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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 Edward Jones – April 25, 2019

Lexus Joins the Team in New "Men in Black: International"...

The second trailer for the upcoming film "Men in Black: International" just dropped and it stars more than just Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. In the trailer, a 2020 Lexus RC F is debuted as the car of choice for the alien-fighting duo. “We’ve added some advanced capabilities to the RC F to assist the Men in Black agents, creating a truly one-of-a-kind alien-fighting machine,” said Lisa Materazzo, Vice President of Lexus marketing. “We can’t wait for moviegoers to see the RC F as they’ve never seen it before.” What could that possibly mean? In the original film, it was the red button that could turn the car into essentially a rocket. For the new film, it seems that the RC F goes under the same kind of transformation. If you watch the trailer, found above, you can see the new Lexus sports car transform into a futuristic new vehicle. Check it out and get ready for the film, which hits theaters on June 14, 2019. see all lexus cars for sale

By Edward Jones – April 25, 2019

What Will James Bond's Next Car Be?

The new "Bond 25" film's cast has just been announced, and it's jam-packed with stars. According to Collider.com, the official cast is as follows: Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomi Harris, Rory Kinnear, Jeffrey Wright, Dali Benssalah, Billy Magnussen, Ana De Armas, David Dencik, Lashana Lynch and Remi Malek. Now, there's one thing missing so far: the car. What kind of car is James Bond going to drive this time around? If history tells us anything, it's that James Bond drives an Aston Martin. This is a tradition that goes back to the 1964 film, "Goldfinger," with the DB5. Since then, numerous Aston Martins have been used, as well as a few other makes. Most recently, Bond drove a DB10 in "Spectre". This car actually sold for $2.6 million for charity. Before that, the DB5 was actually used in both "Casino Royale" and "Skyfall". So, what will it be? Could it be the new DBS Superleggera? DB11? Or even one of Aston Martin's new supercars or hypercar? Cast your vote down below. see all aston martins for sale Source: Collider

By Edward Jones – April 24, 2019

Manny Khoshbin's New McLaren Senna Celebrates Ayrton Senn...

On May 1, 1988, at the San Marino Grand Prix, Ayrton Senna secured his first GP win with the McLaren team. He would then go on to dominate the rest of the season, placing 1st seven more times and ultimately winning the World Drivers' Championship. Manny Khoshbin, the famous entrepreneur, just had his McLaren Senna supercar delivered, which features a unique livery that celebrates Senna's first win with the McLaren team. He recently picked up the car at McLaren Newport Beach, where it was given a grand unveiling. delivered, which features a unique livery that celebrates Senna's first win with the McLaren team. He recently picked up the car at McLaren Newport Beach, where it was given a grand unveiling. https://www.facebook.com/mannykhoshbin/videos/567524553771202/ Khoshbin's new McLaren features a livery that was inspired by Senna's Marlboro #12 car. The colors on his Senna are the same as the #12 race car and there's even a "12" on the side of the car. Inside, the color scheme of the livery continues, most noticeably on the five-point race harness. Congratulations Manny Khoshbin on this fantastic addition to your collection! view mclaren newport beach's inventory https://www.facebook.com/mannykhoshbin/videos/627617817700347/

By Edward Jones – April 23, 2019

Robert Downey Jr. Pulls Up to "Avengers: Endgame" Premier...

Robert Downey Jr. has been gracing the big screen as Iron Man for over a decade and following him along the way are a wide variety of Audi models. This includes the R8 and even the new e-tron GT. This new model is a fully electric sedan that follows the e-tron SUV in its effort to pave the way for a more electrified Audi lineup. RDJ was on -hand for the e-tron GT's premiere and it seems to have followed him to the "Avengers: Endgame" premiere. Source Even though this could possibly be the last time we see RDJ in an Avengers film, he's still rocking an Audi. However, I still think the best car in Iron Man's collection is the Saleen S7. The man definitely has great taste in cars. see all audis for sale Source

By Edward Jones – April 22, 2019

Jon Olsson Fans Vote on His Next Supercar

Jon Olsson has decided that he can't decide which supercar he should buy next. So, he let his fans pick out which car he would add to his collection next. To do this, he put a poll on one of his YouTube videos. In the poll were three options: Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, Ferrari GTC4Lusso and Porsche Panamera Turbo S. On the past Friday, the winner was picked with 43% of the votes, the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera. Thankfully, Olsson isn't giving his fans the opportunity to pick out what the Aston Martin will look like. Given that the internet once voted on "Boaty McBoatface" for the name of a boat, he could've ended up with a pink and green car on white wheels. That being said, Olsson uploaded a few photoshops of what he thinks his spec will look like when he goes to order. I'm personally a fan of the grey spec with red trim. Congrats on the new ride Jon, I think the fans picked well! see all aston martins for sale

By Edward Jones – April 18, 2019

New "Hobbs & Shaw" Trailer: McLarens Galore

A new trailer for "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" has dropped and it gives us the best look yet at the plot of the story. The trailer shows why/how Idris Elba's character became so strong, why there is so much fighting and it even takes the movie's story to Hawaii. One thing that I noticed while watching is that McLaren supercars seem to play a big part in the movie. The first time you see a McLaren in the trailer is in the form of a 720S that The Rock's character, Hobbs, is driving. He manages to grab a guy off of a motorcycle and slam him into a wall, all while driving the English supercar. There's also a scene where Shaw, Jason Statham's character, leads the camera into an underground garage full of McLarens. Being that he and his character are from England, it's fitting. Check out the trailer above and be sure to check out the movie when it premieres on August 2, 2019. see all mclarens for sale

By Edward Jones – April 16, 2019

Keanu Reeves' Motorcycle Collection

Keanu Reeves is one of the coolest guys in the world. Fact. He's been in some of the best movies, is genuinely an awesome guy, is a beast at gun courses and has his own motorcycle company, Arch Motorcycle. Not only does he a co-founder of Arch, but he's also a self-proclaimed motorcycle-guy and has been riding for quite a long time. GQ recently sat down with Keanu to talk bikes at his Arch Motorcycle shop and uploaded their time with him. In the video, seen above, we get a chance to see the inner-workings of Arch Motorcycle and even a new prototype model. Keanue also shows off his most prized motorcycles, including a Ducati that was used in "The Matrix Reloaded." Ducati finished this bike in a very special green paint, giving it the perfect touch for a Matrix bike. Check out the video and be sure to check out reddit.com/r/keanubeingawesome to see just how some he is. see motorcycles for sale now

By Edward Jones – April 11, 2019

Jason Statham's New McLaren 720S

Movie star Jason Statham has been going heavy in the automotive world for quite some time now. Most recently, he's been in the news, especially our news, because of his star role in the upcoming film "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw". In the film, he drives the McLaren 720S supercar- even the poster for the film has him leaning up against the 720S. Now, Statham has added a 720S Spider to his own collection thanks to his purchase from our friends at McLaren Beverly Hills. McLaren Spins Out for Fast and Furious Spin-Off The McLaren 720S Spider is truly one of the English automaker's finest convertibles. It all starts with the already incredible 720S supercar. For the convertible functionality, McLaren developed an all-new type of carbon fiber roof. This new retractable hardtop roof will open or close in just 11 seconds during speeds of up to 31 mph. My favorite new feature of the 720S Spider is the optional glass insert that's electrochromatic. This means the glass insert can go from clear to dark with just the flick of a switch. Now that's innovative. Congratulations on the new ride, Jason Statham! And an even better choice of a dealership. view mclaren beverly hills' cars for sale Source

By Edward Jones – April 10, 2019

Khalid's BMW i8 Roadsters Unveiled for Coachella Trip

At the end of March, BMW unveiled that Khalid, the famous singer, will be taking a fleet of BMW i8s and i3s to the Coachella. In the trip will be vehicles that has designs inspired by "Free Spirit", Khalid's latest album. Today, BMW unveiled the designs for the i models that will be included in the Coachella fleet. They feature flames and an image of a wolf, cues that were inspired by the album cover of "Free Spirit". "I love road-tripping, hopping in my car and driving back home to El Paso is 12 hours each way from LA," says Khalid. "To me, BMW, especially BMW i8, is the embodiment of freedom on the road. I really feel like a free spirit when I’m driving and listening to music. I love making music that you can crank up and drive to with the windows down." Coachella will be taking place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California from April 12 to 21 April 2019. view all bmw i8's for sale

By Edward Jones – April 03, 2019

Jose Ramirez Buys McLaren 720S from Marshall Goldman

Jose Ramirez is coming off of a hot 2018 season ready to take on the American League Central division for the Cleveland Indians. He may be able to easily help a ball travel out of the diamond, but for his own travelling he's opted for a new supercar. Marshall Goldman Motor Sales recently posted an image and video of Ramirez with his new ride, a McLaren 720S. His example of the English supercar is finished in Glacier White, with a Tan leather interior. It's a beautiful spec that will certainly catch the attention of fans when he's arriving at Progressive Field. Congrats on the new ride! view marshall goldman's inventory of cars https://www.instagram.com/p/BvzVzZBJZMr/

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