- McLaren W1 hypercar is successor to P1
- “W” within the title 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 point out up each few months or so, however the brand new W1 from McLaren is a unique 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 remains to be contemplating what path to take for the successor to the 918 Spyder, although the automaker has already toyed with the thought of an electrical hypercar with the reveal of final yr’s Mission X idea.
McLaren has taken a bet and launched its successor first, and the step in efficiency over the P1 is critical.
The W1 follows an identical 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 whole 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 aspect 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 vitality from a 1.384-kwh battery situated within the ground of the car to assist decrease the middle of gravity. The battery’s small measurement means weight is saved low, although electrical vary is severely restricted, coming in at only one.6 miles.
The powertrain has its personal modes on high of the W1’s commonplace drive modes. There is a Increase mode which delivers a short lived increase of full electrical energy, which like in System 1 racing will help the driving force throughout an overtake transfer or powering out of a nook. There are additionally GP and Dash modes. GP delivers constant energy for longer observe classes whereas Dash dials issues to the max for a sizzling lap.
McLaren W1
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 highest pace is ruled to 217 mph.
The W1 ideas the scales at 3,084 kilos (dry), which is helped by light-weight building 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 save lots of weight and enabling the optimization of air circulate below the automobile.
The bathtub’s larger entrance means the driving force and passenger sit with their ft raised, a seating place just like what you discover in a F1 race automobile. Within the W1, the seats are mounted on to the bathtub to additional save weight, and discovering the proper driving place is achieved by adjusting the place of the pedals.
McLaren followers will be aware the W1 swaps the model’s conventional butterfly doorways for a gullwing design. McLaren mentioned the gullwings had been chosen for aerodynamic advantages, as they allow air exiting the entrance fenders to circulate unimpeded into the intakes of the rear fenders and hit the radiators inside. The gullwings additionally enhance ingress and egress.
McLaren W1
Transferring 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 Lively Lengthy Tail, because the wing is ready to lengthen rearward as a lot as 11.8 inches, leading to further downforce. When the automobile is ready in its McLaren Race mode setting, which lowers the journey peak 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 in addition integrates torsion bars and heave dampers. In a quest to scale back weight, sure elements, just like the entrance uprights and wishbones, had been 3D printed utilizing expertise from America’s Divergent 3D.
Stopping energy comes from carbon-ceramic brake rotors, plus the aforementioned air brake. The rotors function a further ceramic layer that McLaren says improves sturdiness and allows the usage of higher-friction pads. In keeping with the automaker, the W1 wants simply 95 ft to come back 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 commonplace however severe observe drivers can go for P Zero R tires. A winter tire can also be obtainable.
McLaren W1
Lifting the gullwing doorways reveals recesses within the roof in addition to a entrance decrease empty house 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 driving force, and includes a shift gentle indicator. The one buttons on the steering wheel—of which there are two—management the powertrain increase mode and the energetic aerodynamics.
Different controls are additionally inside straightforward attain of the driving force, together with the infotainment system’s 8.0-inch touchscreen which includes a portrait format and is angled towards the driving force. The system helps Apple CarPlay and options a number of USB ports.
The W1 is priced to start out 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.
