Features

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 Khris Bharath – October 01, 2026

This Forgotten SUV Packs a Manual Transmission and a V12 Related to the McLaren F1

Fast-performance SUVs are everywhere today. Models with 600, 700, or even more horsepower have become a familiar sight, but the idea of combining supercar performance with the size and practicality of an SUV was once considerably more unusual. Early exceptions existed, of course, with one pioneer being the Lamborghini LM002, which brought Countach-derived V12 power and outrageous styling to the formula in the 1980s, long before the original BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne helped turn the performance SUV into a mainstream luxury segment. But around the turn of the millennium, engineers in Munich created something that made even the so-called "Rambo Lambo" seem relatively conventional. Enter the BMW X5 Le Mans Experimental: From the outside, it looked like a modified first-generation X5, but underneath lay an engine with direct links to one of the greatest supercars ever made. The one-off X5 Le Mans, built in 2000, was created around a 6.1-liter naturally aspirated V12 derived from the engine used in the V12 LMR, the prototype that took overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1999. That racing engine belonged to the same extraordinary lineage as the S70/2 developed for the McLaren F1, a 6.1-liter V12 that produced 627 horsepower in the legendary road car. Freed from the restrictions imposed on the Le Mans racing engine, the version installed in the X5 produces more than 700 horsepower and pairs with a six-speed manual transmission, while retaining the standard all-wheel-drive system with a rear-biased 38:62 torque split. The result was unlike just about any SUV on the road at the time. The X5 Le Mans V12's enormous cooling requirements necessitated additional openings in the hood and front fascia. Larger 20-inch wheels, a substantially lowered suspension, wider tires, and quad exhaust outlets further distinguished it from an ordinary E53 X5. And this was no static engineering exercise, because back in June 2001, racing driver Hans-Joachim Stuck took the X5 Le Mans around the Nürburgring Nordschleife in just 7:49.92. At a time when a sub-eight-minute lap was largely the territory of serious sports cars, a tall, heavy SUV achieving one was remarkable. Its straight-line performance was equally surprising. could get to 62 mph in a claimed 4.7 seconds, while the experimental X5’s top speed, according to BMW, was in excess of 300 km/h (186 mph), with Stuck reaching 309 km/h (192 mph) during testing. All of this happened only a few months after the original X5 arrived in 1999. There was no X5 M yet, and the modern performance-SUV arms race was still years away. The Le Mans prototype effectively demonstrated just how far the platform could be pushed before the market had even fully embraced the idea of an SUV built primarily around outright performance. The idea eventually reached production elsewhere with the Audi Q7 V12 TDI in 2012, which packs a 6.0-liter twin-turbo diesel V12, while the Mercedes-AMG G65 brought a twin-turbocharged gasoline V12 to the G-Class. Even as twelve-cylinder engines disappear from much of the automotive industry today, the formula survives with models like the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, which still employs a 6.75-liter twin-turbocharged V12, while the Ferrari Purosangue takes a considerably more sporting approach with its naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12. They are among a surprisingly rare group of new cars that continue to offer V12 power, even as electrification and tighter emissions regulations make twelve-cylinder engines increasingly rare. What makes the X5 Le Mans different is when it happened. More than two decades ago, engineers had already combined an SUV body, all-wheel drive, and a naturally aspirated racing V12 producing more than 700 horsepower and, crucially, a six-speed manual transmission. It also represents perhaps the wildest example of an otherwise familiar vehicle receiving truly exotic hardware. For more unlikely combinations, check out our list of 10 ordinary cars with supercar engines. The X5 Le Mans never reached production, but it survives as a fascinating glimpse at what was possible when engineers were allowed to explore the limits of a completely new type of vehicle. Better still, you can see and hear it in action. BMW Classic revisited the one-off X5 in a short film that provides a closer look at the prototype and lets that phenomenal naturally aspirated V12 do much of the talking. View All BMW X5s for Sale Images: BMW

By Khris Bharath – November 08, 2025

A modern-day E46 M3 in disguise?

When you look at the modern-day G80 BMW M3 and G82 BMW M4, they are performance powerhouses without a shred of doubt even if that bold front-end design (yes, the “beaver face” grille) has sparked endless debate. Over the generations, both cars have grown bigger, heavier, are packed with more tech than ever, and in the process they might have lost a bit of that old-school compact sports-car soul. This is a path that most long-lineage performance models have followed, be it the Porsche 911 or the Chevrolet Corvette. The only outlier without a size increase is the Mazda MX-5. If you’re an enthusiast who wants something from Bavaria, but with more compact dimensions and purist character, that’s exactly where the BMW M2 G87 comes in. As recently noted by Harry Metcalfe of Harry’s Garage, the M2’s dimensions are strikingly close to those of the legendary E46 BMW M3. Looking at the numbers, the M2 is 180.3 inches long and 74.3 inches wide, while the E46 M3 measures 176.9 inches by 70.1 inches. It’s still not as compact as the E30 BMW M3 but far smaller than the G82 M4. The current M2 rides on BMW’s CLAR platform (a shortened version shared with the M3 and M4), giving it the same track width as its bigger siblings yet a tighter wheelbase, which should help it feel more alive on twisty roads. Under the hood, the M2 packs BMW’s S58 twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre inline-six, the same basic unit used in the M3 and M4 but down-tuned to 453 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque with the six-speed manual, or 443 pound-feet with the automatic. Power still goes exclusively to the rear wheels, exactly how an M car should be. It can sprint from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds with the automatic, 4.1 seconds with the manual, and hit 177 miles per hour if you tick the M Driver’s Package. With Adaptive M suspension, an active differential, and massive 15-inch front brakes, the car should be razor-sharp on road or track. At a curb weight of 3,814 pounds, the G87’s 8.07 pounds per horsepower power-to-weight ratio easily outguns the E46’s 10.0 pounds per horsepower. The E46 is a front-engine, rear-drive masterpiece that purists continue to hold in high regard two decades on. The standard E46 M3’s S54 3.2-liter unit put out 343 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. It remains a front-engine, rear-drive masterpiece that purists continue to hold in high regard two decades on. The M3 GTR of the third-gen M3 was the hero car of Need for Speed Most Wanted, the poster child for a whole generation. Two decades on, and the G87 M2 continues to retain that magical formula, front-engine, rear-drive, and three pedal engagement. But long before the G87 M2 arrived in 2022, another BMW compact bridged the gap: the BMW 1 Series M Coupe (the “1M”). Built for just a single model year in 2011, the 1M was BMW’s first real attempt to rekindle the analog BMW thrill in a modern age. It featured a turbocharged 3.0-litre inline-six producing 335 horsepower, a six-speed manual, and rear-wheel drive only. At 3,296 pounds, its 9.8 pounds per horsepower ratio and short wheelbase gave it a reputation for being wild and twitchy. Only 6,309 units were built worldwide, with fewer than 800 making it stateside. Today, clean examples command anywhere between $70,000 and $100,000, often more than they cost new. The 1M was a tough act to follow, and the previous-generation F87 M2 (2016–2021) carried that torch. It featured a 3.0-litre straight-six producing 370 horsepower and 343 pound-feet of torque. The more potent version, the M2 CS (F87), packed 444 horsepower from the M4’s S55 engine and weighed just over 3,400 pounds. Limited to about 2,200 examples, it’s already trading close to $100,000 on the used market. Both the E46 M3 and G87 M2 also spawn more hardcore versions that push the boundaries of performance; however, neither the E46 M3 CSL nor the G87 M2 CS offer a manual. The legendary E46 M3 CSL was lighter, sharper, and built for the track, with 355 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, its carbon-fibre construction making it an icon. The upcoming 2026 G87 M2 CS follows that same formula. Power increases to 523 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque thanks to refinements in the S58 engine. With its combination of exclusivity, lighter bodywork, and sharper response, the M2 CS will likely stand as the most track-focused compact M car BMW has ever offered to date. It also reinforces the M2’s role as the final chapter of a purely rear-drive, combustion-powered M car that enthusiasts can still enjoy before the brand transitions to hybrid and electric drivetrains.Finally, unlike the current M3 and M4, the M2 thankfully continues to retain a more timeless, regular-sized grille that enthusiasts appreciate. It’s the spiritual successor to both the E46 M3 and the 1M. So if you’re chasing that classic BMW magic with a dash of nostalgia, the modern-day M2 delivers and it’s everything you loved about the E46, reborn for today’s world. View All E46 BMW M3s For Sale View All G87 BMW M2s For Sale Specification BMW M3 E46 (2001–2006) 2026 BMW M2 Engine 3.2L Naturally Aspirated Inline-6 (S54) 3.0L Twin-Turbo Inline-6 (S58) Power 343 hp 453 hp Torque 269 lb-ft 406 lb-ft (MT) / 443 lb-ft (AT) Transmission 6-Speed Manual / SMG 6-Speed Manual / 8-Speed Automatic Drivetrain Rear-Wheel Drive Rear-Wheel Drive Curb Weight 3,450 lb 3,814 lb Power-to-Weight Ratio 10.2 lb/hp 8.07 lb/hp 0–60 mph 4.9 sec 3.9–4.1 sec Top Speed 155 mph (electronically limited) 155 mph (177 mph with M Driver’s Package) Length 176.9 in 180.3 in Width 70.1 in 74.3 in Height 54.0 in 55.2 in Wheelbase 107.5 in 108.1 in New MSRP ~$50,000 $68,200 Used Market Price (2025) $45,000–$90,000+ depending on condition - Images: BMW

By Andrew Nabors – March 28, 2019

Throwback Thursday: BMW Z8 Roadster

This month we're going back 19 years to visit an old friend: The BMW Z8. We always figured there would be a 2nd generation of this sleek convertible, but only 2,543 examples were built for the US. Built between 2000 to '03, it was an all-aluminum homage to the classic BMW 507 roadster. Chris Bangle was the head of design in the 90's, and he is responsible for bringing BMW into the modern era. When the top brass began to consider a new flagship, Bangle asked Henrik Fisker to sculpt a modern 507. The project began in 1993, and it was revolutionary from the beginning. A strong foundation was needed, so a space frame was entirely MIG welded. This stiff and light design was fitted with the same 4.9L V8 found in the E39 Series M5. It offered 395 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. Placing the engine behind the front wheels made for perfect weight distribution, and it was backed by a six-speed manual transmission. Unlike most roadsters, the removable hardtop was not an afterthought. The Z8 looks just as good then as it does now, and some say it looks even better with the top on. Thanks to our friends at AutoTopNL we can experience one firsthand. Interesting features include neon lights for the tail and turn signals, offering instant response and low current draw. Being refined and tested over several years, it was ready for launch in early 2000. The base price of $128,000 was quickly inflated by dealers who realized the potential to BMW aficionados. It is a timeless classic that was assembled by hand, and BMW built 50 years of extra parts to keep them on the road. You would have to spend $188,991 adjusted for inflation, and our dealers have proven that the Z8 held its value. If you want a collectible car at a great value, click the link below to find a Z8 near you. Shop BMW Z8

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