- McLaren W1 offers more power than any McLaren before it, via a 916-hp twin-turbo V8 and 342-hp electric motor
- The plug-in hybrid weighs just 3,084 lbs (1,399 kg), giving it an incredible power-to-weight
- Just 399 examples will be made, at a cost of CDN$3.53 million each—all are already spoken for, of course
Meet the W1, McLaren’s new halo car and the latest in the carmaker’s line of Ultimate Series vehicles. Like the P1 flagship hypercar that came before – it was sunset back in 2015 after a limited production run – the W1 is a plug-in hybrid, and like the P1, it aims to set new performance benchmarks with a host of ground-breaking innovations and cutting-edge technology.
Heavily inspired by Formula One technology and built around McLaren’s experience at the pinnacle of motorsports, the W1 is packed with superlatives. It is the fastest-accelerating road-going McLaren ever, which is no mean feat, considering the blistering launch speed of other McLaren road-rockets like the P1, Senna, and Speedtail.
It also happens to be the most powerful production McLaren. At its heart is an all-new MHP-8 twin-turbocharged V8 that revs to 9,200 rpm and cranks out 916 hp. That’s the highest-ever output from a McLaren engine, but for the W1, it was still not enough. The combustion engine is coupled with a 342-hp radial-flux electric motor, culminating in a combined output of 1,258 hp and 988 lb-ft of torque. That’s over 300 hp more than the P1.
Interestingly, the W1 is rear-wheel-drive, a weight-saving approach that contrasts the all-wheel-setup favoured by most four-figure-horsepower cars and often used to help them put all that power down for a blistering launch. McLaren claims its newest hypercar can nevertheless hit 60 mph (96 km/h) from zero in 2.7 seconds, which is impressive, but puts it behind supercars like the Ferrari SF90.
However, things quickly become interesting once the W1 gets going. It will hit 124 mph (200 km/h) in a scant 5.8 seconds, almost a second quicker than the SF90. Top speed is electronically capped at 217 mph (350 km/h).
Lightweight engineering lies at the core of the W1’s construction. The plug-in hybrid weighs only 3,084 lbs (1,399 kg). That translates to a power-to-weight ratio of about 899 hp/ton — the highest ever for any McLaren supercar. The car’s Aerocell monocoque is pound-for-pound McLaren’s lightest yet. Also, to save even more weight, there is no alternator or starter motor in the W1’s engine bay, as those duties are handled by the hybrid system’s electric motor.
The bodywork of the McLaren W1, with its anhedral doors, is optimized for extreme aerodynamic performance, with cutouts, side air inlets, and a sculpted hood vent. However, the W1’s neatest party trick is the active rear wing, a clever piece of automotive engineering that extends backward by up to 11.8 inches, helping the car generate a claimed 2,205 lbs of downforce at 174 mph (280 km/h).
During testing, the W1 lapped McLaren’s Nardo reference circuit an incredible three seconds faster than the McLaren Senna, one of the most track-focused road-legal supercars today.
The W1 hybrid hypercar is the latest chapter in McLaren’s well-known ‘1’ car lineage, following the F1 and P1. That means it’s got some big shoes to fill, but based on initial evidence, that shouldn’t be much of a hassle.
As is McLaren’s practice with its Ultimate Series vehicles, only a limited number of W1 hypercars will be made — 399, to be exact. Each is priced at an eye-watering CDN$3.53 million (US$2.6 million) excluding options. Unsurprisingly, all build slots have already been allocated to customers.
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