McLaren W1 revealed as 1,258-hp P1 successor

• McLaren W1 hypercar is successor to P1
• “W” within the identify signfies McLaren’s World Championship mindset
• Plug-in hybrid powertrain options flat-plane crank V-8 and 1,258 hp complete system energy
• Pricing begins at $2.1 million

A brand new hypercar appears to indicate up each few months or so, however the brand new W1 from McLaren is a distinct breed.

The W1 is the successor to the P1, one of many unique hypercar holy trinity launched a decade in the past and which included the equally iconic Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder.

Ferrari is understood to be engaged on a successor to the LaFerrari, whereas Porsche continues to be contemplating what path to take for the successor to the 918 Spyder, although the automaker has already toyed with the concept of an electrical hypercar with the reveal of final yr’s Mission X idea.

McLaren has taken a chance and launched its successor first, and the step in efficiency over the P1 is important.

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The W1 follows an analogous path to the P1 by combining a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 with an electrical motor in a plug-in hybrid setup. Drive goes to the rear wheels solely, through an digital differential. The V-8 is a newly developed design with a flat-plane crankshaft and 9,200-rpm restrict. It delivers 916 hp by itself, or 13 hp greater than the entire output of the P1. The mid-mounted unit additionally sits with a 3-degree incline to accommodate the W1’s huge diffuser on the rear.

The W1’s electrical motor, a radial flux design chosen for its compact, power-dense properties, provides 342 hp to take complete output to 1,258 hp, or greater than any earlier McLaren. The electrical motor is mounted to the facet of the transmission, on this case an 8-speed dual-clutch computerized, with its torque fed into the transmission downstream of the clutches. This allows the W1 to ship mixed torque from the V-8 engine and electrical motor of 988 lb-ft on the enter shaft, McLaren says.

The electrical motor attracts power from a 1.384-kwh battery positioned within the ground of the car to assist decrease the middle of gravity. The battery’s small dimension means weight is saved low, although electrical vary is severely restricted, coming in at just one.6 miles.

The powertrain has its personal modes on high of the W1’s normal drive modes. There’s a Boost mode which delivers a short lived increase of full electrical energy, which like in Formula 1 racing can assist the motive force throughout an overtake transfer or powering out of a nook. There are additionally GP and Sprint modes. GP delivers constant energy for longer monitor periods whereas Sprint dials issues to the max for a scorching lap.

The W1 wants simply 2.7 seconds to succeed in 60 mph from relaxation, 5.8 seconds to succeed in 124 mph, and 12.7 seconds to succeed in 186 mph, in response to McLaren. The high pace is ruled to 217 mph.

The W1 ideas the scales at 3,084 kilos (dry), which is helped by light-weight development that features a newly developed carbon-fiber tub dubbed the Aerocell. The entrance of the bathtub sits larger than regular to combine lower-front suspension mountings. This eradicated the necessity for a entrance subframe, serving to to avoid wasting weight and enabling the optimization of air movement beneath the automotive.

The tub’s larger entrance means the motive force and passenger sit with their ft raised, a seating place much like what you discover in a F1 race automotive. In the W1, the seats are mounted on to the bathtub to additional save weight, and discovering the right driving place is achieved by adjusting the place of the pedals.

McLaren followers will word the W1 swaps the model’s conventional butterfly doorways for a gullwing design. McLaren mentioned the gullwings have been chosen for aerodynamic advantages, as they permit air exiting the entrance fenders to movement unimpeded into the intakes of the rear fenders and hit the radiators inside. The gullwings additionally enhance ingress and egress.

McLaren W1

Moving to the rear, the design takes inspiration from the P1 and introduces a brand new idea for the energetic wing, which like on the P1 doubles as an air brake. McLaren calls the brand new wing the McLaren Active Long Tail, because the wing is ready to lengthen rearward as a lot as 11.8 inches, leading to further downforce. When the automotive is ready in its McLaren Race mode setting, which lowers the experience top by 1.5 inches up entrance and 0.7 inches on the rear, and prompts energetic wings on the entrance in addition to extends the rear wing, most downforce of two,205 kilos is generated.

The McLaren Race mode additionally stiffens the suspension, which just like the aerodynamics takes inspiration from F1 racing. It employs pushrods which hyperlink to inboard dampers, and likewise integrates torsion bars and heave dampers. In a quest to scale back weight, sure elements, just like the entrance uprights and wishbones, have been 3D printed utilizing know-how from America’s Divergent 3D.

Stopping energy comes from carbon-ceramic brake rotors, plus the aforementioned air brake. The rotors characteristic an extra ceramic layer that McLaren says improves sturdiness and allows using higher-friction pads. According to the automaker, the W1 wants simply 95 ft to return to a standstill from 62 mph, and 328 ft to cease from 124 mph. The rotors are activated with six-piston monobloc calipers up entrance and four-piston calipers on the rear.

The brakes reside inside 19 wheels up entrance and 20-inch wheels on the rear. These wheels come wrapped in Pirelli tires, measuring 265/35 up entrance and 335/30 on the rear. Pirelli’s P Zero Trofeo RS is normal however critical monitor drivers can go for P Zero R tires. A winter tire can also be accessible.

McLaren W1

Lifting the gullwing doorways reveals recesses within the roof in addition to a entrance decrease empty area to ease entry into the cabin. Glazed sections within the rear three-quarter view of the roof, and optionally within the high a part of the doorways, present an ethereal really feel to the inside.

The cabin’s design is comparatively spartan, with solely padding for the seats and a few textiles use to cowl carbon-fiber surfaces that kind a part of the central tub. Even the solar visors are designed with lightweighting in thoughts; made out of carbon fiber, they’re simply 0.1 inches thick. A steering wheel with a flat backside and high greets the motive force, and includes a shift mild indicator. The solely buttons on the steering wheel—of which there are two—management the powertrain increase mode and the energetic aerodynamics.

Other controls are additionally inside straightforward attain of the motive force, together with the infotainment system’s 8.0-inch touchscreen which includes a portrait format and is angled towards the motive force. The system helps Apple CarPlay and options a number of USB ports.

The W1 is priced to begin from about $2.1 million and McLaren will construct a complete 399 examples. Deliveries begin in 2026 and all construct slots are already allotted, in response to the automaker.