McLaren Automotive has unveiled the W1 – a 1258hp/1340Nm hybrid hypercar that weighs just 1,399kg and is limited to 399 units. A spiritual successor to the F1 and P1, the W1 is McLaren’s most powerful, fastest-accelerating and fastest-lapping road-legal car.
The powertrain is a new MHP-8 flat-plane 4.0-liter V8 engine that develops 915hp – at 229hp per liter – the highest-ever output from a McLaren engine. It revs to 9,200rpm thanks to plasma spray-coated cylinder bores. The engine works with an e-module that features a motor control unit and a 342bhp radial flux electric motor.
The combined figures (1,258hp/1,340Nm) are sent to just the rear wheels in true McLaren fashion as Woking wanted to “retain the purity of a rear-wheel-drive chassis in a car with this much power and torque, at a time when competitors are turning to front-wheel-drive assistance.” A new 8-speed transmission with E-reverse, coupled with new hydraulic electronic differential will take care of transmission duties.
Numbers? McLaren states a 0-100km/h time of 2.7 secs, 0-200km/h in 5.8 secs and 0-300km/h in 12.7 secs, and the top-speed is rated at 350km/h. The hypercar features F1-inspired ground effect aerodynamics and a dedicated race mode that lowers ride height by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear, resulting in 1,000kg of downforce. The party trick, however, is its aerodynamic setup, which makes use of McLaren Active Long Tail – a rear wing that extends rearwards by 300mm (a design-pending patent).
McLaren has used an aerocell monocoque and ground-effect aerodynamics, featuring the highest number of aerodynamic and active surface areas of any McLaren. The structure also incorporates the first-ever anhedral doors on a McLaren.
“The all-integral aerodynamic platform with the aerocell as the centerpiece enables fully underbody ground effect in Race mode. Inherently efficient, W1 deploys a staggering level of downforce for relatively little drag. Thanks to numerous innovations, we have succeeded in incorporating elegantly F1-inspired vortical flow field to an uncompromised road car,” said Robin Algoo, principal aerodynamics engineer, McLaren Automotive, and former Formula 1 aerodynamicist.
The F1-inspiration has been carried onto the dynamics department, with onboard damping and heave dampers with McLaren Race Active Chassis Control III for superior high-speed grip on track and comfort on the road. It is also the first McLaren road car to employ pushrods. In terms of stopping power, the W1 gets carbon ceramic racing+ (MCCR+) brake system with 390mm discs and extreme brake ducts.
The result of all this is a car that is three seconds per lap faster than the hardcore Senna at McLaren’s Nardo reference circuit. The Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS road legal track tire is the standard fitment. However, Pirelli P Zero R and Pirelli P Zero Winter 2 tires are also available.
In terms of size, it is bigger than a P1, but impressively, it only weighs 1,399kg dry. McLaren says the W1’s interior is “unique”, with fixed seats and controls that can be moved. It also features the thinnest A-pillars of any McLaren to increase visibility.
McLaren is offering a comprehensive warranty of four-year (vehicle) and six-year (HV battery) and four-year service plan for the W1. Pricing starts at £2.0m (US$2.6m) including taxes in the UK, but the actual sticker price will be directly proportional to the boxes you tick.
