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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 Dana Acabbo – April 27, 2022

The Story of a Man and His Dream Car, the Lamborghini Cou...

Like countless other automotive enthusiasts in the 1980s, Anthony Battista was infatuated with exotic cars, but the Lamborghini Countach more so than the decade’s other motoring luminaries. “The first time I saw one in a magazine” he remembers, “I said to myself, I’m buying that car.” Despite his relative youth, the 28-year-old from Connecticut was in the enviable position to make that dream a reality, having saved enough to purchase one under the right circumstances. Unfortunately, a new example was out of the question, given that none were available from local dealers without having to endure an interminable wait. Instead, Battista embarked on a search for a preowned specimen that lasted almost two years, testing his patience and leading him to wonder if the right car would ever come along. Each month he thumbed through the pages of Hemmings Motor News, but every time a listing caught his interest, he found that it had already sold. As the calendar turned to 1988, however, an issue of the duPont REGISTRY provided him with a lead that proved more promising. Jeff Walther Dodge, located in Centerville, Ohio, was offering a 1985 Countach 5000S QV at an attractive price. After several long-distance telephone calls negotiating the terms, a deposit was paid, leading Battista and his father to purchase one-way airline tickets to retrieve the car from the dealer. “I was naïve,” Battista recalled. “It was advertised as a four-valve car, but when we arrived, I was told it was a two-valve model and didn’t know enough to care either way.” The road trip back to New England was memorable, a fifteen-hour drive that neither father nor son would soon forget. Filling the Lamborghini's twin fuel tanks required some skill to accomplish, but each stop for gas provided them with an opportunity to meet new friends. Complete strangers would approach them and ask to sit in the car, most of them females, which pleased the new owner to no end. Driving the car home exceeded all expectations, although Battista said it was a lot different experience than it would have been in a Lincoln Town Car. “Everything was stiff,” Battista said, while “changing gears was tougher than expected.” Still, it was an incredible experience, driving a dream with his father along for the ride. Unfortunately, the throw-out bearing on the clutch failed two weeks later, which required Battista to learn that exotic car maintenance is not for the faint-hearted. The engine-out procedure caused him to question the wisdom of the purchase, although that feeling faded once the car returned to the road. Over the next fourteen years, he covered more than 6,000 miles, driving the Countach throughout the northeast, including several trips to the beach. During the ensuing two decades, the Countach languished in storage. In recent years, Battista had considered restoring the vehicle, but a conversation three years ago with Dana Acabbo, a trusted confidante and his long-time insurance broker led him to We Are Curated in Miami, Florida. The firm’s owner, John Temerian, well-respected in the exotic car restoration community and a key figure in the Lamborghini Registry, reviewed all the options with Battista, who remained uncertain of which path to follow. After additional time had passed and further conversations with Acabbo, not to mention fastidious research into the recent rise in Countach values, Battista decided to sell the car. Providing Acabbo with a desired figure, the intrepid insurance executive restarted the conversation with Temerian, who agreed to purchase the vehicle. “I had buyer’s remorse when I bought the Countach,” Battista said. “I also experienced some remorse when it went away, but not enough to regret selling it. I had my fun with it and now it’s time for someone else to experience it for themselves.” See All Lamborghini Countachs For Sale Images by Dana Accabo and Carl Battista

By Mark Gallagher of GP Racing – April 26, 2022

The F1 Rebel Who Defied Schumacher and Won Williams’ Last...

Jacques Villeneuve was an unconventional and mercurial F1 talent who this year celebrates 25 years since becoming world champion. In this candid interview, he explains to Mark Gallagher that skiing taught him everything he knows, how his father’s sudden death was the making of him, and why he doesn’t like pushy racing dads… If Netflix had been around in 1996 it’s not hard to imagine a Drive To Survive-style docu-series centered on Williams pairing Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill. Both sons of famed fathers who died early deaths – Gilles Villeneuve while driving for Ferrari in 1982; Graham Hill in a plane crash shortly after the end of a career that had crowned him world champion twice. Having finished runner-up to Hill in 1996, the then 25-year-old French Canadian would go one better the following year, claiming the title despite Michael Schumacher’s cynical attempt to take him out in the season finale at Jerez – an attempt which would result in the German being disqualified entirely from the championship. t’s now 25 years since Jacques claimed his only F1 title; 40 years since his father was lost to motorsport altogether. Talk to the man himself and the sense is rather different. He remains passionate about racing, and his victories in the final two rounds of the 2021 NASCAR Euro Series were celebrated with as much enthusiasm as any grand prix win. AUTODROMO NAZIONALE MONZA, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 10: Gilles Villeneuve with his wife Joanna and children Jacques and Melanie during the Italian GP at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on September 10, 1978 in Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy. (Photo by Ercole Colombo / Studio Colombo) Villeneuve has deeply held opinions about any racing subject you care to mention. At home in Milan, not a million miles from where his father Gilles entered the annals of F1 history as one of Enzo Ferrari’s most celebrated drivers, Jacques reflects on how it started: with Gilles… In his superb autobiography Watching the Wheels, Damon Hill writes candidly about growing up in the shadow of a famous father – how he would often be introduced as ‘Graham Hill’s son’ rather than by his own name. Villeneuve somehow never gave the impression of feeling the weight of his father’s Formula 1 legacy. “No, I never did,” he says, matter of factly, then surprises by adding, “I think I was under a shadow as long as he was alive. I was a crybaby with migraines. It was also a different era when fathers loved their daughters but were proud of their sons. It was tough to be a son back then. All I wanted was love, but that didn’t happen because I was sent to school in the mountains, living in someone else’s home, away from my family and away from my dad.” Gilles Villeneuve’s death during final qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder impacted on an 11-year-old Jacques in ways which may surprise. “The fact that he died saved me, I think in that aspect, psychologically, which is a terrible thing to say, but it gave me freedom,” says Villeneuve. “When I went to boarding school after he died it allowed me to grow up. I went from last in class to first within a month. And I was ski racing. Suddenly I became me.” That love of skiing played a role in introducing Villeneuve to the satisfaction of competing; being measured against others as well as himself. “What I did in skiing I brought into racing,”he says. “If we would go and jump some cliffs,I would make sure I would jump a cliff that nobody else could jump just for the sake of it.” Jerez, Spain. 24-26 October 1997. The moment the Drivers World Championship was decided, when Michael Schumacher (Ferrari F310B) turned into Jacques Villeneuve (Williams FW19 Renault) at the Curva Dry Sack. Jacques went on to take 3rd position and the title. World Copyright - LAT Photographic The rhythm that is essential to downhill skiing, transitioning from one gate to the next, taught the young Villeneuve skills that would help when he turned his focus to motor racing. The move into car racing came as the result of trying karts, followed by a course at the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School at Mont Tremblant. Outings in a Group N Alfa Romeo in Italy followed, before the break into Italian Formula 3 arrived with Prema Racing. Then came some decisive moves, starting with the appointment of a former teacher from College Beausoleil in Villars, Switzerland, as his manager. Craig Pollock would remain at Villeneuve’s side for a decade and a half. The shift to Japan to drive with Cerumo was a turning point in terms of on-track performances, followed by a move into the North American Toyota Atlantic series, in which Villeneuve finished third for Forsythe Green in 1993. The faith shown in Villeneuve by Barry Green and engineer Tony Cicale proved to be the catalyst for what followed. “That was super important because Barry and Tony, the two of them together, had my back,” recalls Villeneuve. “Barry believed in what I could do.” Green’s belief in Villeneuve was such that he was prepared to risk losing Player’s sponsorship if the tobacco giant insisted on supporting another driver, and it ultimately resulted in the split with Jerry Forsythe which led to the creation of Team Green. In 1994, his debut Champ Car season, Villeneuve was Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, and scored his first race win with a closely fought victory over Emerson Fittipaldi and Al Unser Jr at Road America. The following season, 1995, Jacques won the championship with four outright wins, one of which was the Indy 500. Jacques Villeneuve(CDN) BAR PR01, his 11th DNF out of 11 starts Hungarian GP, Hungaroring, 15 August 1999 Everyone was now paying attention to ‘Villeneuve Jr’, including Bernie Ecclestone and Formula 1. With Ecclestone’s help, Pollock pulled a deal together with Frank Williams, who offered Villeneuve a Silverstone test. “The test went well,” recalls Villeneuve. “Driving the car in testing was not really complicated. It was easy to adapt. The F1 cars had less horsepower than the Indycars at the time, but the car was lighter, much more nervous and nimble. It was reacting more like a go-kart compared to an Indycar, plus it had more G-force and was braking a lot later.” Villeneuve’s first F1 win came in the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, but three more victories followed – in Britain, Hungary and Portugal. It was at Estoril that Villeneuve produced that audacious overtaking maneuver in which the Williams swept around the outside of Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari at the Parabolica – a move which Villeneuve predicted to race engineer Jock Clear. That Villeneuve would never win another grand prix was down to several factors, starting with both Renault and Adrian Newey moving on from Williams. The 1998 season would net Jacques just two podium finishes. Then came the momentous decision to set up an F1 team in partnership with Pollock, Reynard Racing Cars and British American Tobacco. Villeneuve remained with BAR through five seasons. His regret is that he had an opportunity to leave after three years to join Renault, a contract having been agreed with Flavio Briatore, but that deal was never signed. Jerez, Spain. 24-26 October 1997. Jacques Villeneuve and his Williams crew celebrate taking the Drivers World Championship title. World Copyright - LAT Photographic “NASCAR, oh yeah!” he says, smiling. “F1 was amazing on the quali lap, to get that perfection with the team. But racing-wise, when you get in the NASCAR, I have hardly ever had as much fun. I think that’s also because of the skiing, because the NASCAR is quite a big, heavy, soft car. “You can drive around the problem. The way you lean on it and attack the corner, if you have some kind of issue, you’ll brake a bit harder or less or you throw the car in. I love the racing in NASCAR because it’s back to being a gladiator.” These days, perhaps not surprisingly, Villeneuve often gets asked for advice by fathers looking to give their sons a chance to reach Formula 1. He is left cold by the pushy parents. “For me, that’s always been the worst approach you can have because you never know if the kid is really passionate? Does he really want to do it? Or will he say one day, ‘Dad, actually I really don’t like what I’m doing’?” Subscribe To GP Racing Image Source: Motorsport Images

By Jordan Aquistapace – April 25, 2022

How To Keep Your Classic Car Rolling With OEM Parts

Keep your classic car rolling with authentic OEM replacement parts. For most automotive brands, the vehicles that help pave the way for future endeavors are continuing to be celebrated by communities of collectors and enthusiasts. While advancements in design, technology, and performance are the driving factors for new vehicle fleets, industry-leading brands stay true to their heritage by focusing efforts on manufacturing replacement parts for past and historic models. It is a process misunderstood by most, but for the proud owners, it represents a moment in time that cannot be replicated with the latest and greatest sports car on a dealership’s lot. These pioneering chassis act as rolling marketing for a brand’s reliability while bringing together individuals that share the same drive of collecting classic automobiles. Image Source: Maserati The process of obtaining these hard-to-find replacement parts begins at your local dealership, where a knowledgeable parts department staff is available to search and order authentic OEM parts. In most cases, a vehicle’s VIN will decode the configuration of the build down to the nut and bolt, making it a more efficient ordering process with less chance for human error. Along with intelligent part sourcing systems, most dealerships are filled with employees that share the same passion for keeping classics on the road. A local parts counter employee could be the connection you need to complete that dream build, making OEM classic parts the only choice when working on or restoring historic vehicles. For those in more remote areas, this process is streamlined with innovative online OEM part catalogs brought to the comfort of your own home, using high-resolution images and detailed descriptions that help make the first choice the right one. Discover the growing market for classic OEM replacement parts by visiting your local dealership or by visiting your preferred automotive manufacturer’s parts website. View Classic Cars For Sale

By Basem Wasef – April 20, 2022

The Poster Supercars of the 80s and 90s

For the hardcore enthusiast, the question is as revealing as a Myers-Briggs personality test: What car was posted on your bedroom wall when you were growing up? More relevant to the classic car market, the answer can portend the next great object of desire — and subsequently, the next rapidly appreciating asset. The paradigm goes something like this: Kid idolizes car on poster… car on poster haunts kid for years… grown kid can finally afford car on poster… grown kid buys car. Not only does the poster phenomenon capture the zeitgeist of a certain era (think: “Justification For Higher Education”), it taps into the collective subconscious of car fanatics who simply can’t forget their first automotive love. “I think there’s a general inertia with some of the bigger cars,” Harley Cluxton IV suggests, “where guys get switched on to that thing they’ve always appreciated and say, ‘You know what? Those still look right— or they look right again.’ And it hits them in that very subjective, emotional way that they want to get one.” Cluxton should know: His father, Harley Cluxton III, was the youngest exclusively authorized Ferrari dealer in the US, and the founder of Grand Touring Cars, Inc. Image Source: McLaren Automotive Cluxton the third co-founded the Hammer Price app, which offers real-time reporting of auction prices for many of the desirable cars that appeared on posters (disclosure: Hammer Price is owned by duPont Registry’s parent company, Motorsport Network). He’s also no stranger to exotic cars himself, having enjoyed plenty of exposure to the Ferrari F40 he enjoyed on his childhood wall – his father owned three of the winged legends. Cluxton’s data supports the theory that Desire + Time = Buckets of cash. For instance, tracking the auction prices for the Porsche Carrera GT since 2015 reveals an exponential climb in values, from the high six-figures to the most recent sale at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, where a 1,547-mile example traded hands for $1,980,000. According to Cluxton, enthusiast buzz plays into the nostalgia equation. “It’s got that race car motor and it’s the last analog supercar from Porsche… it makes the 930’s widowmaker moniker pale in comparison,” he quips with a chuckle. He tracks similar trends for the Ferrari F40, Lamborghini Diablo, and McLaren F1— though he adds that recent price hikes have also been linked to pandemic-related spending sprees. Image Source: Lamborghini Sergio, a Los Angeles collector who prefers to be referenced by his first name, owns a wish list of ‘80s and ‘90s-era supercars that include two Lamborghini Countaches and a Diablo SV, a Ferrari 512 TR and 512 BBi, and others. Sergio attributes his early fondness for cars to a shared passion with his father, as well as film and TV properties like Miami Vice, The Cannonball Run, and Knight Rider. He says the experience of living with his dream cars can be a mixed bag — for instance, he reveals that “… Countaches are a let-down. Mechanically, the engines and transmissions are good, but everything else seems to have issues.” Regardless, Sergio says he owns the cars to drive, not just admire; one of his Countaches was the lowest mileage 1989 model he knew of, with “something like 1,700 kilometers on the odometer.” He says he just broke 6,000 kilometers on the clock. But in their best forms, Sergio says his dream cars can be absolute dreamboats. “I could daily the 512 BBi— it’s not too stiff, the engine hums, it’s a wonderful car. And the 512 TR is my favorite. It’s the one that they would have to pull out of my cold, dead hands,” he adds with a knowing smile, suggesting that sometimes poster cars are even better in real life. Shop Now: The Ultimate Automotive Wall Art View Classic Supercars For Sale

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