Carbon fiber innovation is at the center of McLaren’s performance legacy.
With over 60 years of heritage, McLaren has become a household name in the world of high performance, exotic cars, and motorsport. However, its origin and the most revered aspect of McLaren’s brand is racing, which is where McLaren has earned its greatest victories and pushed the envelope of performance-focused innovation and cutting-edge engineering. For over four decades, carbon fiber has been an important part of that innovation legacy. One of the most important materials in supercar manufacturing, carbon fiber is celebrated for its strength and lightweight properties.
For McLaren, carbon fiber innovation began with the MP4/1, over 40 years ago in 1981. It changed the world of Formula 1 by being the first race car to utilize a full carbon fiber monocoque chassis. Its use of carbon fiber opened the floodgates for a widespread use of carbon fiber in motorsport, not only increasing performance but also improving safety.
The McLaren F1, of course known as a legendary hypercar with record-breaking top speed in the ‘90s and one of the most desired collector supercars of all time, was the next milestone in McLaren’s carbon fiber innovation. It brought the incredible benefits of carbon fiber race cars to the road in order to build one of the greatest performance cars of its time.
Then came the McLaren MP4-12C, the return to road cars for McLaren in the early 2010s. It introduced the MonoCell, a single piece of carbon fiber that made a tub, revolutionizing rigidity and lightweight construction in supercars yet again. The introduction of the 720S in 2017 saw McLaren improve on the MonoCell with the Monocage II carbon fiber structure, which is still used today in the 720S’s successor, the 750S. Meanwhile, the opening of the McLaren Composites Technology Centre in 2018 allowed for more carbon fiber components to be made in models like the 765LT.
In McLaren’s current lineup, the Artura and its Spider counterpart use carbon fiber to achieve a rigid structure and lightweight construction as both a convertible and a coupe. However, the pinnacle of McLaren’s current carbon fiber abilities is in its new flagship hypercar, and the successor to the P1 and F1: the new W1.
Introducing the new Aerocell, the McLaren W1 boasts the most advanced carbon fiber tub yet, using “pre-preg” carbon fiber that uses resin to simplify the curing process. The result is even better lightweight construction than before. The W1 also makes use of McLaren’s next-generation carbon fiber tech: ART carbon fiber. Standing for Automated Rapid Tape, the production method reduces weight and unlocks new engineering potential, and is derived from the aerospace industry. As McLaren continues to create the world’s premier supercars and hypercars, carbon fiber will be key to their safety, rigidity, and performance.
Image Source: McLaren
