Luxury and Exotic Car Reviews

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 Bradley Iger – October 24, 2026

Review: 2026 Mercedes-AMG GT63 Pro

Last year I spent some time with the GT63 S E Performance, the hybrid-assisted iteration of Mercedes-AMG’s most focused two-door road car. While I came away impressed by its straight-line speed, its weight and complexity ultimately demanded significant compromises in terms of both dynamics and usability. Given those shortcomings, it should come as little surprise that the announcement of the GT63 Pro immediately piqued my interest. The 2026 Mercedes-AMG GT63 Pro carries a starting price of $202,200, a figure that happens to be identical to the base MSRP of the 2026 GT63 S E Performance. Employing a strategy that seems cribbed directly from Porsche’s playbook, the Pro’s premium price tag is largely associated with what’s been shed rather than gained. At an official curb weight of 4,299 pounds, the GT63 Pro is more than 500 pounds lighter than the GT63 S E Performance, and that’s due in large part to the absence of the latter’s hybrid system. And while the E Performance is designed to be a fast grand tourer that can go toe-to-toe with the 911 Turbo S and Aston Martin DB12, the Pro employs a focused intent as a track-capable sports car, in turn putting benchmark machines like the 911 GT3 in its sights. It’s an interesting proposition given the second-generation GT’s switch to an SL-based architecture, its newfound 2 + 2 seating layout, and its standard all-wheel drive configuration. But when a press car shows up on a set of ultra-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires, it’s a strong indicator that the automaker has some lofty dynamic ambitions for the model. At nearly 4,300 pounds, the GT63 Pro is still a bit of a porker for a track-focused sports car. That figure makes this car more than half a ton heavier than a 911 GT3 (and about 600 pounds heavier than the first-generation Mercedes-AMG GT R), but it makes up for the mass in other ways. In terms of its design philosophy, the GT63 Pro isn’t as stripped down and purpose-driven as a 911 GT3. Sure, massive carbon-ceramic brakes, enhanced cooling for the powertrain and brake system, and more aggressive aero are all standard equipment here, but so are a Burmester surround-sound audio system, ventilated front seats, and the same amount of sound deadening as you’d find in a standard GT63. Mercedes-AMG clearly wasn’t willing to ditch the GT’s more luxurious characteristics for the sake of lap time supremacy. Instead, it employs one of AMG’s classic calling cards: brute force. Even though the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8’s output figures of 603 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque here in the GT63 Pro are a far cry from the jaw-dropping numbers that the GT63 S E Performance puts out, these figures still comprehensively outgun the GT3’s naturally aspirated flat-six and represent gains of 26 hp and 37 lb-ft over the standard GT63. Matched with a nine-speed multi-clutch automatic gearbox and a fully variable all-wheel drive system, AMG says the GT63 Pro will hit 60 mph in 3.1 seconds on its way to a 10.9-second quarter-mile time and a top speed of 197 mph. The GT63 Pro also uses the same suspension setup as the standard GT63, a configuration which ditches traditional mechanical anti-roll bars in favor of hydraulic actuators that work in tandem with adaptive dampers to counteract body roll in the corners while also keeping ride quality in check. Although the suspension tuning is still pretty firm even in its softest setting, it’s worth noting that the GT63 Pro delivered more compliance on the pockmarked streets of Los Angeles than the PASM Sport Suspension-equipped 992.2 911 Carrera S that I’d driven the week prior. Combined with its relatively spacious cabin and the sport seats’ wide range of adjustability, the GT63 Pro can dispatch the daily commute as well as long-haul touring stints in genuine comfort. And without the E Performance’s hybrid system in the mix, the V8’s baritone roar takes center stage from the moment you press the ignition button, while the absence of that model’s rear-mounted battery pack also frees up a substantial amount of cargo space. The GT63 Pro’s simplified approach also pays dividends out in the canyons. In my review of the E Performance, I noted that the brake system’s response was alarmingly inconsistent, but those issues have been completely rectified here, while the massive amount of mechanical grip afforded by those Michelins (along with the lower curb weight) translated to noticeably improved stopping power in general. This, combined with the car’s newfound agility and eagerness to change direction, translated to a lot more confidence behind the wheel when exploring the Pro’s dynamic limits. While the 911 GT3 may be the GT63 Pro’s primary rival, the AMG offers a very different driving experience. Whereas the GT3 encourages you to wind its flat-six to the moon, the Pro’s boosted V8 does its best work in the mid-range, where the AMG has a massive advantage in torque. There’s also something to be said for the additional reassurance that the all-wheel drive system affords, especially when you’re about to mash the loud pedal coming out of a slow corner. But there are still situations where it seems like Mercedes-AMG’s engineering gets in its own way. While the gearbox delivers quick shifts, its constant hunt for a better cog in the Race drive mode quickly convinced me to take over shifting duties with the paddles. And that also brings me to another point of contention: the convoluted control layout. <- Gallery -> Setting aside the annoyance that almost all of the car’s features are adjusted with either capacitive surfaces or on the 11.9-inch touchscreen center display (as well as the fact that the seats’ lumbar and bolster settings are buried in an infotainment menu while the rest of the seat adjustments are on the doors), the only way to quickly access the vehicle’s myriad of performance settings is with the “AMG Drive Unit,” a pair of customizable toggles on the lower left-hand side of the steering wheel. Because this module can only display two different settings at a time, you’re forced to prioritize having immediate access to manual shift mode for the transmission, or the loudness settings for the exhaust system, or damper stiffness settings, or traction and stability control settings, and so on. I mention this because during my initial stint out in the canyons, I noticed a behavior that seemed almost like a brake-based torque vectoring system quickly applying and releasing the front brakes multiple times when taking a fast corner on maintenance throttle. Well below the threshold of grip afforded by these track-ready tires, I initially theorized it had something to do with the all-wheel drive system, so I enabled Drift Mode – which disconnects the front axle from the rest of the drivetrain – and the issue went away. (And yes, the GT63 Pro will indeed do gloriously smoky drifts if you ask it to.) To verify that the issue was indeed the all-wheel drive system, I then disabled Drift Mode. I expected that weird behavior to come back, but confusingly, it didn’t. What I eventually discovered was that, despite the fact that this behavior was happening while the tires still had plenty of grip, it appears that the stability control system’s overactive default setting was basically intervening preemptively. The stability control system has to be fully disabled to fire up Drift Mode, which required me to bring up the traction and stability control setting on that AMG Drive Unit control module in order to quickly turn it on or off. Even with the stability control system only partially disabled in its Sport setting, that mid-corner braking issue didn’t return – it only came back when system was fully enabled again. And that seems to indicate that if you’re going to drive this car in any sort of spirited way on a winding road, you’ll probably want to have quick access to that stability control setting, which means that the setting will either need to be a permanent fixture on the AMG Drive Unit, or you’ll have to pull off to the side of the road and bring it to the fore every time you want to have some fun. Given how labyrinthine the menus and control setups are in this car, I could absolutely envision a situation where someone would not make this discovery, simply assume this was normal behavior for the GT63 Pro, and end up just living with that issue for the duration of their ownership. That’s a bit of a bummer because this is otherwise a lovely beast of a sports car. It may not be as focused as a 911 GT3, but it’s far more accommodating on a day-to-day basis, and it delivers a distinctive driving experience that nails the AMG hallmarks. Given the choice, I’d take the GT63 Pro over the more powerful GT63 S E Performance without hesitation. At this point, it seems like the only thing holding this car back from true greatness is AMG’s recent tendency to go overboard with the engineering. The GT63 Pro is proof that less can indeed be more, and I suspect that there’s still something to be gained by taking that philosophy a step further. View All Mercedes-AMG GTs for Sale Images: Bradley Iger

By Bradley Iger – December 06, 2025

Review: 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance Forges Its...

AMG’s hybrid 2+2 leverages a stupefying amount of technology to defy the laws of physics. In the days leading up to my seat time in the GT63 S E Performance – AMG’s hybridized riff on the recently reinvented two-door GT – I found myself pondering exactly what this car’s primary intent is. While the original Mercedes-AMG GT was a rear-wheel drive two-seater that was expressly designed to go up against the 911s and Corvettes of the sportscar world, much like the SLS AMG before it, the second-generation GT is a different animal. Now underpinned by a platform shared with the SL, the GT has gained a rear seat, a longer wheelbase, all-wheel drive (aside from the base GT 43 model, which remains rear-drive), and more than a few pounds of heft in the process. While the first-generation GT S coupe weighed in at around 3,600 pounds, its contemporary equivalent (the non-hybrid Mercedes-AMG GT 63) tips the scales at over 4,300 lbs., and this E Performance model brings roughly 500 pounds more to the mix, largely due to the addition of an electric motor and a 6.1 kWh battery pack. Could a vehicle that’s nearly 5,000 pounds somehow still be considered a sportscar? And if not, then what is it? Even after a week with the car, I’m still not quite certain, but what I can say for sure is this: It looks great, it’s stunningly complex, and it’s fast as hell. Truth be told, the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance is ultimately a capable and decidedly performance-oriented luxury grand tourer in the vein of the Aston Martin DB12 and the 992 Porsche 911 Turbo S, yet it out-muscles both of those machines while undercutting them on price. Under the hood is AMG’s venerable 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8, here tuned to deliver a healthy 603 horsepower and 627 lb-ft all on its own. The engine is also supplemented by the aforementioned electric motor, which produces 201 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque, resulting in an official combined system total of 805 horsepower and a jaw-dropping 1,047 pound-feet of torque. If that math has you scratching your head, you’re not the only one. Mercedes says that rather than simply combining the peak output numbers of the engine and the hybrid system to get the output total, it should be considered as one whole powertrain, and that requires a calculation which would cause Isaac Newton’s eyes to glaze over. The basic premise is that this formula takes the gearing of the car’s two transmissions into account (the conventional nine-speed automatic and the hybrid system’s own two-speed gearbox) to determine accurate figures “at the crank.” I won’t bore you with the specifics here, but suffice to say this powertrain is a complicated piece of technology. It also makes the GT63 S E Performance the most powerful series production model in AMG’s lineup alongside its drop-top stablemate, the SL63 S E Performance, which is outfitted with the same powertrain hardware. As with other performance-focused hybrids like the BMW M5 and the Lamborghini Revuelto, a press of the engine start/stop button gets things underway purely on electricity, giving the GT63 S E Performance an element of stealth that your neighbors will likely appreciate on early morning treks out. Although the hybrid system’s battery pack only offers about eight miles of electric range, the car’s sportier drive modes will top off the battery as you drive, so owners will rarely need to bother plugging into a charger. Unfortunately, the rear-mounted hybrid system does create a sizable hump in the car’s storage compartment, in turn reducing cargo capacity from the 11.3 cu ft found in other GT models to just 7.3 cubic feet. The GT63 S E Performance offers eight drive modes in total – Electric, Battery Hold, Comfort, Slippery, Sport, Sport+, Race, and Individual. Comfort is the default setting when the car is started, and while the hybrid system can bring the car up to highway speeds entirely under electric power, the V8 is automatically awakened if you’re faced with a steep hill or need more punch than the electric motor can provide. The transition from purely electric power to a combination of electric and internal combustion propulsion is admirably seamless from behind the wheel, though; on more than one occasion, I had to glance at the tachometer to verify whether or not the V8 had kicked in. For this, I blame the absolutely killer Burmester “3D Surround Sound” audio system! Despite the car’s performance-focused tuning, poundage, and this tester’s optional 21-inch wheels, it’s also remarkably compliant on the highway and not especially harsh around town when left in one of its more relaxed drive modes. Much of the credit for this feat must be awarded to AMG’s Active Ride Control suspension, which is standard equipment on the GT63 S E Performance. It features an active hydraulic system that replaces conventional sway bars and assists the car’s adaptive dampers individually during both the compression and rebound movements of the suspension. This pays dividends in everyday driving comfort while also helping to maintain proper camber in the corners during more spirited drives. Speaking of spirited drives, the cognitive dissonance only got stronger when I ventured out to the canyons. While the car’s substantial mass makes itself known under braking and when quickly changing direction, the suspension does an impressive job of corralling body motion. There’s also a surprising amount of mechanical grip on tap, and the all-wheel drive system allows for plenty of tail-out antics if you’re feeling brave enough to dial back some of the electronic assistance. Mercedes claims an official 0-60 mph sprint of 2.7 seconds, making this the quickest AMG road car produced to date. I see no reason to refute that claim, but outside the context of drag launches, the GT63 S E Performance does seem like it would benefit from some additional dynamic refinement. It takes a noticeable beat after a stab of the loud pedal for all of the various systems to get on the same page to deliver maximum thrust, and by the time they’re all on full attack, you’re often back on the brakes for the next corner. And while the transmission programming in Race mode is appropriately aggressive, the gearbox tends to be a bit lazy about responding to downshift requests from the paddle. Pedal feel under hard braking was also oddly inconsistent, regardless of the drive mode or regen setting that was selected, which is a bit disconcerting in a car that’s this heavy and this quick. Despite its quirks, there’s no question that the GT63 S E Performance is thrilling to drive when the going gets fast and highly competent when pressed into service as a grand tourer. Whether or not it’s a true sports car remains up for debate, but most owners probably won’t be too concerned about that when they pull up next to a McLaren Artura at a stoplight with an air of confidence. View All Mercedes-AMG GT 63s For Sale Images: Bradley Iger

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