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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

Two men in conversation sit in chairs with a table between them, a red AMG car in the background, and duPont REGISTRY and RENNtech branding displayed.

By duPont REGISTRY – August 30, 2025

duPont REGISTRY Talks: Revealing The Secrets Behind AMG’s...

From the early days at AMG to founding RENNtech and architecting the fearsome Hammer-era Mercedes monsters, Hartmut Feyhl’s journey is the kind of engine-roaring story that defines automotive lore. In the latest episode of duPont REGISTRY Talks, our Editor-in-Chief sits down with Feyhl – tuner-extraordinaire, technical savant, and the man behind that unmistakable AMG thunder – to peel back the curtain on his remarkable career. Feyhl’s tale is one of migration, mastery, and motorsport passion. He arrived in the U.S. after a storied tenure at AMG in Germany, bringing with him the horsepower and precision that quickly made RENNtech the premier name in Mercedes-Benz tuning. You’ll hear how those iconic Hammer cars were born – a time when brute power met the highest levels of German engineering prowess, reshaping the world’s expectations of road-legal performance. Expect insider secrets on how RENNtech fine-tunes everything from engine maps to suspension dynamics, along with wild stories from track testing, ultra-rare builds, and the obsessive pursuit of “performance without compromise” – a motto Feyhl instilled into every program from the brand’s 1989 birth onward. Whether you're fascinated by high-octane engineering, boutique tuning legacies, or the relentless creative drive behind automotive icons like the Hammer Mercs, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in and discover how a single engineer’s vision helped define an era – and continues shaping performance car culture today. Visit duPontREGISTRY.com " width="680">

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By Andrew Nabors – January 05, 2021

2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series Record Lap Behind The S...

In order to understand what it takes to conquer the 'Ring, let's take a look at the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series record lap behind the scenes. In the latest upload of Inside AMG, Felix returns to shed light on how they shattered the record for production coupes (and sedans). 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series Sets New Nürburgring Record Much like we saw earlier from Team Corvette, the Mercedes-AMG team has a dedicated engineering garage at the Nürburgring. With the goal of beating the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, driver Marco Engel was clocked at 6:43.616. This is over a second faster than the Italian, and over 10 ticks faster than the Aston Martin V8 Vantage from 2019. Within a 24-hour period, he also pushed the AMG GT 63 S sedan to the top of the list, knocking the Panamera Turbo S to 2nd place. Browse Mercedes-AMG GT For Sale " width="680"> Image (C) Daimler A.G.

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By Andrew Nabors – September 02, 2020

Watch the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Reveal With us

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By Andrew Nabors – June 05, 2020

New Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan in Detail

Through recent history, Mercedes-Benz has shared the launch of new technology and design language between the flagship S-Class and the sales-leading E-Class. Poised to remain their most popular model, we recently covered the E-class coupe, convertible and AMG editions for 2021. We knew a sedan was in the works because 2-door cars appeal to a smaller audience. If you demand the best from your daily driver, here is the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan in detail. From leather to infotainment, the new E-Class blazes a trail of technology and sophistication for all to follow. Click the button below to learn more from our dealers and stay with us for all your Mercedes-Benz news. Browse Mercedes-Benz E-Class For Sale

By Andrew Nabors – April 03, 2019

Modified Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG hits 199 MPH on the Autobahn

If you want the latest in performance and efficiency, the Mercedes-AMG E63 S offers both. But if you want to build a supercar sleeper, the previous generation E63 AMG is an affordable starting point. GAD Motors offers a 5.8L version of the 5.5L AMG V8 that was offered in every model of the previous generation. Combined with new turbos it sends 920 horsepower to the rear wheels. Somehow, our friends at AutoTopNL were able to push it to almost 200 mph on the Autobahn. The 5.5L and 6.3L C63 AMG cars are virtually indestructible, and they are one of the best bargains on the market. Our dealers have several to choose from, so click the link below and stay with us for more Autobahn action! View All E63 AMG For Sale Related: 2019 Bentley Continental GT goes 204 mph on the Autobahn 1,012 Audi RS6 goes 203 MPH on the Autobahn

By Edward Jones – January 25, 2019

Apollo IE and Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Race Around Dubai Aut...

It was a meeting of the automotive minds at the Dubai Autodrome recently, as two phenomenal cars were at the track: the Apollo Intensa Emozione and Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR. This meeting of titans was made possible thanks to Apollo Automobil themselves and HWA AG. Whitesse JR was on hand at this happening to capture the cars in action. In his video, seen above, you can hear the V12 engines of both cars as they take off for laps around the track. It's definitely interesting to see such an iconic supercar like the CLK GTR right next to Apollo's next-generation supercar, the IE. Not to mention, both of these cars are beautiful in their own way. I could gush over both of them for hours, but I'll stop here. view exotic cars for sale Also Check Out: Apollo IE Attacks an Alpine Airstrip Apollo Joins Forces With HWA White Apollo IE Unleashed in Hong Kong

By Andrew Nabors – October 22, 2018

Jaguar F-Type SVR vs Mercedes-AMG E63 S Wagon

If you have the ability to send power to all wheels, why not put it to work? Say what you want about AWD fans, the only downside is tire wear and less mileage. For a quick refresher, the differences between 4WD and AWD are in having multiple range transfer cases along with many 4WD models being able to cruise in 2WD mode. This has pushed AWD technology into the forefront, with such novelties as electronic differentials and torque vectoring allowing more grip than anyone thought possible. When it comes to racing, that extra traction goes a long way. So, the folks at carwow decided to compare a Jaguar F-Type SVR against the latest Mercedes-AMG E63 S Wagen. Fighting for England, the Jaguar arrives with a supercharged 5.0-liter making 575 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. The opponent is a Teutonic Twin-Turbo with 4.0-liters. It offers 612 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque, but with the added weight of an E-Class wagon to deal with. Tell us which one you would choose in the comments below and stay with us for all your exotic car updates. View All Mercedes For Sale View All Jaguar For Sale

By Edward Jones – September 12, 2018

What? Mercedes CLK GTR Goes Rallying Through a Forest

I stand by the fact that the Goodwood Festival of Speed is one event that I need to attend in my lifetime. Why? Well, stuff like this happens.TheTFJJ captured an insanely rare Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster doing something you've probably never seen it do before. After a startup on the grass and a quick trip down the road, the CLK GTR found itself on a dirt road, traveling through a forest at a high rate of speed.Yes, you read that correctly. The CLK GTR Roadster, created only six times and worth over $2 million, was drifting on a drift road in between trees. If you don't believe me, click play on the video below to see the 612 bhp, V12-powered supercar in action

By Edward Jones – September 07, 2018

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera vs Mercedes-AMG GT R Drag Race

The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera was recently announced by the English automaker as the pinnacle of their model range. It packs a whopping 715 bhp and 663 lb-ft of torque, and a 0 to 62 mph time of 3.4 seconds. There's no doubt in anyone's mind that this car is both powerful and undeniably stylish. Top Gear put together a drag race to see how this new Aston Martin would stack up against the Mercedes-AMG GT R. It's an interesting pairing when you learn that the AMG GT R has less power (577 bhp and 516 lb-ft of torque) and slower acceleration (0 to 62 mph in 3.6 seconds). However, the AMG GT R comes in around 138 lbs lighter. Which one of these sports car takes the checkered flag? Click play below.2018 Dodge Demon For Sale

By Edward Jones – September 04, 2018

Five Most Luxurious Mercedes-Benz Cars Ever Made

Have you ever found yourself in a fight about which Mercedes-Benz car is the most luxurious? For those out there who do find themselves in such a peculiar argument, Mercedes has released a video just for you. Called "Best of Benz - Top 5 Luxury Cars," this new video shows off what Mercedes says is their five most luxurious cars, ever.At number 5 is the Mercedes-Benz 540 K, a car built from 1935-1940 that was available as a two-seater cabriolet, four-seater coupe or a seven-seater limo. Throughout its reign on the road, it was considered one of the largest cars being driven.Finally, we're here at number 1 with the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut-Coupe." Preserved in Mercedes' corporate museum in Sindelfingen is one of the two examples of the Uhlenhaut-Coupe that were ever created. Rudolf Uhlenhaut was the Uhlenhaut-Coupe's namesake, its designer, and the motorsport chief during the time of its production, and he used the SLR race car as a personal car. At the time of its production (mid-1950's), the Uhlenhaut-Coupe was considered the fastest car with a top speed of around 180 mph. The video notes that if the car was for sale not, which it will probably never be, it would more than likely be the most expensive car on the road today.All Mercedes-Benz Cars for Sale

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