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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 Andrew Nabors – August 03, 2017

Ferrari FXX K vs McLaren P1 GTR at Monza

Track days and hypercars seem like a logical recipe for fun. Cars like the McLaren P1 and the Ferrari LaFerrari combine powerful engines with hybrid systems to make the ultimate street machine. Being street legal can be a hindrance for those who want all-out performance, so that was the motivation behind the McLaren P1 GTR and the Ferrari FXX K. The team at McLaren Special Operations decided to strip away the pleasantries of the P1, mainly consisting of the active suspension, active aero, upholstery, and insulation. What emerged is a 986 hp monster with 737 lb-ft of torque that weighs only 3,174 lbs.Also Check Out: McLaren P1 GTR For Sale In The USFerrari's XX program began with the FXX, a track-only version of the Enzo. As a logical successor, the FXX K is a LaFerrari on steroids. K is for the Kers system, which is Ferrari's hybrid system. It uses two motor/generators and a 6.3 liter V12 to make 1,036 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. Officially, only 40 examples of each car were produced, which places each one among the rarest sports cars for sale. It would be amazing to see them battle it out at a famous track like Monza, but it's highly doubtful either would agree to such a contest. Nevertheless, a fan who goes by 19Bozzy92 on YouTube filmed both cars at Monza during different events. Turn up your audio and listen to dual clutch transmissions trying to keep up with a demanding track and thousands of horsepower. Tell us who you think would win and stay with us for all your hypercar updates.

By Andrew Nabors – May 02, 2017

McLaren P1 LM Caught At The 'Ring

Every time we see a McLaren on the street, we beg for launch control so we can hear the thunder. Only at a race track will you hear the roar of a twin-turbo V8, and it is a soundtrack unlike other exotics. The Industry Pool is a top secret committee with members from all major European manufacturers. An Automotive Engineer doesn't consider a theme park to be much of a vacation, so what better way to keep them entertained? Apparently, this event is off limits for the press, but a lucky YouTube member was camped out last Thursday in hopes of catching the action. Turn up your volume to hear 986 horsepower of McLaren P1 echo through the forest.Thanks to CarspotterJeroen, you can see a rare P1 LM, which is essentially a street-legal P1 GTR built by Lazante Motorsport. Running hard against the clock, a shower of sparks can be seen at 0:26, so here's to losing weight thanks to asphalt interference! McLaren's V8 is based on a Nissan design that never saw production. The exhaust sounds familiar because the firing order is popular in many American performance cars. The Oldsmobile "Rocket" V8 was a dominant force in racing with a firing order of 18736542. Many other V8 enthusiasts have adopted it for smooth running at high rpm. The Olds Rocket was also the world's first turbocharged production V8, but we'll cover that another day. So if you are in the market for a carbon fiber supercar with an old-school rumble, McLaren dealers have several to choose from. Stay with us for more McLaren footage and updates from Nurburgring.

By Edward Jones – October 05, 2016

2016 McLaren P1 GTR In-Depth Review and Start Up

If there is one guy on the internet that whose reviews I can watch over and over again, it has to be Saabkyle04. Each of his reviews are incredibly informative and in-depth, giving insight to cars you either want to buy or cars you dream to buy. His latest review has to be in the "cars you dream to buy" category.I'm talkin' about the McLaren P1 GTR.This hyper race car will most certainly go down in the automotive history books, just like its predecessors. McLaren has pushed the boundaries with this car, as they did with the F1 GTR. Because of the car's pedigree, it makes sense that SaabKyle04's review of the P1 GTR is quite lengthy and worth watching all the way through. Check it out by clicking play below, and do yourself a favor by subscribing to his channel.View All McLaren P1s For Sale

By Edward Jones – September 01, 2016

Chrome McLaren P1 Goes Through McDonalds Drive-Thru

Of all of the McLaren colors out in the wild, I can't say that I've ever seen a McLaren P1 donning a chrome exterior. Granted, the P1 featured in JDMAYFAIR's new video is almost certainly wrapped, it's still interesting to see the hypercar in chrome.(Also Read: Widebody Liberty Walk McLaren 650S Kit Revealed (w/ Price))In the video, we see the P1's driver take the car through a McDonald's Drive-Thru. Yes, it's not the most exciting adventure you'll see on the internet today, but seeing the P1 in chrome is most definitely a new experience.What do you guys think of chrome wraps or finishes? Yay or nay? If you'd like a P1 for yourself to wrap, be sure to click the button below to see the examples we currently have for sale.View All P1s For Sale

By Nicole Slaughter-Graham – June 30, 2016

Japanese Lawyer Daily Drives His McLaren P1

In Denenchofu, Ota Ward, Tokyo, Japan, one lawyer figured out how to make his daily commute more enjoyable. A few years ago, he purchased his first McLaren, the 650S. He was so happy and impressed with the 650S that he decided to make an additional McLaren purchase. This time, Go Hiramatsu invested in the P1. After a tour of the McLaren factory, which Hiramatsu refers to as a "museum of modern art," he decided the P1 was the ride for him. He chose a green finish matching the greenery of the London parks where the McLaren factory is located.(Also Read: McLaren P1 LM Sets New Record at Goodwood Festival of Speed)Hiramatsu uses his P1 as his daily driver for his commute to and from work, which he partakes in five days a week. But that's not all. He also takes his car to the local track, the Fuji Speedway, and the Hakone Turnpike. Dubbed as Japan's Nürburgring equivalent, the Hakone Turnpike is a great place for Hiramatsu to let loose in his P1. Check out the video below to see Hiramatsu and his P1 in action.View McLaren P1s For Sale

By Nicole Slaughter-Graham – February 19, 2016

McLaren Track Day: The P1 Takes Over, Race Mode, Engine S...

What would you do if you headed to the race track to discover three McLaren P1's and an F1? Probably geek like Nue Vue's host did in the video below. (We'll admit it... we did too). Check out the supercars on the track as Nue Vue chases one around for a while. Catch an inside peak as well, as you climb into the passenger seat and hit the track.Want to see how the McLaren P1 operates in RACE mode? How about hear the engine sounds? You can do all of that and more thanks to the video below. Nue Vue climbs in the passenger seat for a full ride around the track in RACE mode. Check out the video below.McLaren P1s For Sale

By Edward Jones – November 20, 2015

Chris Harris' LaFerrari, 918 and P1 Ultimate Hypercar Tes...

Just this week, we've seen the Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder in a 0-186 drag race and in another drag race including the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport and Pagani Huayra.Now, today, I bring to you an almost hour-long video from Chris Harris on Cars that pits the 918, LaFerrari and P1 against each other at the Portimao circuit in Portugal. Joining him are Tiff Needell of Fifth Gear and British racing driver Marino Franchitti.Honestly, I could talk about this video for hours and how it is such a fine piece of film. But, I'll just leave you with this: click the play button below and watch it now.You won't regret it. (Source: YouTube)

By Edward Jones – November 20, 2015

LaFerrari, P1, 918, Veyron and Huayra Drag Races and Fina...

Over the past weeks, Salomondrin has been releasing a videos series that pits the Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1, Pagani Huayra and Porsche 918 Spyder against each other.The first video covered the preparation needed for the race. In the second video, they raced the cars at The Thermal Club's private track. Now, we finally have the final video in the three-part series. You can view this video below (NSFW language).In the video, we now get to see which of the five cars can win in a drag race. The cars went against each other in an elimination-style bracket, with the Veyron Super Sport being the final matchup. The results? Not terribly surprising.What was definitely surprising were the finals results of the lap times recorded in the second video.It's sad to see this series come to a close, but in the video's description he does note that Ferrari's "Big 5" will be the next. Stay with us to check out the video when it's released. (Source: YouTube)

By Edward Jones – November 19, 2015

Definitive LaFerrari vs P1 vs 918 Spyder 0-186 mph Drag Race

Accelerating from 0-186 mph is no joke, but the holy trinity of hypercars, the Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder, handle this high-speed acceleration with ease.TheSupercarDriver has been testing the three cars in a three-part series, in order to see which would be crowned the champion. The first video tested the cars' ability to race around UK’s Silverstone National Circuit. In the second video, their 1/4 times were tested at the Santa Pod Raceway in Bedfordshire, England.Now, we have the third video, where we get to see which of the three hypercars can accelerate from 0-186 mph quickest. The video, uploaded on November 18, shows the cars at the Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome in Leicestershire, UK.Check out the video above to see how they perform for yourself. All I'll say is that one of them was in a league of its own. P1's For Sale (via YouTube)

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