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First Look

Nine of the most outrageous numbers developed by the McLaren W1

1,258bhp, 1,000kg of downforce and three seconds a lap quicker than the Senna. Yeah, this thing is wild

McLaren W1
  • McLaren W1

    Attempting to follow in the footsteps of the F1 and the P1 is a bit like taking the mantle from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Luckily - and on paper at least - things look very promising for McLaren’s third premier series hypercar, the W1.

    It’s the hardest, fastest and most unhinged road-legal vehicle ever created by Woking, featuring a healthy balance of lightweight construction, ground effect aero and outrageous power.

    Just 399 will ever be made, and, unsurprisingly, each slot has already been vacated.

    We’ve pulled together some of the biggest numbers from the P1's successor for you to gawk over. Let’s start with the big un’.

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  • The hybrid V8 puts out 1,258bhp

    McLaren W1

    ... and close to 1,000lb ft of torque, sent solely to the rear wheels. Holy cow indeed. That powertrain comprises a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 (915bhp) and a 1.4kWh battery powering an electric motor (342bhp) mated to an eight-speed transmission. Result? McLaren’s most powerful production car.

  • It also creates around 1,000lb ft of torque

    McLaren W1

    Thanks to some clever engineering (and that e-motor) the grunt starts to kick in from just 2,500rpm. That’s far lower than the car it replaces and likely leads to a more linear power curve than a punchy all-in-one hit higher up. It also means...

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  • It'll go from 0-62mph in just 2.7s

    McLaren W1

    That’s a tenth shaved off the P1’s time, for reference. And the figures just keep getting... faster: 0-124mph in 5.8s and 0-186mph in 12.7s. The Speedtail may still hold McLaren’s outright speed record of 250mph, but the W1 will give it a sweet slice of humble pie up until its electronically limited vmax of 217.

  • It needs just 29 metres to stop from 62mph

    McLaren W1

    Impressive, right? And at 124mph, it’ll get back down to a standstill in just 100 metres, firmly rearranging your organs in the process. That’s courtesy of forged monobloc six-piston calipers at the front and four-pistons at the rear. There’s an extra layer of carbon ceramic coating too on the rotors, and Formula One-style air ducts for cooling and increased longevity. Impressive stuff from the MTC’s resident anoraks.

  • It’s three seconds a lap faster than the Senna...

    McLaren W1

    ... around Nardo, that is. Considering the Senna is one of the most hardcore, track-focused products on the planet (that isn’t called the McMurtry Spéirling), three seconds is an age.

     

  • The power-to-weight ratio is a hefty 899bhp/tonne

    McLaren W1

    The W1 isn’t quite a one-megawatt car, but 899bhp per tonne (it weighs just 1,399kg) is still significantly higher than the P1’s 647 and the F1’s 540. McLaren has shed weight wherever possible - the powertrain’s hybrid components, for instance, amount to 40kg less than on the P1. That’s what most of us are trying to run off on Boxing Day.

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  • There's 1,000kg of downforce

    McLaren W1

    Yeah, that body isn’t just for show. There are lots of active aero bits and ground effect working away around you, and in Race mode, the suspension adjusts itself to drop the front by as much as 37mm and the rear by 17mm. The result of 1,000kg of downforce is quite literally the equivalent weight of an adult walrus. Jeez.

  • That rear wing lengthens by as much as 30cm

    McLaren W1

    And don’t forget, it’ll still be pitching itself up and down to further improve airflow. McLaren even claims the W1’s party piece generates 20 per cent less drag than the Senna’s does in DRS mode. Holy cow. Again.

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  • It’ll set customers back around £2 million

    McLaren W1

    That’s without any options thrown in and already amounts to more than double what the P1 cost when new. Given each of the 399 units is already pre-sold, what do you reckon W1s will be worth in a few years?

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