Remember the McLaren P1? The mid-engine hybrid hypercar that debuted almost a decade ago not only pushed the boundaries of automotive performance but also helped McLaren cement its place as a dominant player in the world of limited production supercars. It’s been around 7 years since the last McLaren P1 rolled off the Woking factory, and all the 439 examples produced by the British marque were sold out long ago. However, if you lost the opportunity to buy one, there’s a new version of the hypercar that has been announced. Although the new P1 will not be built by McLaren but will be made by Lanzante, the UK-based company that gained global attention for converting McLaren F1 GTRs and P1 GTRs to road-legal specification in Europe. Lanzante took up the challenge to create the world’s first open-top McLaren P1 and ended up creating the P1 Spider which will be limited to just 5 units.
Converting the hardcore McLaren P1 hypercar into an open-top roadster is a lot more complicated than just lopping off the roof. You might remember that the P1’s air intake is integrated into the roof, while chopping off the roof will also reduce the structural rigidity of the hypercar. To address the engineering challenges, Lanzante turned to the designer of P1, Paul Howse. “The design has some subtle tweaks, and the body now flows from the bonnet edge around the A-pillar into the waistline, kicking up behind the driver, echoing the bodyside,” Howse said in a statement. “This creates a floating fin to direct air into the engine, and then flows back down into the rear deck. The carbon buttresses cocoon the driver and echo the beautiful clean lines of the coupe’s tapered cabin. The rear deck design had to perform the same function as the coupe, so we have retained the layered gills to direct cool air over the exhaust and then evacuated at the back. In a change to the coupe, the engine now more exposed and visible through the carbon panel.”
Furthermore, Lanzante made tweaks to the front wing, doors, and clamshell engine cover to successfully transform the P1 into a roadster. The company also had to re-engineer the lower section of the chassis, presumably to add structural rigidity. The glass roof panel of the original P1 has been replaced with a removable roof cover engineered by Lanzante that would come in handy should the P1 Spider owner still want to drive the car when it’s raining. The cabin has also been updated by the company by reupholstering the seats with different leather. Additionally, something called SuperFabric has also been added to fight UV exposure and limit damage to bad weather. Mechanically, the P1 Spider is identical to the regular version and retains the hybrid powertrain that’s good for 903 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. The performance figures and the pricing have not been revealed by the company. But we won’t be surprised if the price tag is more than $3 million, including the cost of the donor car. Lanzante says it will deliver the first droptop P1 before the end of the year.
[Via: Motor1]
