Do we need any other reason to show you pictures of the upcoming McLaren F1 spiritual successor, the McLaren P1 hypercar, other than to tell you these pictures are new and they look absolutely epic? We didn’t think so either, so here you go, new images of the McLaren P1 at the Bahrain International F1 Circuit, as the world prepares for its official unveiling at the Geneva International Auto Show next month.
McLaren’s photoshoot clearly shows the Woking-based manufacturer’s commitment to making the P1 hypercar a smash hit in the oil-funded United Arab Emirates, when it does finally go on sale in the Middle East.
The car pictured in these photographs may only be the P1 design study that premiered at last year’s Paris Motor Show, but it is claimed to actually look very similar to the production P1. McLaren have also released images of the production-ready P1′s highly-spartan interior, which suggests the car is not going to be a luxury laden gizmo fest, but rather a highly focused and ludicrously fast driving machine.
Just to remind ourselves of some of the speculation surrounding the McLaren P1’s specification: The ‘P1’ (or first place) nomenclature refers to McLaren’s 180 Grand Prix victories in their 46-year F1 racing history. McLaren says the vehicle “aims to be the best driver’s car on both road and track.” The P1 is rumoured to have a power-to-weight ratio of 600-horsepower per ton, or 447 kW per ton, meaning realistically that the hypercar could easily produce over 900-horsepower, or 670 kW, depending on the success of the light-weight chassis construction. This will come from a tweaked twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 you also find in the 12C’.
150 kw-plus of that power should come from a hybrid-battery set-up that works from as low down the revs as is possible. The McLaren P1 will also make use of an F1 racing-inspired drag-reduction system (DRS) to optimise aerodynamics at different speeds. The P1 is most likely to receive an evolution of the carbon fibre tub technology used on the McLaren 12C’s design, except this time it will be a full carbon fibre ‘MonoCage’ that is even stronger and lighter than the tub used on the 12C. In homage to the McLaren F1, the P1 will also receive gold foil insulation for its mid-mounted engine.
The man tasked with designing the P1′s body was 12C designer Frank Stephenson, but former McLaren F1 aero-guru Simon Lacey introduced the dual inlets at the nose for brake cooling, the twin-nostrils to extract air from the nose for extra downforce and no fewer than five inlets to feed the engine for efficient air intake.
The McLaren P1 is capable of producing what McLaren calls, “the most downforce of any current road car: a staggering 600 kg at well below maximum speeds.” The P1 won’t have a centrally positioned driver’s seat, because three seats would have made it too wide and heavy, while the doors will open dihedrally like the do on the 12C.
Twenty years following the introduction of the awe-inspiring McLaren F1, which saw barely more than 100 specimens built, McLaren say no more than 500 examples of the P1 will be built and they insist the car will far eclipse the acceleration (0 – 100 km/h in less than 3.2-seconds), cornering and stopping capabilities of the F1. What about top speed though? Does this not mean it will beat the F1′s 391 km/h top speed?
