Very few car companies have such a glorious back catalogue of racing cars and supercars like McLaren. With a heady concoction of V12 power and engineering prowess, the F1 is still considered one of the greatest supercars ever made. McLaren followed that up years later with its P1 and traded V12 histrionics for a razor-sharp V8 hybrid powertrain along with racecar performance for the road.
Now, McLaren has yet again turned the volume up with the W1, which further integrates F1 technology into a (barely) road-legal hypercar.
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It is a 1275hp answer to whatever Ferrari and Porsche are cooking, yet it refuses to give up on the traditional McLaren genes of being an analogue hypercar. Yes, beneath the veneer of aerodynamics and race car technology, the W1 sticks to the basics with only rear-wheel drive and a hydraulic steering system. However, the seats are bolted to the bespoke ‘Aerocell’ carbon monocoque with adjustable steering and pedals, while lightweight upholstery is used everywhere.
Like the best supercars, saving weight is crucial, and despite its fiendishly complicated hybrid powertrain, the W1 weighs just 1,399kg thanks to its carbon fibre construction and various 3D-printed components.
Powered by a 1,275hp hybrid V8 powertrain (total system output), the W1 will travel from 0 to 200 km/h in 5.8 seconds and reach an electronically limited top speed of 350km/h.
The heart of the matter is an all-new ‘MHP-8’ V8 combustion engine, which develops 928hp and, at 233hp per litre, is the highest-ever output from a McLaren engine. This V8 also revs to a superbike-like 9,200rpm, but the 347hp electric module has F1 origins and an electric-only range of about 2.6kms. There are also multiple drive modes—Comfort, Sport, Race, and Race+.
As with other hypercars, the electric bit adds a layer to the performance further while not having any real-world like run-of-the-mill hybrids.
McLaren has also thrown in the kitchen sink to equip the W1 with F1-inspired aerodynamics, including an active long tail wing, perhaps the coolest spoiler in the world as it extends rearwards by 300mm. Put the car in race mode, and you’ll unlock a 37mm lower ride height and generate up to 1000kg of downforce. Hence, it is no surprise that the W1 is the fastest-lapping road-legal McLaren ever. That means it’s even quicker than a Speedtail to 300km/h in a straight line and 3 seconds a lap ahead of a monstrously bewinged Senna on McLaren’s reference track, Nardo. Yeah, it’s a monster.
Yet despite its serious race car pretensions, the W1 is not a barebones track-day supercar like a Senna GTR. It comes with an 8-inch touchscreen and Apple CarPlay with USB-C connectivity. It even has a sliding cupholder. However, owners will not take their W1 on their weekly shopping excursions, as it only has 117 litres of storage space, which is enough for two weekend bags.
Inside, the W1 is purely driver-focused, with only two buttons on its steering wheel, and the wheel size is smaller than previous McLaren steering wheels. Visibility is also not as bad as expected with the narrowest A-pillars on a McLaren yet!
We kept the design for the last, as while the W1 may not have the sheer beauty of the original F1 or the brutal aesthetics of the P1, it sure does have a lot of presence and a menacing stance thanks to its aero-sculpted shape. The ‘Anhedral Doors’ add to the drama quotient, enabling a more graceful egress/ingress.
Priced at $2.1 million (AUD$3.86 million), the W1 will probably cost a lot more, with buyers piling up MSO options before taking delivery of their rocketship. Yet, with all 399 sold out before production even commences, the W1 will probably end up being placed alongside its illustrious predecessors as one of the all-time greats.
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