What Comes After F1, P1? The New McLaren "W1" Hypercar, of Course
McLaren's next-generation halo hypercar has a name—and a reveal date.
McLaren has been without a "1" car since the P1, its high-tech, track-devouring successor to the 1990s-era F1 supercar, left production a few years ago. That changes soon—McLaren has announced its newest 1 car, the new W1, will debut October 6.
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As Michael Leiters, McLaren's CEO puts it: "The McLaren W1 is defined by real supercar principles and is the ultimate expression of a McLaren supercar. Born of our rich racing history and World Championship mindset, W1 pushes the boundaries of performance and is worthy of the '1' name. Like its predecessors the F1 and McLaren P1, W1 defines the rulebook of a real supercar."
That's pretty much all we have to go on at this point, unfortunately. McLaren isn't saying much else about the new W1, other than to mention the name "celebrates McLaren's World Championship mindset," adding that the "public reveal date mark[s] the 50th anniversary of McLaren winning its first Formula 1 Constructors' World Championship, and Emerson Fittipaldi winning the 1974 World Drivers' Championship with McLaren."
So, that kind of clears up the "W" name, doesn't it?
As for the rest of the W1, it's worth looking at the P1's layout for clues to what this new hypercar could be powered by. The P1 utilized a twin-turbo V-8 and a hybrid system to deliver 903 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque, relatively tame numbers by today's hypercar standards just a decade later. (Chevrolet's Corvette ZR1, for example, puts down an absurd 1,064 hp—and it's, you know, a Corvette, not some multimillion-dollar toy like the W1 is expected to be.) Even McLaren's own "regular" offerings dance around the P1's output these days, with the 750S delivering 740 hp and 590 lb-ft.
Look for more hybridization on the W1, possibly with electric assist on the front axle—the P1 and F1 were rear-drive only—to push output closer to the four-figure horsepower level. That'd come along with extreme lightweighting and aerodynamic measures. Movable wings, dive planes, et cetera are fair game here; the P1 enjoyed an active rear wing and a similarly active suspension that could drop itself down for better handling.
We'll know more on October 6, when McLaren officially debuts the new W1.
A lifelong car enthusiast, I stumbled into this line of work essentially by accident after discovering a job posting for an intern position at Car and Driver while at college. My start may have been a compelling alternative to working in a University of Michigan dining hall, but a decade and a half later, here I am reviewing cars; judging our Car, Truck, and Performance Vehicle of the Year contests; and shaping MotorTrend’s daily coverage of the automotive industry.
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