First there was the groundbreaking and record-setting McLaren F1. Then came the hybrid McLaren P1. And now we have the McLaren W1. This is the latest in the ‘1’ bloodline from the British sportscar manufacturer. The new model draws on technology from the company’s F1 expertise to make it the fastest-lapping and fastest accelerating McLaren road-legal supercar yet. We highlight 10 incredible facts about the McLaren W1.

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The McLaren W1 is a celebration of both the excellence of the iconic McLaren F1 and McLaren P1 and the manifestation of McLaren’s World Championship mindset. With our new Ultimate supercar, we are again pushing the boundaries of real supercar performance with an epic hybrid powertrain featuring our all-new MHP-8 V8 engine, the most advanced aerodynamic platform of any McLaren road car and extensive use of advanced lightweight materials. This allows us to engineer a supreme track driving experience from the same car that gives unparalleled driving enjoyment on the road –
Michael Leiters, CEO, McLaren Automotive

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10 Incredible Facts About the McLaren W1

  1. The date of unveiling, 6 October 2024, celebrates the 50th anniversary of Emerson Fittipaldi sealing McLaren’s first Formula 1 Drivers and Constructors World Championships.
  2. At the heart of the McLaren W1 is an all-new twin-turbo V8 with a small (but powerful) hybrid component. The flat-plane V8 revs to 9 200 r/min. As a result of the combined peak outputs, the W1’s powertrain cranks out 938 kW of power and 1 340 N.m of torque.
  3. The W1 is based on a new McLaren Aerocell. The carbon-fibre monocoque has been optimised to packaging, aerodynamics and practicality, hence those upward-opening doors. The dry mass of the W1 is 1 399 kg, less than your typical hot hatch. McLaren was obsessive about mass saving. Even the sun visors were designed with light-weighting in mind. They are made from carbon-fibre and are just 3 mm thick.
  4. As a result of the high power and low mass combo, the W1 blasts from rest to 100 km/h in 2,7 seconds. That’s pretty impressive for rear-wheel-drive car. The 0-200 km/h is blitzed in 5,8 seconds. That’s about same time a quick FWD hot hatch takes to reach 100 km/h. Its top speed is limited to 350 km/h.
  5. We’ve already mentioned that the W1 is RWD. McLaren has also kept two other crucial systems that are increasingly ‘old school’. These are a fully hydraulic braking system and, thank goodness, a hydraulically assisted steering rack.
  6. The seats are integrated into the monocoque. Instead, the pedals, steering wheel and primary controls move to suit the driver. The W1 only has two buttons on the steering wheel: Boost and McLaren Aero Deployment.
  7. The W1 has double wishbone suspension on all four corners. The front system is Formula 1-inspired and therefore mounted inboard. The front suspension setup also includes titanium torsion bars. 3D printing was used for the titanium front uprights and wishbones.
  8. McLaren spent 350 hours tuning the W1 in the wind tunnel, as can be seen in the shape. The car features high-downforce, low-drag, ground-effect aerodynamic. Switching from road to race mode makes a number of changes. These include a reduction in ride height (by 37 mm at the front and 17 at the rear) and stiffens the suspension. In addition, front and rear active wings are deployed. The rear wing extends rearwards by up to 300 mm. As a result the shape generates up to 1 000 kg of downforce.
  9. The W1 rides on Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo RS road legal track tyres that were developed especially for this car. McLaren wanted tyres that delivered highest performance and consistent grip over a track session.
  10. Only 399 W1s will be built. McLaren says all have already been allocated.