McLaren doesn’t throw the number ‘1’ around lightly. Its first instance was the F1. Built 32 years ago, this was the seminal supercar, and is remarkably still the fastest naturally aspirated road car ever produced.
Then came the P1 in 2013, ushering in the hybrid hypercar era – a true pin-up, its other-worldly looks only surpassed by its power and speed.
And now we welcome the W1. The W stands for ‘winning’ – and once you learn the car’s stats, you’ll understand why.
This £2m hypercar packs a whopping 1,258bhp from its hybrid V8 drivetrain. Its peak torque is 988lb ft; the P1 had 664lb ft, for context.
All of this punch goes, terrifyingly, to the rear wheels only. And its weight? Just 1399kg. (More than 200kg lighter than a Porsche 918.) Gulp.
At this point, you’ll be relying on one hell of an aero package to keep things in order. The W1 doesn’t disappoint: there are active front and rear wings – including an Instagram-hogging Active Long Tail rear wing, which extends 300mm rearwards rather than upwards – helping the W1 to produce a full tonne of downforce.
The 0-62mph time is 2.7sec – slower than you might expect, but blame the rearwheel drive for that. More impressive is the 0-186mph (300kph) of 12.7sec – even quicker than the Speedtail. Top speed is limited (ahem) to 217mph.
Only 399 examples will be made and, you’ve guessed it, you’re not getting one.
See more at mclaren.com
