Photo: Automedia
Hypercar sound like the best machines you could ever own, but they’re not designed and built for the thrills. The Bugatti Veyron is fast, but only in a straight line, the Maserati MC12 is totally impractical for the road and the list goes on forever. No, hypercars are actually technological showcases of what can be done, the best technologies a company can thing of, with no compromises and no cost reduction.
But one thing we have to understand is they are not about the thrills. McLaren’s new hypercar was shown at the Paris Motor Show just recently, and from the sound of things, it’s an expression of aerodynamic art. We don’t have to be bothered with the camouflage on this prototype spotted just recently, since the sculpted body has already been shown in Paris.
But the powertrain of the P1 remains a bit of a mystery, and McLaren probably likes it that way until it sizes up the competition. There will be a twin-turbo V8 engine at the heat of the beast, helped by an F1-style KERS system. Speculations about the output range from 800 hp to 1,000 hp. But that’s just a number, and what matters for McLaren is that it’s the fastest accelerating car in the world.
Only 500 P1s will be built, but let’s hope they manage to sell them all. Remember that due to the bad economy and the high price, they old managed to sell 106 F1s, way below their original target.
"The McLaren P1 will be the result of 50 years of racing and road car heritage. Twenty years ago we raised the supercar performance bar with the McLaren F1 and our goal with the McLaren P1 is to redefine it once again," said McLaren boss, Ron Dennis.
"Our aim is not necessarily to be the fastest in absolute top speed but to be the quickest and most rewarding series production road car on a circuit. It is the true test of a supercar's all round ability and a much more important technical statement. Our goal is to make the McLaren P1 the most exciting, most capable, most technologically advanced and most dynamically accomplished supercar ever made," adds McLaren Automotive MD, Antony Sheriff.
But the powertrain of the P1 remains a bit of a mystery, and McLaren probably likes it that way until it sizes up the competition. There will be a twin-turbo V8 engine at the heat of the beast, helped by an F1-style KERS system. Speculations about the output range from 800 hp to 1,000 hp. But that’s just a number, and what matters for McLaren is that it’s the fastest accelerating car in the world.
Only 500 P1s will be built, but let’s hope they manage to sell them all. Remember that due to the bad economy and the high price, they old managed to sell 106 F1s, way below their original target.
"The McLaren P1 will be the result of 50 years of racing and road car heritage. Twenty years ago we raised the supercar performance bar with the McLaren F1 and our goal with the McLaren P1 is to redefine it once again," said McLaren boss, Ron Dennis.
"Our aim is not necessarily to be the fastest in absolute top speed but to be the quickest and most rewarding series production road car on a circuit. It is the true test of a supercar's all round ability and a much more important technical statement. Our goal is to make the McLaren P1 the most exciting, most capable, most technologically advanced and most dynamically accomplished supercar ever made," adds McLaren Automotive MD, Antony Sheriff.
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