Events

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 Charles Bradley – June 06, 2026

Cavallino Classic Monaco Adds New Chapter to duPont REGISTRY Group’s Expanding Global Portfolio

On the most storied streets in motorsport, where heritage and prestige intersect, a new benchmark for luxury automotive experiences has been defined. The debut of Cavallino Classic Monaco by Canossa Events – an integral pillar of the duPont REGISTRY Group portfolio – was the latest addition to its world-class events that also encompass Palm Beach and Boca Raton in Florida, Enzo Ferrari’s hometown of Modena in Italy, and during Formula 1’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend. Set against the backdrop of glittering Monte Carlo, during the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, Cavallino Classic Monaco seamlessly blended concours-level elegance with live racing theater. Organized in collaboration with the Automobile Club de Monaco, the Yacht Club de Monaco, and Ferrari Corse Clienti, the event transformed the principality into a living stage for Ferrari’s most significant competition cars. Nowhere was this more evident than at the Yacht Club marina, where 22 historic open-wheel machines from Scuderia Ferrari formed an unprecedented concours display – an extraordinary concentration of racing provenance rarely seen in one place. Twelve of those cars went beyond static exhibition, taking to the circuit itself in a moment that earned a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of Ferrari Formula 1 cars ever seen on track simultaneously. Timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Ferrari’s first Formula 1 victory, the symbolism was as powerful as the spectacle. The concours culminated in an awards ceremony within the Yacht Club’s ballroom, where Piero Ferrari, son of founder Enzo, presented Best of Show to the Ferrari F2004 #234, a car driven to victory by Michael Schumacher and now owned by Luis Perez Companc. Additional honors spanned eras and engineering philosophies, from the pioneering front-engined racers of the 1950s to the high-revving V8, V10, and V12 machines of the modern Formula 1 era – each class reflecting a chapter in Ferrari’s relentless pursuit of performance. Yet, what defines Cavallino Classic Monaco – and, by extension, duPont REGISTRY Group’s approach – is the orchestration beyond the cars. The weekend opened with a private dinner inside the Yacht Club, surrounded by historic Ferrari F1 cars and a fleet of superyachts, setting the tone for a program that balanced exclusivity with purpose. A charity auction, organized by the Cavallino Foundation in collaboration with RM Sotheby's, supported Save the Children, reinforcing the event’s philanthropic dimension. “We are very proud to have brought this idea to life,” said Cavallino President Enzo Mattioli Ferrari, the CEO of Ferrari Family Investments and Trustee of Piero Ferrari Trust. “Together with Luigi Orlandini, CEO of Cavallino Classic, we have worked on this project over the past two years. It seemed a mission impossible, yet here we are celebrating its success, highlighted by the record of 12 Ferrari Formula 1 cars on track at the same time: something never seen before. We are already working on new ideas for the next edition of the Historique in 2028. I would like to thank all our extraordinary guests, whose magnificent single-seaters made this possible, delivering unforgettable moments and an event of global resonance.” As Cavallino Classic – the world’s premier Ferrari-focused event series, with its flagship concours in Palm Beach – celebrates its 35th anniversary at The Boca Raton Resort, its Monaco debut signals more than geographic expansion. It reinforces duPont REGISTRY Group’s position as a leader in the curation of high-end luxury experiences – where precision, storytelling, and access converge. Through Canossa, dRG has demonstrated an ability to elevate automotive events into fully realized lifestyle platforms, defined as much by their guests and atmosphere as by the machinery itself. Cavallino Classic’s Monaco debut underscored a level of detail, exclusivity, and experiential depth that places dRG firmly at the forefront of the global luxury lifestyle space. This is not just about hosting events – it is about curating environments where the world’s most discerning collectors, enthusiasts, and industry leaders come together in a setting that feels both intimate and extraordinary. Supported by partners including Riva, Richard Mille, Moët & Chandon, and Ferrari Style, the debut edition delivered on every level – visual, experiential, and cultural. Cavallino Classic Monaco demonstrates that when executed at the highest level, these gatherings become more than events. They become destinations, defined by access, authenticity, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF CAVALLINO CLASSIC

The 2026 Terre di Canossa Rally Traveled From Tuscany To Liguria

By Canossa Events – May 13, 2026

Italian Beauty At The 2026 Terre di Canossa Rally

Part of duPont REGISTRY Group’s growing portfolio of luxury automotive events, experiences, and services, Canossa recently held its annual Terre di Canossa Rally. A Supertouristic Regularity event on the ACI Sport calendar, the Terre di Canossa Rally brought incredible cars through some of the most beautiful landscapes between Tuscany and Liguria, including Garfagnana’s woods, Cinque Terre’s UNESCO Heritage Sites, Carrara Road, Pinocchio Park, Lucca, Pisa, Montecatini Terme, and Forte dei Marmi. Forte dei Marmi’s Canniccia Motor Club was the venue for a Sunday lunch that closed the event, with an awards ceremony that celebrated many of the iconic cars that participated in the rally. The winning historic cars were Crew 15’s 1954 Triumph TR 2, Crew 18’s 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, Crew 24’s 1955 Fiat 1100/103, Crew 2’s 1937 BMW 328, and Crew 59’s 1980 Ferrari 308 GTB. By nation, the top finishers were Crew 59 from Austria in the same Ferrari 308 GTB, Crew 15 from Argentina in a 1954 Triumph TR 2, Crew 21 from Belgium in a 1961 Volvo P1800, Crew 36 from France in a 1971 Fiat Dino Spider 2400, Crew 11 from Germany in a 1959 AC Ace Bristol, Crew 24 from the Netherlands in a 1955 Fiat 1100/103, Crew 47 from Switzerland in a 1969 Opel GT 1900, Crew 19 from the United Kingdom in a 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, and Crew 20 from the US in a 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider. <- Gallery -> Special awards were given to several crews, as well. These were the Pre-War Car Award, given to Crew 2 and their 1937 BMW 328, which also won the Ladies Cup Award, the 1st Team Award, which was won by the Squadra Tartaruga Argentina team, and the RM Sotheby’s Special Prize, which was given to Crew 4 and their 1952 Ferrari 225 S. Modern cars were Crew 65’s 2022 Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Crew 66’s 2020 Abarth 595, and Crew 64’s 2003 Mercedes-Benz. Crew 16 showcased an impressive achievement at the event, scoring 18 out of 18 in the third day’s Ability Challenge in their 1954 Triumph TR 3. A collaboration with RM Sotheby’s, as well as a Presenting Sponsorship and business partnership with Goodwool enhanced this year’s Terre di Canossa Rally even further, and as part of the expansive portfolio of events, experiences, and luxury automotive services under the duPont REGISTRY Group umbrella, Canossa Events continues to bring enthusiast-focused experiences to life that highlight all manners of automotive excellence. Learn More About Canossa Image Source: Canossa Events

By Charles Bradley – May 06, 2026

Villa La Massa Excellence Returns with a Celebration of the Supercar Era

Set against the timeless backdrop of Tuscany, the fourth edition of Villa La Massa Excellence will once again bring the world’s most captivating modern supercars into a setting defined by heritage, refinement, and exclusivity. Taking place from October 16 to 18, 2026, the prestigious concours d’elegance transforms the storied grounds of Villa La Massa into a curated stage for the finest automotive expressions from the 1990s to the present day – held in collaboration with Canossa, part of duPont REGISTRY Group. More than a showcase of speed and design, Villa La Massa Excellence is a celebration of the supercar as a cultural artifact – machines that redefine aesthetic and technological standards while capturing the imagination of collectors and enthusiasts alike. From youngtimers and contemporary icons to hypercars, racing models, concept cars, and one-offs, the event offers a comprehensive look at the last 35 years of automotive innovation. Restomods – reimagined classics infused with modern engineering – add another dimension to the carefully selected field. Organized in collaboration with Canossa, part of duPont REGISTRY Group's extensive portfolio of curated luxury automotive experiences, the concours continues to build on the success of its previous editions. Its connection to the renowned Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d’Este reinforces its standing within the global concours calendar. Both events belong to the Villa d’Este Hotels – La Collezione portfolio, offering complementary perspectives: Lake Como honors pre-war and historic automobiles, while Florence celebrates the modern era’s most influential creations. At the heart of the weekend is the competition itself, where a panel of distinguished judges from the worlds of design, art, heritage, and sport will evaluate each entry. The coveted Villa La Massa Golden Cup remains the ultimate prize, alongside the People’s Choice award and the distinctive Future Choice accolade – selected by a jury of children and teenagers, underscoring the event’s commitment to cultivating the next generation of automotive tastemakers. New for 2026, the program expands beyond the concours lawn with a parade at the legendary Mugello Circuit. Scheduled for Sunday, this dynamic addition brings these extraordinary machines onto the track, blending elegance with performance in a setting synonymous with Italian motorsport passion. Yet, as with any truly exceptional gathering, the experience extends far beyond the cars. Guests are immersed in a world of elevated hospitality, from the manicured gardens and Medici-era architecture of Villa La Massa to a gala dinner and awards ceremony hosted at Palazzo Portinari Salviati. Here, automotive excellence meets culinary artistry and cultural sophistication in equal measure. A member of The Leading Hotels of the World, Villa La Massa itself is central to the event’s allure. With just 54 rooms and suites spread across six villas, a ten-hectare riverside park, and a wellness offering that includes the Arno SPA housed within ancient wine cellars, it delivers an intimate, highly curated environment tailored to an elite international audience. As Villa La Massa Excellence continues to evolve, it reinforces its position as a defining platform for modern collector cars – where craftsmanship, performance, and luxury converge. In doing so, it offers not just a concours, but a fully realized lifestyle experience, one that captures the enduring appeal of the supercar era in its most refined form.

Events

duPont REGISTRY News

duPont REGISTRY Group

Support

Subscribe