When the opening gambit is ‘a successor to the McLaren F1 and P1’ – two of the greatest supercars in history – you know what follows will be something special. Or it certainly needs to be. The McLaren W1 does not disappoint.
Welcome to the inner sanctum of a futuristic, semi-subterranean factory in Woking: home to McLaren’s road and racing car operations. The wraps are about to come off a new ‘1’ car, a once-in-a-generation flagship that stands above even Ultimate Series models such as the Senna, Elva and Speedtail.
Its name is W1, with a ‘W’ that stands for ‘world championship’. The car will make its public debut on the 50th anniversary of Emerson Fittipaldi winning McLaren’s first drivers’ and constructors’ F1 world championships, but I’m here several weeks beforehand for a secret preview. Time to reveal Britain’s new hypercar hero.
Swifter than a Senna
Like the ground-breaking P1 of 2013, the W1 is a plug-in hybrid, combining a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine with a 1.4kWh battery and motorsport-grade electric motor. Total outputs are 1,275hp and 988lb ft of torque, all of which goes to the rear tyres via an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox and electronic differential.
In a carbon-bodied car that weighs 1,399kg without fluids (reckon on a kerb weight of around 1,500kg), that means 0-62mph in 2.7 seconds and 0-186mph in 12.7 seconds, plus a limited top speed of 217mph. Helped by shape-shifting aerodynamics, including a patent-pending new Active Long Tail, the W1 can also lap Nardo’s handling circuit – used by numerous carmakers for testing – fully three seconds quicker than a McLaren Senna.
Only 399 examples of the W1 will be made, and all have been sold in advance, despite a base price of £2 million before any personalised touches from McLaren Special Operations (MSO) are added. Value for money? It’s a loose concept in this rarefied market, but when you consider the going rate for a McLaren F1 is about £20 million…
The McLaren W1’s ‘secret weapon’
If a McLaren with a mid-mounted 4.0 V8 sounds familiar, think again. The W1’s engine is a clean-sheet design and “not a development of the existing M840T V8 or a scaled-up version of the V6 in the Artura,” insists W1 line director, Alex Gibson. With a 90-degree angle, flat-plane crankshaft and soaring 9,200rpm redline, it brings 928hp to the party on its own.
The W1’s battery offers a tiny EV range of just 1.6 miles, but does mean you can slip away silently without waking the neighbours. Combined with a radial flux e-motor (similar to those used in IndyCar racing), it also counters the effect of any turbo lag, serving up instant electric torque from zero rpm.
Aluminium rocker switches on the instrument binnacle offer access to three modes for the powertrain and chassis: Comfort, Sport and Race. The latter, says chief aerodynamicist Robin Algoo, is the W1’s “secret weapon”. So how does it work?
Race mode for track use
Switch into Race mode and the W1 drops down by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear. Actuated by four electric motors, its Active Long Tail also pivots and extends rearwards by 300mm, effectively lengthening the working area of the diffuser.
In this configuration, downforce increases to a substantial 1,000kg at 174mph – up to five times more than the standard road setup, and all without the need for a high-rise rear wing.
However, it’s worth noting that, due to the Active Long Tail protruding well beyond the rear bumper, Race mode isn’t road-legal. It can only be activated when the GPS system detects the car is on a racetrack (or a temporary street circuit such as Monaco). You can leave the wing fully stretched when parked, though, for maximum street theatre and Instagram likes.
McLaren W1 gives you wings
Other aero addenda on the W1 include a sculpted underbody, a flow diverter on the roof and an active front spoiler that offers ‘a level of performance comparable to the rear wing on most supercars’. Every external surface has been honed in a wind tunnel, from the front wishbones to the wing-shaped supports for the door mirrors.
The overall look of the W1 is aggressive without being brutal, and clearly indebted to the P1 (arguably still the most beautiful hypercar of all). McLaren’s current MCL38 F1 racer provided inspiration for the curvaceous side pods, too.
Obviously, as shown by the image above, the biggest design departure here is the doors. Now ‘anhedral rather than dihedral’ (let’s just call them gullwing doors), these provide easier access and allow smoother airflow towards the high-temperature radiators. They also look spectacular when opened, showing off the W1’s pre-impregnated carbon fibre chassis and unique interior. More on the latter shortly.
‘A car only McLaren could create’
McLaren purists can breathe a sigh of relief: yes, the W1 still has hydraulic power steering – a rarity in a world where virtually all car manufacturers have gone electric. Based on Woking’s previous efforts, the result should be lucid and linear feedback that boosts your confidence in the car.
Suspension is by double wishbones with pushrods and inboard dampers, plus active heave control tech that comes directly from F1. Brakes are carbon-ceramic discs with monobloc calipers and the W1 rides on 19-inch front and 20-inch rear forged alloy wheels (centre-lock magnesium rims are optional) with bespoke Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS rubber.
McLaren CEO Michael Leiters promises “the purest driver connection by remaining true to the principles that underpin the ultimate supercar driving experience“. The W1, he says, “is a car that only McLaren could create”.
Inside the McLaren W1
McLaren W1’s interior
Inside, the W1 is pared-back and driver-focused, but not entirely impractical. There’s navigation, infotainment with Apple CarPlay, a luggage shelf behind the seats (big enough for two crash helmets, says McLaren) and even a sliding cupholder.
The seats themselves form part of the ‘Aerocell’ tub and are thus fixed in position – the wheel, pedals and primary controls move to meet the driver instead. You sit with legs outstretched and feet up high, like being aboard a single-seat racer. Many surfaces inside the car are exposed carbon fibre, while others are swathed in a lightweight, knitted material called McLaren Innoknit. We’d like to report that it’s hand-stitched together by elderly ladies in the Woking area, but sadly that idea was debunked.
The W1’s steering wheel is machined from a solid piece of aluminium and, in a break with McLaren tradition, has a couple of buttons inside the rim. ‘Boost’ provides maximum e-power for short periods, while ‘Aero’ activates an F1-style drag reduction system.
McLaren W1: A hypercar halo
McLaren W1 is a beaut
A worthy heir to the F1 and P1, then? Time will tell, but the W1 certainly raises the game for McLaren in terms of performance, both on the road and racetrack. It could even challenge the Mercedes-AMG One for a new Nurburgring lap record.
It’s an awe-inspiring halo for the British brand, too: one that stays true to McLaren Automotive’s core values even as it mulls over collaborating with another car company – and the almost inevitable SUV.
Ferrari has its own hybrid hypercar on the way – fittingly, a successor to the LaFerrari that challenged the P1 – but it will need to be something special to top this. Your move, Maranello. Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research