While we are still lamenting over the last Mulsanne, the choice to discontinue the big sedan has allowed engineers and designers to focus on their best seller. The Continental is offered with V8 or twelve-cylinder power, in coupe or convertible bodies. To offer their discerning clientele more than the competition, the 2021 examples will have a few more options to choose from. Next-Generation Bentley Bentayga Revealed Starting with the color palette, the styling department has added Viridian, Patina, and Snow Quartz. You can now choose from 62 exterior colors, or allow their Mulliner custom shop to paint your Continental any shade you desire. In keeping with the latest infotainment and conveniences, a new steering wheel has capacitive sensors under the leather to make sure you are holding it. While that might be a bit annoying, it is a critical part of the semi-autonomous driver assistance systems. Last, but not least, a glass panoramic roof is now optional. It is polarized to eliminate glare, and it has a powered Alcantara blind in the same 15 colors as the headliner. As always, our dealers have all the details, so click the button below and stay with us for all your Bentley news. Browse Bentley Continental For Sale

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