The McLaren W1 hypercar immediately takes the title of the fastest McLaren road car at the top of the lineup and with good reason. McLaren’s new halo model packs a plug-in hybrid drivetrain with 1,258 horsepower, a 0-60mph time of 2.7 seconds, rear-wheel drive only, the most advanced aero from McLaren yet (not made from Legos, that is), and a new carbon fiber tub design.
While impressive, the headline figures of the McLaren W1 don’t tell the whole story. For one, at at a time when electrified hypercars all boast of all-wheel drive, the W1 remains refreshingly “simple” sticking with rear-wheel drive only.
Further, the twin-turbo, flat-plane crank 4.0-liter V8 at the heart of it is brand-new. It also helps that it revs out to 9,200rpm, with the turbos spooling up as early as 2,500rpm. The engine puts out 915 horsepower and 664 lb-ft on its own, while the IndyCar-style radial flux motor makes 343 horsepower. The W1’s hybrid system is fed by a 1.4kWh battery and the whole setup weighs 88 lbs less than the McLaren P1’s, but packs double the power.
The new W1 features styling that is evolutionary, and a mix of McLaren’s greats, such as the F1, P1, and the Senna. Shaped by over 350 hours in the wind tunnel, total downforce is 2,205 lbs at 174mph, with 20 percent less drag than the McLaren Senna. McLaren says the W1 can lap the Nardo circuit a full three seconds faster than the Senna! The main talking point is McLaren’s new cloth-like upholstery material, InnoKnit, a refreshing break away from leather and Alcantara.
In all, 499 units of the McLaren W1 will be produced, each with a starting price of $2.1 million. Each will probably be specified to much higher than that, and we hope someone else sees fit to mimic the McLaren F1 car’s livery to greater success than the launch car’s papaya-and-carbon look.
