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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 Caitlin Duffy – August 25, 2015

Hilarious Ludicrous Mode Reactions in the Tesla Model S P90D

Most people hop into a sedan expecting a safe and predictable ride to wherever they're going. But they know to expect a little more when that sedan has a sharp "T" on its logo.Recently, two different passengers each got a chance to see just how much they didn't expect from Tesla's newest beast, the Model S P90D fully equipped with Ludicrous mode. A new upgrade announced by the marque in July gives these four door electric sedans the same performance abilities as the new Lamborghini Aventador SV.Believe it or not, in the form of the Model S P90D, Tesla's battery-powered family car weighing in at 4,647 lbs can reach 60 mph in 2.8 seconds.Autoevolution shared two Aug. 23 YouTube videos from Pete90D, who seems to be the lucky owner of one of these upgraded Model S', with each showing his passengers' reactions to a 0-60 mph run. The first video then checks 30-60 mph, while the second checks 40-60 mph. Each time, the heads hit the headrests and the smiles get a lot bigger.The first passenger, as the caption tells us, has even driven the P85D before, but still wasn't prepared for the knocked down acceleration time.Check out the videos above, then find your own Model S from our exclusive listings at the button below.Teslas For Sale (Source: YouTube via Autoevolution) See More Tesla News

By Caitlin Duffy – August 07, 2015

Tesla Introduces New Charging Prototype

Tesla has been working to make it as easy as possible for Model S owners to charge their car, both at home and on the go.They've opened a total of 2,742 superchargers around the world, and as the map on their website shows, there are more than 400 supercharging stations around the world. But these all require the driver to get out of their car and attach the charger themselves.With the help of a new prototype introduced on Tesla's YouTube channel and Facebook page Aug. 6, the need to get out of the car could be completely eliminated. The video above shows this new prototype in action.What looks like a robotic spine is able to maneuver itself from an upright position to a bent angle, find the charging port and attach all on its own. Though a little slow, it's an incredibly complete prototype that could easily be rolled out soon. No caption was included on the YouTube video, and there aren't any posts on the Tesla Motors blog that explain either when or where we might see these chargers, or whether they'll be available to purchase for home charging, but we're sure that information won't take too long to find out.(See Also: McLaren 650S vs. Tesla Model S P85D Insane Mode)Check out this new charging method above, and find your own Tesla Model S to test it on from our exclusive listings below.Model S Listings For Sale (Source: YouTube) See More Telsa News

By Caitlin Duffy – July 20, 2015

Tesla Introduces Ludicrous Mode, New Battery Option for M...

If there's anything you can say about Tesla, it's that they're not afraid to update an already impressive car.A new base version of the Model S and two upgrades for the fast electric car are ready to make Tesla's famous sedan even more affordable, economical and powerful. In a press call and blog post July 17, CEO Elon Musk announced these latest updates, addressing concerns about the Models 3 and X before digging in to new numbers.Of course, the big update that has everyone talking is the new "Ludicrous Mode," a performance tweak that brings the Model S' 0-60 mph acceleration into the realm of supercars. Through the in-house advent of a new smart fuse for the car's battery, Tesla has managed to safely increase power production to 1,500 Amps. With that increase, 0-60 mph comes in just 2.8 seconds and a quarter mile is completed in 10.9 seconds. Courtesy of Tesla's Facebook pageThis new smart fuse will cost an additional $10,000 for new buyers, while those who currently own the P85D, famous for introducing "Insane Mode," can upgrade for the next six months for just $5,000 and the cost of labor.Of course, anyone familiar with "Space Balls" will know there's only one upgrade left after Ludicrous Mode, "but that speed," describes Musk's post, "is reserved for the next generation Roadster in 4 years: maximum plaid."For those interested in a Model S but hoping to extend the battery's charge a little further, a $3,000 cost will upgrade the battery size from 85 to 90 kWh. However, Musk doesn't recommend this upgrade for existing owners; with a projected improvement in battery life of 5 percent each year, they're encouraged to wait another few years until they can upgrade by more than 5 kWh.If neither performance nor an incredibly long battery life are necessary, but you're still interested in owning a Tesla, the 70 kWh Model S with a single motor is priced at $70,000. If you'd rather wait for the Model X or Model 3, you don't have too long to hold out - deliveries of the Model X are projected to begin in the next two months, while the Model 3 will begin deliveries in just over two years.(See Also: Tesla Model S P85D vs. American Muscle Cars in Drag Races)Be sure to stay with us for more updates from Tesla as they are released, and find your own ideal Model S or Roadster from our exclusive listings below.Teslas For Sale (Source: Tesla, Facebook) See More Tesla News

By Caitlin Duffy – June 25, 2015

Tesla Model S P85D vs. American Muscle Cars in Drag Races

Tesla's Model S has been on the road for quite a few years at this point, and there have been more than a few who have taken to the drag strips, testing their battery-powered torque against some of the world's most powerful combustion. But the races didn't get truly interesting until the P85D was released.We've seen the P85D and its Insane Mode accelerating take on a Challenger Hellcat, Ferrari F12berlinetta, 458 Italia and more, but in this latest find, it takes on a different rank of power: American muscle cars.It's an 1/8 mile drag strip set up with a special type of race going on. Rico's Real Street 7.49 challenges drivers to see who can get closest to 7.49 seconds for their 1/8 mile run without going under. Added to YouTube May 31 by DragTimes, a full day of drag racing, from daylight to dusk, is captured in five minutes and 41 seconds.(See Also: Winners of the 2015 International Engine of the Year Awards)Check out the video above to see the P85D take on some of America's most iconic muscle cars, and let us know if you were surprised by the results of this day at the track. When you're finished, find your own Model S to test out from our exclusive listings.Model S Listings (Source: YouTube) See More Tesla News

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