In the era of hyper-fast, comically powerful electric cars, we risk becoming immune to big numbers. The shape-shifting McLaren W1 is here to straighten a few things out. At its heart sits an all-new V8 hybrid powertrain with a combined system output of 1,258bhp. The 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 makes 915bhp by itself, aided and abetted by what McLaren refers to as an ‘E-module’ that throws another 342bhp in the direction of the rear wheels (and the W1 is strictly rear-wheel drive, this is important). With a quoted dry weight of 1,399kg, that results in a power-to-weight ratio of 899bhp per tonne. (Also important, as well as mind-blowing.)
Here are a few more headline stats before we delve deeper. Top speed is electronically limited to 217mph. The W1 can accelerate to 62mph in 2.7 seconds, 124mph in 5.8, and 186mph in “less than 12.7 seconds”. For some context, that makes it quicker than the memorably/cartoonishly streamlined Speedtail, if intergalactic pace is your favoured metric. Or perhaps you prefer downforce, in which case try this: the W1 is three seconds per lap faster round McLaren’s reference test track (at Italian proving ground Nardo) than the aerodynamically demented Senna. We repeat: the W1 is rear-drive only.
Core to the W1 is the new Aerocell monocoque, whose form is dictated entirely by McLaren’s sky-high aerodynamic targets. It’s made from pre-preg carbon fibre, the technically optimal form of composite manufacture, usually reserved for high-end motorsport. Lightness, structural rigidity and a uniformity of finish are the main benefits. The tub has aero surfaces that were only possible by raising the floor, which in turn has elevated the footwell position. The W1’s seats are integrated into the monocoque, which helps reduce the wheelbase by 70mm enabling further weight savings. Ferrari did that on the LaFerrari and Daytona SP3, of course, and it looks very cool as well as being functional. It also gives the W1 a different sort of driving position to the McLaren norm, though this side of the GMA T.50 it’s still the best in the business.
Photography: McLaren
Inevitably, the W1 story is dominated by its highly complex aerodynamics. The new car’s aero platform, says McLaren, is the most advanced the company has ever developed for a road car, to which end it uses full ground effect. A major step forward, the W1 is only the second road-legal car to do so, the other being the Aston Martin Valkyrie. It’s a hellishly tricky thing to pull off in a vehicle that McLaren describes as an “everything” car, and the W1 does it by having two primary modes, Road and Race.
In the latter, the ride height drops by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear, a clever heave system stiffens the suspension, and the W1’s active aero kicks in. It has an extremely trick front wing which McLaren says delivers a level of performance that’s similar to that of the rear wing on most supercars. It uses e-motors to alter its configuration in Race mode with a central section that sends air downstream to an F1-inspired keel, while the side sections generate front downforce. This bleeds off under braking to provide more cooling, as well as moving the aero balance towards the rear.
Yet it’s a subtle looking affair compared to the rear wing, dubbed the McLaren Active Long Tail. You can probably guess what it does, but we’ll spell it out: it extends rearwards by up to 300mm through a 180° arc, far beyond the edge of the W1’s body. It’s also aided by a roof-mounted flow diverter that keeps air connected to the rear deck and wing. In Race mode the ground effect generates up to 350kg of downforce at the front and 650kg at the rear for maximum attack in high speed corners. Four e-motors move the long tail up or down and alter its angle, and it also works as a DRS device and an airbrake. It’s one of many elements on the W1 that McLaren has patented. The active aero elements constantly adjust according to the driver’s steering, throttle and braking inputs.
There’s more, so much more. Airflow under the car meets the structural rear diffuser, which has been designed to wrap tightly around the powertrain and is made of something called Intermediate Modulus Carbon Fibre (IMCF). It’s even higher strength and more heat resistant than the composites used elsewhere, strong enough to obviate the need for a strut brace, which in turn means the diffuser can be bigger. It also acts as a rear crash structure.
It’s all fiendishly clever, very complicated and almost impossible to distil in a few paragraphs. But the key thing to remember is that on the W1 the aerodynamic centre of pressure is as close as possible to the car’s centre of gravity in every condition, promoting a level of overall stability and balance that few cars have ever got close to. And, says McLaren, it’s not compromised despite having to do very different jobs.
“Opportunities to do cars like this are pretty rare,” says Marcus Waite, head of performance and attributes at McLaren Automotive. “The interaction of the rear wing and diffuser is extremely clever. When the rear wing moves backwards it reinforces the diffuser to the extent that you could call it a diffuser extension. The rear wing is helping to suck more air out through the car to achieve ground effect. That relies on being able to accelerate the air under the car as quickly as possible and then expand it out.”
He continues: “But it’s symbiotic, because the diffuser also helps the rear wing. It sits above the road and not the bodywork which means it’s not interfering with the air coming out of the engine bay. The slot gap and the way it’s shaped is pure racing heritage. It’s about really working the underbody. And ground effect is downforce with free drag.”
This makes the W1 more advanced and aero-efficient than the current era of F1 cars, as Waite attests with the air of a man who has just chanced upon the Holy Grail while working out what to do with the pot of gold he’s just found at the end of the rainbow. “If they could, they would all do this. It’s by far the best solution, particularly for that moment you hit the brakes at the end of the straight. The F1 guys would love this level of freedom. They’d love to have a wing that’s close to the diffuser and to be able to reinforce it in this way. A wing this big that they could move back.”
Then there are the W1’s doors. McLaren has previously favoured dihedral doors but the new car gets anhedral ones – gullwings. Why? Because it aids airflow from the front wheelarches into the high temperature radiators and provides an extra 100mm of cooling space, so the radiators don’t need to be as big. Gullwing doors also make it easier to get in and out, useful given the W1’s notably raised footwell. They’re one of the highlights in a car whose design language is arguably less extreme than the one that shaped its P1 predecessor. The front end is a slave to the air flow, although it gets more interesting the longer you look. There are visible carbon fibre aero structures and exposed suspension components. The side pods are sensational, sculptural elements whose intakes and ducts are engaged in a multi-dimensional cooling and aero battle. Beauty is not a concept that can survive this onslaught, but the W1 is less egregious than the Senna. But it also looks a bit too like a 750S that’s been RoboCopped. Over to you, internet.
The all-new engine, MHP-8 in McLaren’s ever-catchy parlance, has been four years in development, and crucially was conceived to be at the centre of an electrified powertrain. Everything on the W1 is fully integrated. The 3988cc unit has a lightweight block, cylinder heads and pistons, and uses 350 bar direct injection and port fuel injection. It’s awash with high-end technical detail; there are plasma spray coated cylinder bores, the valvegear uses sliding finger followers with diamond-like carbon coating to reduce friction, and there’s an internal viscous damper for the crankshaft. It revs to 9,200rpm, higher than any previous McLaren engine, with peak torque on its own of 664lb ft. The exhaust features tubular manifolds with equal-length runners for maximum sonic impact as the red line approaches. The powertrain is inclined within the chassis by three degrees to accommodate that mighty rear diffuser.
The E-module consists of a radial flux e-motor similar to the sort used in F1 that can spin to 24,000rpm and weighs just 20kg. It’s coupled to a motor control unit and fed by a 1.384kWh battery, whose cooling system can withstand long track sessions. It’s housed in a cavity within the W1’s monocoque, fully protected but mounted as low as possible to help the C of G. The battery’s state of charge is always sufficient to start the engine and to enable reverse mode. McLaren says the total weight of the hybrid set-up is 40kg less than the P1’s while delivering 40 per cent more power. The transmission is an all-new eight speed dual-shift with a much higher torque capacity than on previous McLarens, as evidenced by the numbers it’s expected to handle. There’s also an all-new hydraulic E-differential. Somehow, this is a car that can cope with a combined 988lb ft of torque at the input shaft. Powertrain options in Race mode include a GP setting for consistency on longer runs, or Sprint for all 1,258bhp. Bespoke Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS rubber is standard fitment, 265/35 at the front, 335/30 at the rear (there are also less extreme R and Winter 2 Pirellis).
The trick is to make a car that’s amazing for the road then make it work on the track. You can’t really do it the other way round
“The trick is to make a car that’s amazing for the road then make it work on the track,” says Waite. “You can’t really do it the other way round. Throughout the developmental process we’ve tried to find that harmony and coherence. The way it sounds, the way it feels, the immediacy of response so it feels like it has one creator. Of course it’s different on track but not so it’s like driving a completely different car.”
The W1’s suspension also leans heavily into F1. Remember the FRIC debacle, back in 2014? That stood for ‘Front and Rear Interconnected Suspension’, which linked all four corners of the car diagonally to generate more underbody aero and helped control the car’s attitude as the speed and downforce increased. It was swiftly banned by the FIA. Well the W1 revisits that idea. The front suspension uses titanium torsion bars and an active heave crosslink, while the rear setup has a Z-bar with active droplinks to optimise the car’s vertical motion. The front uprights and wishbones are 3D printed in titanium. This is also the first McLaren road car to use pushrods which are linked to inboard dampers, another aspect of the car’s ruthless aero optimisation. A Comfort setting is the default road one and uses the e-motor for torque infill. Sport ups the agility and connectedness, with sharper throttle response and faster gearshifts. Race mode is the one that instigates the full shape-shifting, aerodynamically banzai configuration. There’s also a Race+ for billiard smooth circuits and people with no dental issues.
Other things to note here include the fact that the lower front suspension mountings are integrated into the chassis, so there’s no front subframe. It also means the air flow under the car in this area is smoother. As a result, McLaren has had to create bespoke cut-outs on either side of the tub to fit the steering rack, and the rack itself is now closer to the centre of the road wheels. The result is better than ever geometry. The steering is also fully hydraulic, McLaren refusing to compromise on this key part of its promise. The brakes use the McLaren Carbon Ceramic-Racing+ set-up, with 390mm discs front and rear, and six-piston calipers on the front and four-piston ones on the rear. There are F1-style ducts and aero wheel appendages to optimise cooling. The W1 can come to a halt from 124mph in 100m.
Inside, the fixed seats and raised footwell give the W1 a decidedly race-oriented feel. The pedals, flat-bottomed steering wheel and primary controls move to meet the driver. There’s a cantilevered door fin blade designed to maximise interior space, carbon fibre sun visors that are just 3mm thick, and the W1 has the narrowest A-pillars on any McLaren. So forward visibility is magnificent. The wheel now has two buttons – one for a Boost function, the other to tweak the aero – but remains calm and functional compared to rivals. As on other McLarens, the chassis and powertrain modes can be adjusted via rocker switches on the top of the instrument binnacle. The binnacle’s shape acts as a flow diverter to direct cool or warm air to the driver. There’s a central hi-res touchscreen, similar to the one on the Artura and 750S. There’s also enough stowage space behind the seats for a weekend bag or a pair of crash helmets.
McLaren is also pioneering an interior trim called InnoKnit, an ultra lightweight sustainable material that can be tailored in multiple colours and integrates audio and ambient lighting. It feels great, though leather and Alcantara are still available. McLaren Special Operations is on hand to relieve clients of much money in return for items such as carbon fibre-finished switchgear.
On which note: the W1 costs £2m including taxes, with production limited to 399 cars. Before you go searching down the back of the sofa, they’ve all been allocated. Cars like this are once-in-a-decade occurrences, and we’ll know more soon. Amazingly, we’ve just scratched the surface here. But for now, the W1’s aero story and purity of purpose has got all of our attention.