McLaren unveils the hybrid descendant of the legendary F1 and P1

Few supercars can boast of having created an earthquake as powerful as the McLaren F1 during its first public outing at the 1992 Monaco Grand Prix. The English firm is now offering it its second descendant, the W1, which succeeds the P1 model. innovative in its use of the hybrid.

This new work is first characterized by its dress. Its bodywork, largely made of carbon fiber, is greatly influenced by its ambitious aerodynamic targets. So, when the aerodynamic appendages deploy, up to 1000 kg of downforce glues the car to the ground at high speed. Like Formula 1 cars, engineers also use ground effect to literally suck this W1 towards the asphalt.

Philosophically speaking, this W1 is closer to the P1 than to the original F1 which was largely defined by its naturally aspirated V12. The engine used is a 4L twin-turbo V8 with flat crank pins that can reach 9200 rpm. Completely new, it produces 915 hp on its own, but is teamed with an electric motor boosting the total power to 347 hp. The rear wheels must therefore negotiate with 1256 hp tamed by an automatic double-clutch transmission (8 speeds) and an electro-hydraulic differential. It is, by a large margin, the most powerful McLaren ever built.

0-100 km/h is slightly faster than the P1 (2.7 s compared to 2.8 s), but its lead subsequently increases with 0-200 km/h in 5.8 s, a second earlier than its predecessor. Figures that are difficult to assimilate, as they are extraordinary for a rear-wheel drive car. This excess is commensurate with the bill, which stands at 2 million pounds sterling (3.6 million Canadian dollars). Only 399 W1s will be produced and they have all already found buyers.