The McLaren W1: Barely Road Legal
The McLaren F1 and McLaren P1TM have paved the way for their latest lovechild, the brand new W1. This marks a new chapter in Mclaren’s ‘1’ lineage, and what a chapter it is. It’s equally at home on road and track as the fastest-lapping and fastest accelerating McLaren road-legal supercar yet made.
I remember the first time I got behind the wheel of a Mclaren F1. I must have been about eight. Okay so it was Need For Speed 2 with the Ferrari F50 on the boxart, but it should still count. The F1 was the fastest car in the game and you got it immediately which made every single car in the game obsolete. Picking them was like pre-choosing to lose. The new W1 maintains this childhood memory by driving like an absolute bat out of hell.
Don’t demean this beast with questions over how many seconds it takes to hit 100km/h. It goes from 0-200km/h in 5.8 seconds and 0-300km/h in less than 12.7 seconds. The max speed has been electronically limited to 350km/h. The engineering team who put this machine together between them have contributed to 16 McLaren Formula 1 World Championship titles, they know how to make a fast car.
At the heart of W1 is an all-new High-Performance Hybrid powertrain, comprising McLaren’s all- new MHP-8 V8 combustion engine, an all-new E-module (integrating a radial flux electric motor and motor control unit), and an 8-speed transmission with E-reverse. Power and torque are to the rear wheels only, through an E-differential.
The 928PS of the new V8 and 347PS of the E-module combine to produce 1275PS, giving W1 the highest-ever power output of any McLaren and putting it above all core competitors. Engineered for epic power delivery and breathtaking performance, the powertrain combines with a vehicle weight of 1,399kg to deliver an astonishing power-to-weight ratio of 911PS/tonne for W1 – the highest-ever for any road-legal McLaren and more importantly, best-in-class.
“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. With our new Ultimate supercar, we are again pushing the boundaries of real supercar performance with an epic hybrid powertrain featuring our all-new MHP-8 V8 engine, the most advanced aerodynamic platform of any McLaren road car and extensive use of advanced lightweight materials. This allows us to engineer a supreme track driving experience from the same car that gives unparalleled driving enjoyment on the road.” said Michael Leiters, CEO of McLaren Automotive
“Formula 1-derived aerodynamics, pure rear-wheel drive and McLaren hydraulic performance steering showcase McLaren’s approach to purposeful innovation as a racing company that always delivers the best possible performance. It is therefore no surprise that the new W1 is our fastest-lapping and fastest accelerating road-legal car ever. It also provides the purest driver connection by remaining true to the principles that underpin the ultimate supercar driving experience. This really is a car that only McLaren could create.”
We agree. Now since I’m never going to be able to make this one my commuter, how about you chuck it into Forza Horizon or something.
