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

Lamborghini News

Lamborghini news from duPont REGISTRY News, updated daily, covering the V12 hybrid Revuelto, the Temerario and the Urus, one of the biggest names in luxury SUV news. Our reporting runs across reveals, first drives, one-off builds and the auction results that set values. We also follow the earlier cars, from the Countach through to the Veneno. Many sites carry supercar news, but very few carry it beside live listings. A great many of the Lamborghinis covered here are listed for sale on duPont REGISTRY, so the reporting and a real asking price appear together. For Lamborghini news today, start with the stories below.

By Edward Jones – February 26, 2019

Lamborghini Huracan EVO Spyder Revealed Before Geneva Mot...

We all knew it was coming, but here it is. Introducing the Lamborghini Huracan EVO Spyder. The unveiling of this new Lamborghini comes just a little more than a month after its Coupe brother. Power, of course, remains the same at 640 horsepower and 442.54 lb-ft of torque. Naturally, the Huracan EVO Spyder comes in with just a little more weight. Its total weight is around 3,399.5 lbs, about 264 lbs more than the Huracan EVO coupe. Because of this, its 0 to 62 mph time is 3.1 seconds (0.2 seconds slower). Being just a tiny bit slower than the coupe isn't that bad when you see just how beautiful this car is as a spyder. Whether the soft-top is up or down, Lamborghini ensured the Huracan EVO Spyder is as aerodynamic as possible and offers all the downforce a serious driver could need. In fact, the EVO Spyder has more than five times the downforce when compared to the Huracan Spyder. To put the roof back, al it takes is the push of a button that's located on the central tunnel. In a matter of 17 seconds, the roof can be lowered (at speed of up to 31 mph). The driver can also raise or lower a rear window, no matter the position of the roof. Doing so will let the beautiful sound of the V10 ring true in the cabin. The Lamborghini Huracan EVO Spyder will start being delivered in Spring 2019 with a price of $287,400 (suggested retail price taxes/GST excluded). see all of lamborghinis for sale

By Edward Jones – October 22, 2018

Lamborghini Flies Off Road During Race Against Bike

That Racing Channel, a YouTube channel that captures some wild racing, recently published a video that would make any Lamborghini fan cringe. In the video we see a twin-turbo Lamborghini Huracan taking on a few Hayabusa bikes that's have are heavily built.Lamborghini Driver Flees in Mercedes After CrashAt one point during the street races, the Huracan takes off down the road against a bike and everything goes south. The Huracan starts to veer towards the bikes and in an attempt to correct itself, the supercar goes flying off of the road into the grass. Luckily, nobody was hurt in any of the vehicles and the Huracan actually managed to get out completely unscathed. Talk about luck. Just imagine if there was a road barrier right there. Yikes. Check the video out below and always remember to follow your local traffic laws. View Huracans For Sale Huracan Specs

By Edward Jones – October 11, 2018

Lamborghini Driver Flees in Mercedes After Crash

Living in Florida, I'm used to hearing all the crazy stories that happen in this state. Seriously, Floridians can never escape the craziness that is our home state. At least today I get to write about a Florida Man story from my work desk.You see, a Florida Man in Miami was driving his Lamborghini Huracan Spyder around when a Ford Super Duty stopped in front of him at a red light. Apparently, the Lamborghini driver wasn't in the mood to stop and slammed into the back of the truck. This is where things get strange.Lamborghini Race Car Involved in Frightening Crash at Laguna SecaAfter crashing, the driver and passenger in the Lamborghini leapt out and stood behind a black Mercedes-Benz S-Class that was driving behind them. After staring at the driver of the truck, the two jumped into the S-Class, prompting the luxury car to speed off. Sounds unbelievable, but it was all captured on film by a nearby convenience store's security camera.The driver of the truck was unharmed in the accident, but police are searching for the identities of the two men who fled the scene. View Huracan Spyders For Sale View Huracan Spyder Specs Source: ABC10 via Autoblog

By Edward Jones – August 07, 2018

How to Change a Lamborghini Huracan's Oil

Many car owners have changed their car's oil. It's a pretty simple task that, unbeknownst to many, can be accomplished pretty quickly and easily if you have a standard car. For some cars, however, it's a bit more complicated. Royalty Exotic Cars recently uploaded a video showing off how you change the oil of a Lamborghini Huracan Spyder. This is the same company that detailed how to change the oil of a Bugatti Veyron.Like the Veyron and many exotic cars, the Huracan has multiple drain plugs. In fact, there are a total of eight drain plugs that need to be addressed. On top of that, there are also over 50 fasteners that need to be removed in order to even access the drain plugs, with multiple tools needed to remove them. On HuracanTalk.com, forum user doltmo has laid out the exact process on what you need to do and what tools you'll need, with pictures for each step. They note that it will take about two to three hours for your first go at changing the oil in a Lamborghini Huracan. Be sure to check out that thread for some in-depth steps. If you want a quick show of how it's done, click play below!

By Andrew Nabors – June 25, 2018

UGR Lamborghini Smashes 1/2 Mile Record at 260 mph

Altitude is the great equalizer of supercars. Your Lamborghini might be fast, but it simply can't run well without oxygen. Any naturally aspirated car that runs great at sea level is seriously starved at high altitude. That's why the Pike's Peak hill climb and the Pike's Peak Airstrip Attack are dominated by turbocharged and supercharged cars.Underground Racing Twin Turbo V10 Audi R8 Lamborghini Huracan Smash RecordsThe team from Underground Racing battled their competitors in a Lamborghini Huracan Performante. It has the patented active aerodynamic system to keep the car glued to the track. The problem is that aerodynamics need air to work. Elevation at the Colorado Springs airport is almost 6,190 feet above sea level. So this effectively negates any fancy spoilers or downforce itself. Nevertheless, UGR beat their previous time of 257 with a new 1/2 mile record of 259.67 miles per hour. The lack of air contributed to high-speed traction issues, so it took careful tuning to keep the driver and the engine safe. Thanks for the 1320 video team for covering the event, and stay with us for all your Lamborghini news.Browse Lamborghini Huracan Performante For Sale

By Andrew Nabors – April 11, 2018

Story of a Crashed Rental Lamborghini Huracan

Accidents in the car rental business are an inevitability. Fender benders and trading paint in airport parking lots support an entire industry of body repair shops. But things change in the world of exotic car rentals. A series of unfortunate circumstances befell a tourist who decided to rent a Lamborghini Huracan in Las Vegas.Lamborghini Huracan Embedded With 1.3 Million Swarovski CrystalsIn the latest YouTube video uploaded by VINwiki, Will relates his cautionary tale of an early morning Starbucks run. Much like last week's video regarding meeting your heroes in person, he has always been enamored by Lamborghini. After striking up a conversation with the rental agency, they decided to give him a deal he couldn't refuse on a stunning yellow Huracan. But this was not an ordinary LP610-4. Instead of All Wheel Drive, he rented the RWD LP580-2.Wheels & Wardrobe: Lamborghini Huracan SpyderThere is a reason Lamborghini builds AWD cars, and that is you need to be an expert driver to handle this level of power if it is RWD only. It doesn't matter how advanced your stability, ABS, or traction control systems are. A big V10 powering only the rear wheels is like tap dancing in a minefield, it's not if you will lose control, it's when. The LP610-4 has the fastest center differential of any production car so it will grip until you blackout from G-force. Once you break the rear loose on the LP580-2, you better snap into drift mode because you have just poked a raging bull who is always looking for a fight. Tell us your best rental car stories in the comments below and stay with us for more VINwiki films.Browse Lamborghini Huracan For Sale

By Andrew Nabors – March 22, 2018

Lamborghini Built 300 Racing Huracans in 36 Months

If you intend to take your raging bull to the track, Lamborghini has a few options for you. In a press release last night, we have learned that 300 racing editions of the Huracan have been built over the past 3 years. This is an unprecedented effort by any manufacturer, let alone an Italian exotic.Lamborghini Huracan GT3 UnveiledRacing Huracans are built in two flavors: Huracan GT3 and Huracan Super Trofeo. The first are aimed at GT racing by privateer and factory supported teams. So far 70 examples have been assembled and they have seen 10 podium finishes around the world, including Daytona.For the Gentleman Racer, the Super Trofeo cars are built by Squadra Corse. Lamborghini's in-house racing department runs the Super Trofeo racing series. Drivers compete in identical Huracans at tracks around the world. Last week car #300 rolled off the line surrounded by its builders. It is one of the first of the new Super Trofeo Evo cars. Engines are unchanged but the bodies are all new, taking advantage of improved aerodynamics developed for the Huracan Performante. Tell us which Huracan you prefer in the comments below and stay with us for all your Lamborghini news.Browse Lamborghini Huracan For SaleAdvertise with duPont REGISTRY

By Andrew Nabors – March 06, 2018

Lamborghini Unveils Huracan Performante Spyder In Geneva

We didn't think it was possible. The advanced silhouette and aerodynamics of the Lamborghini Huracan Performante were based on the coupe. In a press release this morning, the Huracan Performante Spyder made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Chairman and CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “The Huracán Performante Spyder takes the zenith of Huracán developments, combined with the enhanced emotion of driving a convertible”Lamborghini Huracan Performante Breaks 8 Circuit RecordsCompared to the normal Huracan Spyder, the Performante is lighter by 77 lbs. This was done with the more extensive use of forged composites intreated within the aluminum body. The shining star of the Performante coupe is the patented ALA system. It channels air through a hollow-core rear spoiler to decrease turbulence and increase ground forces. It is able to make adjustments to the slipstream in 0.5 seconds to keep the car glued to the track.The 5.2 liter V10 offers 640 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque to all wheels via 3 electronic differentials. The press release says the convertible top and its components were engineered to not interfere with this innovative system. The top disappears in only 17 seconds, and it operates up to 30 mph. One of the most potent convertibles ever built, it is rated to reach 62 mph in 3.1 seconds along with a top speed of 201 mph. As soon as they are en route to our dealers, you will find all the details here on Autofluence.Browse Lamborghinis For Sale

By Edward Jones – January 03, 2018

Lamborghini Huracan Embedded With 1.3 Million Swarovski C...

A Lamborghini Huracan can be ordered with a wide range of paint finishes. Heck, Lamborghini Ad Personam will deck out your Huracan with custom options that are completely bespoke. For one woman, however, she decided that the paint wasn't enough and Swarovski crystals were better. YouTuber Munch997 caught her crystal-embedded supercar on camera, as well as the crowd that gathered around the car. According to him, the woman who owns this car also owned a Swarovski-covered Mercedes-Benz CLS and Bentley Continental. The company who made the design possible was Vinceri UK, who uploaded " title="YouTube video" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen> on how the car was created. Yes, each crystal was placed by hand... all 1,300,000 of them. It doesn't matter whether you light the design or not, you can at least say that the execution of this exterior was done quite well. Check it out for yourself in the videos below. View Lamborghini Huracan For Sale in Detroit, MI

By Edward Jones – November 02, 2017

Lamborghini Huracan Performante vs Base Huracan: Who's Fa...

The Lamborghini Huracan Performante recently held the record for the fastest car around Nurburgring, that is until it was beaten out by the Porsche 911 GT2 RS. That being said, the Huracan Performante is undoubtedly an incredibly quick car. It comes with an extra 38 horsepower when compared to the base Huracan and is also 80 lbs lighter. Other differences include the new aerodynamically-focused body pieces, like the large rear wing. But, how does the Performante stand against the base Huracan in a straight line? DragTimes took the liberties to find out in the video below. Lamborghini Huracan For Sale Las Vegas, NV

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