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

Mercedes-Benz News

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 Andrew Nabors – May 07, 2021

Mercedes-USA Builds Sprinter For Charity In Jacksonville

My hometown heroes Methodist Hospital is a few thousand yards from Mercedes USA's massive plant in Jacksonville, Florida. I was born there nearly 4 decades ago, and watched Mercedes-Benz team members always trying to help out the impoverished families in Florida's First Coast. Now they have finally been recognized by the Top Brass, as they spent late nights building a Sprinter van. "Kim's Open Door, an area non-profit whose volunteers serve the city's at-risk children by providing them with access to mentorship, educational assistance, the arts and local community events" As such, this new black van is loaded is outfitted to haul a few tons of food to families in need. It will deliver food from Daytona to Waycross, so we applaud everyone at Mercedes in Jacksonville. I am dropping by tomorrow for a sneak peek at the new Brabus 800, so have a great weekend! Browse Mercedes Sprinter Vans Images (C) Daimler

By Andrew Nabors – May 06, 2021

How Fast Is The Mercedes-AMG GLS On The Autobahn?

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By Andrew Nabors – April 28, 2021

Jay Leno & Bill Burr Review a 2020 Mercedes-AMG Wagon

Supercar Estate Wagons Are Back! If you are reading this, you know we have an affinity for fast wagons. From the Dodge Magnum SRT, Cadillac CTS-V, and most recently the Audi RS6 Avant....Wagons Are Back. That's why two Bostonian comics are here to review the latest wagon from Mercedes-AMG. Bill Burr is an Irish-American and Jay Leno's family hails from Italy. Commentary from both sides of Boston makes for great comedy! As a frame of reference, Mrs. duPont has a V6 Mercedes-Benz wagon, and it does everything you could ask for....But...Should you have a need for speed, AMG offers several flavors of hot-rod V8, twin-turbo, AWD excitement. Click the button below to find yours! Browse Mercedes-Benz For Sale

By Andrew Nabors – April 15, 2021

2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS Price & Specs Unveiled

Time for a high-voltage S-Class Earlier today Brabus dropped the new 2022 B50 S-Class. It makes tons of power and torque from the 3-lier straight-six, but what about battery power? The first-ever EQS is being unveiled now, live on YouTube, so watch it with us! Let's dive into the specs: What we have here is the EQS 450+ It arrives with a 107.8 kW battery and a sleek drag coefficient of 0.20. This allows you to hit 62 mph in 6.2 seconds, but a hotter model is following. The EQS 580 4Matic uses two motors to offer AWD. It hits 62 mph in 4.3 seconds and offers a range of 478.5 miles. Should you need more range, it can be DC fast-charged to add 173 miles in 15 minutes. The price is known to our dealers, so click the button below for all the details and stay with us for all your Mercedes EQ news. Shop Mercedes-Benz S-Class Images (C) Daimler

By Andrew Nabors – April 12, 2021

Mercedes EQS to be Revealed April 15th

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By Andrew Nabors – April 07, 2021

New 2022 Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 4MATIC+ Price & Specs Released

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By Andrew Nabors – April 01, 2021

Mercedes-AMG Previews Their Electric Future

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By Andrew Nabors – March 24, 2021

New Mercedes-Benz C-Class Combines Comfort With Connectivity

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By Andrew Nabors – March 22, 2021

2020 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Compared to 2013

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By Andrew Nabors – March 19, 2021

So Flo Jeep's G63 6x6 Heading to Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale

Four is fun but six is incredible, and that's why So Flo Jeep's G63 6x6 is heading to Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale. As you read this, our intrepid events team is already on the ground at Westworld. Taking all Covid precautions, our booth will be loaded with the latest and greatest. While we try to showcase So Flo Jeep's latest builds, this one simply wouldn't fit. That's because they improved upon AMG's recipe for a brutal six-wheel drive. Starting with 38"x15.5" Mickey Thompson Baja tires, all-terrains, they fabricated 9" locking differentials to ride on Fox suspension of their own design. Hand-laid carbon fiber and several coats of clear will shine for years, and the 5' bed is framed from stained teakwood. Inside you are treated to an LED headliner that replicates a brilliant night sky, perfect for heading deep into the woods to a campsite that lesser builds can't reach. So Flo is famous for 6wd conversions and this one was built to show the world what they are capable of. It will be crossing the block Saturday during primetime with no reserve, so don't forget to bid! Click the button to see their other builds. Visit SoFlo Jeeps.com

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