Another hypercar with an electrified powertrain. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
But what about one promising over 1200 horsepower and oodles of Formula One tech derived from its winning race team?
Such is the promise of the McLaren W1, a hypercar following in the footsteps of two McLaren legends — the electrified P1 and the original hypercar, the F1. The W1, like the P1 and F1, falls into McLaren’s Ultimate Series for its most exclusive, cutting-edge supercars.
“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,” McLaren CEO Michael Leiters said in a statement. “This really is a car that only McLaren could create.”
The MHP-8 engine is an all-new 4.0L twin-turbo V8 that produces 916 hp. But when coupled with an electric motor, output jumps to 1,258 hp, with 988 lb.-ft of torque. All that power results in a 0-60 mph time of 2.7 seconds, with its top speed of 186 mph coming in just 12.7 seconds.
The MHP-8’s use of a race-oriented flat-plane crank means the engine revs up to racey 9,200 RPM, with an accompanying symphony for gearheads emanating from the W1’s exhaust.
The attached E-motor is race-derived as well and weighs just 44 lbs., McLaren said. The E-motor and its control unit are attached to the transmission, meaning a direct connection to the rear-wheel-drive-only car.
Hitting those speeds in such little time is the result of immense aerodynamic work and lightweight carbon fiber chassis, McLaren said. The 3000 lb. car, combined with F1-inspired ground effects and aerodynamic treatments like an active rear wing, indicate that the car will handle like a race car on the track as opposed to Grandpa’s classic Corvette on Main Street.
Interestingly, McLaren went with hydraulic steering and braking, which isn’t exactly cutting edge but is a nod to enthusiasts who are willing to trade response time and weight savings for a more engaging drive.
Leiters told Yahoo Finance in August that McLaren was looking to follow Ferrari’s blueprint for success. Leiters, a former employee of Ferrari (RACE), wants to limit the number of cars offered to customers and charge higher prices for exclusivity.
Ferrari’s last hybrid hypercar was the LaFerrari, which combined a V-12 and electric motors for 950 hp and a price tag of over $1 million. Ferrari stopped making the LaFerrari in 2018, and auction values for those cars have shot through the roof.
Other competitors, such as Porsche, with its older 918, and Aston Martin, with the Valhalla, play in the million-dollar hybrid hypercar game too.
This all means the W1, which has cars like the LaFerrari and whatever comes next in its sights, will not come cheap. McLaren said the W1, the newest of the new hybrid hypercars, will start at an eye-watering $2.1 million, with only 399 models produced.
Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.
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