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

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Mercedes-Benz news fromduPont REGISTRY News, updated daily, covering the S-Class, the Maybach range, the AMG models, the G-Class and the electric line-up. Our reporting takes in reveals, first drives, bespoke builds and the auction results that set collector values. Mercedes-Benz competes across more segments than almost any rival, so the news here runs unusually wide. Our marketplace supplies the part most publications leave out entirely. A great many of these cars are listed for sale on duPont REGISTRY, which puts a review and a real asking price side by side. For Mercedes-Benz news today, and the luxury car market news around it, start here.

By Tyler Rampersaud – August 03, 2022

The New Mercedes-AMG ONE Hypercar Is Spotted Preparing Fo...

The highly anticipated hypercar from Mercedes-AMG is getting ready to take on one of the automotive world’s most important challenges. The Mercedes-AMG ONE is quite the piece of automotive excellence. It’s a racing-bred hypercar, and that’s meant quite literally as the engine it is powered by is derived from F1, and it produces a massive 1,049 horsepower. Along with its F1 powerplant, the ONE is a hybrid that makes the use of four electric motors for power and performance that never quits, and the racing heritage, success, and engineering expertise that are distilled in this amazing hypercar are already a once-in-a-lifetime moment in the automotive world. MUST READ: 2023 Mercedes-AMG ONE Officially Revealed: A 1,049 HP Hypercar Powered by an F1 Engine In case anyone thinks that the Mercedes-AMG ONE hasn’t secured its legacy, it’s getting ready to take on the Nurburgring to prove its racing mettle in a way that everyone in the car world can recognize, respect, and admire. In this video published by YouTube channel CarSpyMedia, the car has been spotted darting through the track and conquering its famed and feared corners for what can only be a lap record attempt that has the possibility of writing a chapter in automotive history. The car has been the result of decades of performance expertise from AMG, and now Affalterbach’s house of speed is ready to show the full extent of its capabilities. View All Mercedes-Benz For Sale Source: YouTube/CarSpyMedia

By Jordan Aquistapace – June 07, 2022

IWC Schaffhausen x Mercedes-AMG Debut The New Big Pilot's...

The only way to get on the list is with a Mercedes-AMG Project One allocation. As Mercedes-AMG owners prep for the delivery of their highly-anticipated AMG Project One chassis, the automotive manufacturer has been working with the timepiece specialists at IWC Schaffhausen on a commemorative release. The partnership between the two powerhouses symbolizes dominance in each respected industry, incorporating luxury design and performance into their line of products. IWC Schaffhausen is proud to present the all-new Big Pilot’s Watch Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition 'AMG ONE OWNERS’, made exclusively for the 275 luck new owners of the Mercedes-AMG Project One. MUST-READ: Makes & Movements: IWC Pilot’s Watch ‘Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1’ x 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series The special edition Big Pilot’s Watch features a 46.2mm Titanium aluminide (TiAl) case design with an aesthetically pronounced titanium crown. The partial skeletonized dial design showcases the inner workings of its exposed tourbillon while presenting its perpetual moon phase and power reserve sub-dials in a stylish fashion. The dial also incorporates the iconic Mercedes-AMG Petronas Green from the brands winning Formula One team. The engine driving power to the Big Pilot’s Watch Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition ‘AMG ONE OWNERS’ is IWC Schaffhausen’s in-house 94800 hand-wound movement, a 41-jewel construction that provides an impressive 4-day power reserve. A Ceratanium case back ring includes commemorative engravings that signify the special releases between IWC x Mercedes-AMG. Tying into its motorsport heritage, IWC fits the new release with a black rubber strap that incorporates the iconic Mercedes star pattern in Petronas green. The all-new IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s Watch Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition ‘AMG ONE OWNERS’ is exclusively available for future owners of the Project One, and will be contacted by Mercedes-AMG x IWC Schaffhausen with information on purchasing the timepiece. View all of the current Mercedes-Benz models for sale on duPont REGISTRY by clicking the link below. Check back into duPont REGISTRY for more upcoming luxury watch news and releases. View All Mercedes-Benz For Sale View this post on Instagram A post shared by duPont REGISTRY Watches (@dupontregistry_watches) Source: IWC Schaffhausen

By Tyler Rampersaud – May 31, 2022

2023 Mercedes-AMG ONE Officially Revealed: A 1,049 HP Hyp...

At long last, the automotive world’s legendary three-pointed star sits at the front of a modern hypercar. Mercedes-Benz has proven its racing and motorsport prowess for decades, with its incredible racing teams and AMG performance house that dominates roads and tracks all across the globe. After 55 years of AMG, which was first established all the way back in 1967, the time has come for Mercedes-AMG to enter the hypercar ring. It’s a fiercely competitive space where brands show off the absolute best they can offer on four wheels when it comes to luxury, performance, technology, and the most cutting-edge engineering and innovation, and thankfully, Mercedes-AMG’s racing experience has quite a lot to offer to the new Mercedes-AMG ONE. A new hybrid hypercar, the AMG ONE brings to the road technology that has helped Mercedes-AMG dominate Formula 1. Four electric motors and a 1.6-liter V6 engine combine to give the Mercedes-AMG ONE 1,049 horsepower, and the top speed has to be limited to an incredible 219 mph. Mind you, that 1.6-liter is a real F1 engine, although it has been modified. Together with a monocoque, carbon bodywork, AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel-drive, active aero and more technology, the Mercedes-AMG ONE is going to be a fearsomely dynamic and powerful vehicle. The electric motors serve plenty of functions, with one integrated into the turbocharger to reduce lag, one connected to the crankshaft, and the final two driving the front wheels, and while the Formula 1 engine can’t rev quite as high as its racing counterpart, it gets up to an incredible 11,000 rpm. With six driving modes including an all-electric mode, optional magnesium wheels with optional carbon covers for aerodynamics, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires and carbon ceramic brakes, the Mercedes-AMG ONE is poised to be an incredible and impressive car in any crowd, being at heart an F1 car built for both the road and track. In fact, the active aero system in the Mercedes-AMG ONE features a Drag Reduction System (DRS) just like the Formula 1 car it took knowledge and inspiration from. While the Mercedes-AMG ONE is a no-nonsense, racing-ready hypercar with F1 ethos, it isn’t completely Spartan. There are shifting lights mounted on the steering wheel, but also Nappa leather surfaces and a cutting-edge infotainment system, as well as electric windows and air conditioning, making the Mercedes-AMG ONE a car just as ready for everyday usability as it is to tackle apexes and chicanes. With luxury, performance, and style like we’ve never seen before, the new Mercedes-AMG ONE embodies the definition of a hypercar. Mercedes-AMG ONE pricing has not been announced, but it's rumored to be set over $2 million. As far as production goes, just 275 examples are planned although they are all already spoken for. View All Mercedes-AMG GTs For Sale

By Edward Jones – May 24, 2021

Mercedes-AMG Sounds Absolutely Brutal on the Nürburgring

A chance to see the Mercedes-AMG nearly undisguised. While we wait for the inevitable launch of the Mercedes-AMG One hypercar, we're going to have to make due with spy videos and teaser images. That being said, this new YouTube video from CarSpyMedia shows the AMG One nearly undisguised and gives us a chance to hear its brutal exhaust note. The video was taken at Nürburgring where the hypercar was undergoing some hot laps and really opening up. What you're hearing is the AMG One's hybrid powertrain that consists of a modified 1.6-liter V6 engine that works alongside four electric motors. The total output is expected to be just over 1,000 horsepower, which would make it the most powerful Mercedes-AMG production car ever. Check out the video up above and be sure to check out all Mercedes-Benz for sale right now by clicking the button below. All Mercedes-Benz For Sale Featured Image Source: CarSpyMedia/YouTube

By Andrew Nabors – December 14, 2020

Lewis Hamilton Drives Mercedes-AMG Project ONE "After Work"

What does a world champion do when the race is over? That was what have always wondered, and in this case, we see Lewis Hamilton drive a Mercedes-AMG Project ONE. Their latest upload shows their star driver putting the upcoming hybrid through its paces. We knew the rear spoiler was active, but those fender vents are very tricky. "I can still hardly believe that there will soon be a hypercar with a Formula 1 engine. We won the world championship with this engine in 2015, and I was involved in its development for a long time," said Hamilton during the filming of the "After Work" campaign. "I was able to drive the Project ONE during the filmwork for the new campaign, and I'm very proud of the extraordinary effort Mercedes-AMG has invested in this project. This car is absolutely unique." Touted to arrive with over 1,000 horsepower, it makes use of a turbocharged V6 and four electric motors. Until it does, we have great offers on the Mercedes-AMG GT. Click the button below to learn more and stay with us for all your Mercedes-AMG news. Browse AMG GT For Sale

By Edward Jones – September 28, 2018

New German Hypercar Officially Named Mercedes-AMG ONE

Daimler has finally dropped the official name for their upcoming hypercar: Mercedes-AMG ONE. The name was chosen because, as Daimler says, it "stands for the highest automotive ambition: to bring Formula 1 hybrid technology to the road." They also go on to say that it will be the top-of-the-line model, sitting at the number one position in the company's portfolio.The car isn't ready for production yet, however. Currently, the car is undergoing wind tunnel testing. This regimen of testing includes checking the performance of the two-stage rear wing as they aim for maximum downforce. Daimler says their experts are working to "bring racing technology to life in a street-legal vehicle." Mercedes-AMG Project ONE in Final Testing Those who have ordered a Mercedes-AMG ONE can learn all about the car in a mobile showroom that's called "The Future of Driving Performance." Inside this showroom, customers can sit in the cockpit of the hypercar, learn the status of its development, grab a cup of joe from the coffee bar and more. It's currently residing at the Munich Mercedes-Benz branch. 2018 Mercedes-Benz C63 S AMG Specs, Photos, Price & Review Ausblick auf den Pariser Automobilsalon: Die Sportwagen- und Performance-Marke n gibt den Namen der Hypercar Serienversion bekannt: Mercedes-AMG ONE.In the run-up to the Paris Motor Show, the sports car and performance brand announces the name of the Hypercar production version: its name is Mercedes-AMG ONE.

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