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

Ferrari News

Ferrari news from duPont REGISTRY News, updated daily with model reveals, first drives, auction results and current market prices. Our coverage runs across the whole line-up, from the 296 and 296 Speciale to the SF90 XX, the 12Cilindri and the F80. We also follow the earlier cars that built the reputation of the Prancing Horse over seven decades. Reporting comes from the Monterey and Pebble Beach auction floors, and from first drives of new models as they arrive. One thing separates this from other supercar news: many of the Ferraris covered here are listed for sale on the duPont REGISTRY marketplace. Read the story, then see what an example is genuinely worth. For Ferrari news today, and the exotic car news around it, start here.

By Andrew Nabors – July 15, 2019

Ferrari 488 Spider: Why to Buy

We take pride in helping you find the car of your dreams. Not only does that involve news and reviews, we also analyze data from our dealers to spot trends in the industry. Since we've been doing this since April of '85, we've developed proprietary methods for making sense of leads and sales. After crunching the numbers for the 1st half of 2019, it is clearly evident that the Ferrari 488 Spider should be part of your collection. Armed with the numbers, the next step is to determine why this one model outshines the competition. Much like reverse-engineering, we started to investigate the finer details of the car. When it was launched in early 2017, it was clearly evident that it was not a refreshed version of the 360, F430, 458 series. Starting with a clean slate, the 488 Spider is 22 lbs lighter than the car it replaced. This is impressive because the additional weight added by the turbos, intercoolers, wastegates, and heat shielding. Adding two turbos forced the engineers to turn in late hours to get it right. Because their main Italian competitor releases innovative aerodynamics, Ferrari took inspiration from above. The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was and is the fastest aircraft ever built. It did this by routing air around the jet engine as speed increased. The air was heated, cooling the engine, and injected into the afterburner. This calmed turbulence in the exhaust which allowed the plane to be very efficient at high speeds. Check out the bypass ducts below, each engine had six of them. Three Bypass Tubes of the Pratt& Whitney J58 Engine (c) Media.Defense.gov You might look at the side intakes of the 488 Spider and not think twice, but they have a horizontal partition. The small upper ducts feed the turbochargers, and the large lower ducts are bypass tubes. They are carefully sculpted to allow cool air to be heated by the powertrain and exhausted inboard of the taillights. The same principle as the Blackbird, as this hot & high-pressure air is forced into the turbulent vacuum generated by the car. And like the SR-71, it works exponentially better as your speed increases. Notice The Outlets Inboard Of THe Taillights (c)Sirpalmtree Vortex generators under the floor feed into a giant rear diffuser. It forces this boundary layer to mix with the exhaust, again working to disconnect turbulence from the rear bumper. Even the door handles were sculpted to reduce drag. Therefore, this is the first Ferrari convertible to offer 22 mpg on the highway. The tank holds 22.7 gallons, so you are also rewarded with a (highway) range of 499.4 miles if driven in a conservative manner. Therein lies the temptation. Under your right foot are 660 horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque. At your command is a well-insulated hardtop. It can disappear in 14 seconds. When it is out of sight, you hear the intakes and turbos work to generate the perfect exhaust note. 0-60 takes less than 3 seconds, and 124 mph arrives in 8.3 ticks. Don't be distracted by the complex mechanical parts, Ferrari includes 7 years of complimentary maintenance. The car glides over broken pavement thanks to the 3rd generation of GM's magnetic ride control, the best suspension on the market. While new Ferrari coupes are on the horizon, the F8 Tributo and the SF90 Stradale would look ungainly as a drop-top. Efficiency, Power, and Style are how the 488 Spider is staying on top, so we want you to experience it also. Click the link below to find one near you, and take it for a spin. Numbers don't lie, so tell us what you think of this masterpiece in the comments below. Find Your Ferrari 488 Spider Here " width="680">

By Andrew Nabors – February 22, 2018

Why You Should Buy A Ferrari Enzo

If a car represents the ethos and logos of the company’s founder, it should probably be named after that person. Much like Ferdinand Porsche did in naming a new car after his father, the Ferrari family used their F1 winning knowledge to build a car worthy of the name Enzo.Ferrari Enzo Specs Price: $650,000 (est base) Engine: 6.0-liter V12 Horsepower: 650 hp 0–62: 3.7 seconds Top Speed: 218 mph Transmission: 6-speed manual w/ automatic shifting and clutch Torque: 485 lb-ft A new V12 engine was commissioned for this car, as well as a 6.0-liter with all the latest technologies. For a chassis, the car maker turned to Scuderia Ferrari for expertise in shaping carbon fiber. The brakes are also carbon-based ceramics, which were groundbreaking at the turn of the century. Styling was handled by Pininfarina, who were asked to build a worthy successor to the 288 GTO, F40 and F50.Many of the other features are also worthy of note. Active spoilers keep steady watch of downforce, altering the corner weight of the chassis in relation to speed and steering angle. Traction Control closes the throttles and pulls ignition timing along with the ABS system to keep the Pirelli tires from spinning. The Enzo was so far ahead of its time, that it spawned several special editions and the FXX track cars.With the engine mounted just behind the cockpit, the rear mounted six-speed single-clutch automatic makes the Enzo one of the best handling cars of all time. Collectors have been realizing the significance of the model recently, as last year we saw the Enzo built for Pope John Paul II sell for over $6 Million at RM's Monterey auction.Without the KERS system and the hybrid systems of the LaFerrari, the Enzo potentially represents the last naturally aspirated Ferrari Supercar.Some say the number three represents the Holy Trinity of collector cars. If you have three open spots in your garage, we have three Ferrari Enzos for sale on our site. This hasn't happened in almost a decade, so we figure it is a great way to start your week. Take a look at each car and tell us what you think of them.Ferrari For Sale @ iLusso View Price and Listing @ Lamborgihni Boston View Price and Listing @ Tom Hartley Jnr View Price and Listing

By Andrew Nabors – December 11, 2017

Ferrari 458: Facts You Need To Know

Turbochargers are finding their way into everything. The industry is motivated by emissions laws and fuel mileage to build smaller engines with forced induction. Ferrari did away with their 4.5 liter V8 in favor of a 3.8 liter with two turbos. You can't deny the abilities of the 488 GTB and its Spyder, but some of us like to make power the old-fashioned way. That is why the Ferrari 458 demands your attention, 10. End Of The Line It stands as a grand finale to a trio that began with the 360 Modena. The middle child was the F430 series, and lessons learned on both of them were used to build the 458 and its derivatives. The best analogy is the other perfect Italian trio, the Dollars Trilogy from Sergio Leone. All three cars share an aluminum chassis from ALCOA, and the first two even share many body panels. 9. Stop It! Nobody likes a spongy brake pedal, so the 458 was one of the first production cars to have pre-fill brake calipers. Electronics in the ABS system are used to hold the pads only a few millimeters away from the rotor. All cars should have this feature because the 458 has the most responsive left pedal you have ever encountered. It inspires confidence in the car while cutting stress in thick traffic. Ferrari 458 Challenge: Not Civilized 8. Rev It! A few inches behind the seats is a 4.5 liter V8. Physically and dimensionally it is not a large engine. Size isn't everything because this finely tuned machine can spin to 9,000 rpm. Drop down a few gears and it wails like a Formula1 car, because the engine was designed using lessons learned on the track. 7. Value Now that the 488 GTB is gaining popularity, it is making the 458 much more affordable. Prices have dropped to their current levels, but the market has stabilized as our dealers have great offers on certified pre-owned and low-mileage cars. Don't expect them to depreciate any further because of the reasons below. 6. Rear Engine For many 458 owners, it is the first time they have experienced a rear-engined car. It is a truly eye-opening experience. A feeling of unlimited grip will make you order expensive tires and a dash cam to record your daily commute. Understeer can be corrected with the skinny pedal, as long as your passenger remains composed. 5. Maintenance Unlike the F430 and the 360 Modena, the 458 Italia has a timing chain. Timing belts on the previous models are expensive and necessary at least once a year. The 458 Italia has proven to only need oil changes and a yearly brake flush to stay in working order. The flush is needed on cars driven lightly, because the fluid never gets hot enough to boil away condensation. So Ferrari recommends exercising your rotors on a regular basis. Bring your radar detector along! 4. Shift Happens Ever seen a clutch replacement bill for an F430? If you must choose between your child's college tuition or a transmission service, and older Ferrari is not for you. The 458 was the first Ferrari to feature Getrag's dual-clutch gearbox. It is light-years beyond the F1 single disc box, and it can be as smooth or as brutal as you need. 3. Make It Your Own If the 458 ever becomes boring to you, the aftermarket has embraced it with a host of upgrade parts. A new computer will unlock more aggressive engine tuning. The stock exhaust is quite by today's standards, so a pair of headers will antagonize the homeowners association. Our friends at Underground Racing will allow you to drive a twin-turbo flamethrower to work, so give them something to talk about. 2. Choose Your Flavor To make your choice all the much harder, Ferrari built the 458 in several configurations. The 458 Italia is a coupe. Spider is a hardtop convertible. A 458 Speciale is literally a special version with optimized aerodynamics, more power, and less weight. The most desirable is the Speciale A, an "aperta" or convertible version of the Speciale. The racing versions include the 458 Challenge along with GT2 and GT3 models, but they're outside the realm of a daily driver. The only other noteworthy street version is the 458 SP12 EC ordered by Eric Clapton. It looks stunning at the Crossroads! 1. Track Day Every day The Ferrari 458 looks like nothing else on the street or on the track. It is just as imposing at the supermarket as it is leaving pit lane. If you want to embarrass everyone at your local track, the 458 is for you. Take a glance at the GT3 points standings and then look what they are driving, the 458 was born to win. Our dealers are ready to help you find your next Ferrari, so click the link below and tell us which one is right for you! Browse 458 Ferrari For Sale

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