McLaren W1 details: Successor to F1 and P1 hypercars is a 1,258bhp hybrid road-to-track transformer
New range-topping McLaren announced on anniversary of McLaren F1 team’s first world constructors’ championship
McLaren has released details of its most powerful, fastest-accelerating car ever, saying it’ll be capable of transforming from road to race spec using active suspension and aerodynamics, enabling it to lap the Nardo racing circuit three seconds quicker than the track-honed McLaren Senna.
The successor to the legendary McLaren F1 and P1 road cars, the forthcoming W1 is set to eclipse all previous models from the Woking-based firm in every metric.
Hybrid power
Its hybrid powertrain will comprise a 3,988cc twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 915bhp on its own, but is supplemented by a 342bhp electric motor for a total combined output of 1,258bhp and 988 lb ft of torque (twisting force) — more than any McLaren yet produced. The full force of the e-motor is unleashed via a Formula One-inspired boost button on the steering wheel.
That immense power will be sent exclusively to the rear wheels via an eight-speed gearbox, but thanks in part to its lightweight carbon fibre monocoque construction (it will tip the scales at just 1,399kg, making it similar in weight to an Audi A3 hatchback), McLaren claims the W1 will be able to manage 0-62mph in 2.7 seconds and 0-186mph in 12.7 seconds, before reaching its electronically limited top speed of 217mph.
McLaren says the W1’s V8 engine will rev to 9,200rpm and features twin-scroll turbos that can deliver peak power and torque from just 2,500rpm.
The radial flux electric motor, meanwhile, is integrated with its motor control unit in a package weighing just 20kg. It’s combined with a battery that has a capacity of 1.384kWh, allowing zero-emission, electric-only driving for up to 1.6 miles. The total weight of the hybrid components is 40kg lighter than those found in the P1 of 2013, despite having nearly twice the power output.
Active aero transforms W1 for track use
Helping it stick to the asphalt will be F1-inspired “ground effect” aerodynamics, which generates negative pressure under the car, with active suspension able to drop the body by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear for use on racing circuits.
In addition, active front and rear wings, including a “longtail” at the back that extends by up to 300mm using four e-motors when in “Race” mode, adding 650kg of downforce to the back of the car. By pressing a button on the steering wheel, drivers will be able to open the rear wing to reduce drag, in a similar system to “DRS” found on modern F1 cars.
The front wing uses two e-motors to swing it into position for track use, and this adds another 350kg of downforce at the nose. The W1’s aerodynamics were honed over 350 hours of wind tunnel testing, McLaren says, and all together, up to a ton of downforce can be achieved.
Bespoke tyres and brakes
The car sits on a choice of three bespoke Pirelli P Zero tyres: the road legal but track-focused Trofeo RS is the standard fitment, but P Zero R and P Zero Winter 2 tyres are also available for specific road use.
Stopping power comes from 390mm carbon ceramic discs, with six-piston calipers at the front and four piston units at the rear, and McLaren says the W1 can come to a standstill from 124mph in 100 metres.
‘Theatre’ inside
Access to the two-seater cockpit is via McLaren anhedral doors, with fixed seats but adjustment to suit the height of the driver via movable pedals. Gearshift lights are integrated into the downsized steering wheel, though as with other McLarens, the wheel itself is kept as free of switchgear as possible — the boost and aero deployment buttons are the only ones built into it, with Artura-style chassis and powertrain adjustment via rocker switches on the instrument binnacle.
McLaren has created what it calls “theatre” inside by placing the start-stop button, gear selection, window switches and Race mode switch overhead, within the digital rear view mirror, which allows maximum rearward visibility. Infotainment comes via an 8in touchscreen running McLaren’s own operating system, with Apple Carplay compatibility.
Celebrates McLaren’s first F1 championships
The W1 is being revealed on the 50th anniversary of McLaren’s first Formula One drivers’ and constructors’ world championships being sealed by Emerson Fittipaldi, on October 6, 1974, and its name is a reference to the outfit’s world championship-hunting spirit.
“The McLaren W1 is a celebration of both the excellence of the iconic McLaren F1 and McLaren P1TM and the manifestation of McLaren’s world championship mindset,” said Michael Leiters, McLaren Automotive’s CEO.
“Formula 1-derived aerodynamics, pure rear-wheel drive and McLaren hydraulic performance steering showcase McLaren’s approach to purposeful innovation as a racing company … It is therefore no surprise that the new W1 is our fastest-lapping and fastest accelerating road-legal car ever.”
If you have to ask the price…
Of course, as the range-topping Ultimate supercar from McLaren, the new W1 will have a correspondingly high end price in the UK of around £2 million, including taxes, though the carmaker says the final cost will vary, depending on the level of personalisation by the McLaren Special Operations personalisation department.
And if you wanted one, sorry — all 399 customer cars have already been allocated to customers.
Related articles
- If you were interested in McLaren W1 details, you might like to check out Jeremy Clarkson’s review of the McLaren P1
- Also take a look at our review of the brilliant McLaren Artura
- And check out Lando Norris taking to Silverstone in a life-sized McLaren P1 Lego model
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