British supercar specialist McLaren has taken the covers off its most powerful road vehicle ever, and it bears the same name as an Aussie automotive icon.
Coined the W1, McLaren’s latest performance hero is the brand’s third hypercar to receive ‘1’ branding, following the legendary F1, and the more recent P1.
Just 399 examples will be produced, all of which are already accounted for despite a starting price of roughly £2 million (A$3.86 million).
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If the W1 nameplate sounds familiar, that’s because it is – Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) created the GTSR W1 back in 2017, a carbon-clad, custom supercharged version of the GTS sedan that sent Australian-made performance cars out with a bang.
Just 275 were built, all featuring a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 that produced 474kW of power and 815Nm of torque.
In addition the W1 nameplate, the McLaren hypercar and HSV special edition both share their orange hero colour from launch.
McLaren’s version of the W1 is powered by an all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbo flat-plane crank V8 that revs all the way to 9200rpm and is said to be good for 683kW and 900Nm.
In addition, a motorsport-sourced plug-in hybrid system produces 255kW and 440Nm on its own. McLaren quotes stratospheric combined outputs of 938kW and 1340Nm.
All power is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.
McLaren claims the W1 can complete the 0-100km/h sprint in just 2.7 seconds and 0-200km/h acceleration in just 5.8 seconds. The W1 will keep pulling all the way to an electronically limited top speed of 350km/h, making it one of the world’s quickest and fastest production cars to date.
The carmaker is quick to point out that the W1 is quicker to 300km/h than the Speedtail and is 3.0 seconds a lap faster at the Nardo circuit in Italy.
EV driving range is limited to just 2km, but the hybrid system also powers reverse gear.
Power is one thing, but carbon-fibre monocoque construction keeps dry weight down at a paltry 1399kg, resulting in a power-to-weight ratio of 670kW/tonne.
Designed for the road and track in equal measure, McLaren’s latest flagship is equipped with Race Active Chassis Control III, which can lower the car by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear at the push of a button.
A plethora of vents, wings and sharp angles contribute to a claimed total downforce figure of 1000kg.
Sticky Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tyres are fitted at each corner, wrapped around 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels.
Vertically-opening ‘Gullwing’ doors are a first for a McLaren road car, adopted to improve air flow and aid accessibility.
Inside the cabin, the W1 allegedly offers ‘best-in-class’ visibility, and plenty of configurability with adjustable pedals, steering wheel and other primary controls.
The steering wheel itself is square in shape, framing a digital instrument display. A 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen is located centrally.
Materials and finishes can be customised through McLaren Special Operations, with the manufacturer debuting InnoKnit for the W1 – a lightweight knitted material with numerous interior applications.
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