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

Bugatti News

Bugatti news from duPont REGISTRY News, updated as each story breaks, covering the Chiron in its many forms, the Mistral roadster and the track-only Bolide. Our reporting also follows the V16 hybrid Tourbillon and the auction results that set values for the earlier cars. Bugatti builds in very small numbers, so a single sale can reset the market for a whole model. That is where our marketplace helps readers most. Bugattis covered here are often listed for sale on duPont REGISTRY, which puts the reporting and a real asking price side by side. For Bugatti news today, and the hypercar news and exotic car market news around it, start below.

By Tyler Rampersaud – February 01, 2022

Bugatti's New Centodieci Braves Below Zero Temps In Testing

Even Bugatti’s rarest gems get the cold shoulder. The Bugatti Centodieci is an incredibly special and rare car that serves as an homage to the entire brand and its storied history, and especially the EB110, from which the car takes visual cues. Even though only ten of these cars will be made, the model will be tested to brave just about any condition. Even after being subjected to temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius, or 122 degrees Fahrenheit in Bugatti’s climate chamber, the Centodieci is now going to be tested at temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius, or -4 Fahrenheit, to make sure that the car performs as intended, no matter what climate it is being driven in. MUST READ: Manny Koshbin Takes Delivery Of His Little Car Company x Bugatti Baby II ‘Rembrandt Edition’ After engineers confirm that the Centodieci can perform to the best of its ability in these extreme temperatures, it will undergo more testing where it will be driven nearly 19,000 miles to prove that it is ready to not only be a beautiful part of its owners’ collections, but a capable and impressively performing one as well. See All Bugattis For Sale

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By Jordan Aquistapace – December 08, 2021

Discover The New Bugatti Centodieci Apparel Collection

Bugatti celebrates its commemorative hypercar with a luxury apparel line. Since its beginning, the Bugatti brand continues to strive for ultimate design and performance, whether it's manufacturing hypercars or designing the next fashion collection. Nonetheless, the automotive manufacturer finds ways to incorporate aspects of its historic past into modern-day designs. The Bugatti Centodieci celebrates the 110-years behind the red badge as one of the world’s most luxurious and expensive models to be released from the Atelier Molsheim factory. MUST-READ: Check Out This Bugatti Divo ‘Ying Yang’ Split Interior Design Bugatti is proud to announce the release of its new Centodieci apparel collection featuring three new graphic t-shirts. The collection includes styles straight from the beginnings of the Centodieci's design process, using every angle of the hypercar as an artistic vision. The all-new Bugatti Centodieci Apparel Collection is now available online and in select Bugatti dealerships around the world. View all current Bugatti examples for sale on duPont REGISTRY by clicking the link below. Check back into duPont REGISTRY Daily for more luxury gear news and releases. View All Bugatti For Sale on duPont REGISTRY Source: Bugatti

By Edward Jones – October 14, 2021

Bugatti Centodieci Passes Seriously Extreme Hot Weather T...

Welcome to Arizona, Bugatti engineers! A team of engineers from Wolfsburg, Germany is spending three weeks in the USA, putting a convoy of Bugatti hypercars through extreme weather testing. Their latest stop was in Arizona, land of the dry heat, where they would put the convoy through hot weather testing. Leading the convoy through the testing is a prototype of the Centodieci hypercar and it's been easily passing the grueling tests. For the hot weather testing, the engineers really ensured that the hypercar was up to the task. The convoy was taken to Mount Lemon in Tuscon, Arizona where the road reaches an altitude of about 9,186 feet. Temperatures reached during the tests were around 113 degrees Fahrenheit, and I don't have to tell you how uncomfortable that heat can be. Bugatti Chiron Price & Specs :: MUST READ But, these temperatures weren't enough. Other tests included letting the cars sit in the sun with the air conditioning cranked all the way up and also driving them at speed of up to 198 mph (on a closed course). As expected, the Centodieci passed all of the tests and now it's off for high-speed drives and endurance tests that will see it traveling up to 186,000 miles in Europe. When these tests are passed, the Bugatti Centodieci will be signed off by the development team and production will begin. See All Bugattis For Sale Source: Bugatti

By Edward Jones – August 31, 2021

See the Bugatti Centodieci Complete Wind Tunnel Testing

Even a Bugatti model limited to just 10 examples still undergoes serious testing. Bugatti takes their aerodynamics very seriously. With models capable of reaching speeds well over 200 mph, they have to ensure that each of their hypercars performs flawlessly at extreme rates of speed. Recently, the Bugatti Centodieci hypercar finished its wind tunnel testing where engineers fine-tuned it to perfection. With wind speeds up to 186 mph, this wind tunnel is capable of pushing air under, over, and to the side of the Centodieci. The different wind positions replicate certain situations and test the aerodynamics of specific components. For example, the wind tunnel will send wind at various angles to simulate how the Centodieci would handle during quick corners. “No matter what speed and what driving situation, the Centodieci is sportily neutral and can be managed at all times in spite of its immense power,” says André Kullig, Technical Project Manager for one and few-off projects at Bugatti. You can check out the video of the Centodieci undergoing wind tunnel tests in the video up above. See all Bugattis For Sale Source: Bugatti

By Edward Jones – August 26, 2021

$9.4 Million Bugatti Centodieci Hits 186 MPH During Testing

Bugatti is putting in work to ensure the Centodieci is automotive perfection. No matter how exclusive the car is, everything Bugatti rolls out of their factory in Molsheim is tirelessly tested so it meets the company's incredibly high standards. Take the Bugatti Centodieci for example. While it may have a planned production run of just 10 examples, Bugatti is still putting it through extensive testing. Motor1 recently joined Bugatti engineers at the Nardo handling track to experience the Centodieci's testing for themselves. Behind the wheel during the testing was Loris Bicocchi, a man that has been involved with the creation and testing of hypercars and supercars for decades. It's truly incredible to see how nonchalantly Bicocchi puts a vehicle worth $9.4 million through its paces on a demanding test track. Check it out for yourself in the video up above and see how well the Centodieci handles reaching speeds up to 186 mph. It also needs to be noted that the Bugatti Centodieci sounds absolutely wonderful. See All Bugattis For Sale

By Andrew Nabors – August 16, 2019

Bugatti Centodieci Unveiled as a Modern EB110

A certain French hypercar company has been mentioning the EB110 lately, and now we know why. The Bugatti Centodieci was unveiled as a modern EB110. Taking inspiration from their 90's supercar, they took the wedge design and sharp angles and mated them to the chassis of a Chiron. Starting at the front, new LED headlights are very thin, to allow the EB110 influences to be integrated. Because the modern powertrain makes much more heat, engineers had their hands full mounting the radiators in a unique configuration. The B-Pillar slopes down at a sharp angle, with five circular inlets to feed the intakes. Not only is this aerodynamic, but it would also look right at home on a 90's car. Instead of the twin taillights of the EB110, the Centodieci needed a wider opening to keep things cool. Thankfully they were still able to revive the flying tail with a prominent rear overhang. Simply dropping in the Chiron's quad-turbo W16 would be too easy. So they added another oil cooler, played with the timing and upped the boost. You will have 1,600 horsepower at 7,000 rpm. This offers a 0-62 mph time of 2.4 seconds. If you aren't scared, it will reach 186 mph in 13.1 seconds. Due to the retro styling, the computer limits top speed to 236, and we can live with that! Extensive revisions to the suspension have shaved 44 lbs of unsprung weight. The Chiron was already comfortable, so this car must ride like a dream! Each car has a starting price of around $9,000,000, and only 10 will be built. I am not sure if my allocation will be granted, but maybe they will take a CTS-V in trade. Tell us what you think of the Centodieci in the comments below and stay with us for all your Bugatti news. Browse Bugatti For Sale " width="680"> Related: Bugatti Chiron Price, Specs, Photos & Review Bugatti La Voiture Noire Price, Specs, Photos & Review

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