As anyone who attended Monterey Car Week this summer can attest, hypercar launches are a frequent occurrence in 2024. The choice of vehicles with four-figure power output and seven-figure price tags has never been greater. The new McLaren W1 is different, though. Sure, its 1,275 hp and starting price of $2.7 million (RM11.3 million) propel it deep into the hypersphere, but as the successor to the F1 and P1, McLaren’s new flagship has a blue-blooded pedigree that’s almost unmatched. A once-in-a-generation McLaren “1” car, it stands above even the marque’s Ultimate Series models such as the Senna, Elva, and Speedtail.
The W1 makes its public debut exactly 50 years after Emerson Fittipaldi won McLaren’s first Formula 1 Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championship titles. But Robb Report had a secret preview several weeks ago at the futuristic factory in Woking, England, where we met key members of the design and engineering teams.
Before you ask, the answer is “no,” the W1 isn’t an all-electric model (phew). Its beating heart is a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8, which is supplemented by a 1.4 kWh battery and motorsport-grade electric motor. Drive goes to the rear wheels only via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and an electronic differential.
The engine is a clean-sheet design and “not a development of the existing M840T V-8 or a scaled-up version of the V-6 in the Artura,” says Alex Gibson, the W1 line director. The all-aluminum motor features a 90-degree angle, flat-plane crankshaft, and plasma-coated cylinder liners, plus a tubular exhaust manifold tuned for an “exciting crescendo” as you chase the 9,200 rpm redline.
With an electrically enhanced 988 ft lbs of torque and a lightest dry weight of 3,084 pounds (reckon on at least 3,300 pounds with fluids), the W1 will be able to accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds and reach 186 mph in 12.7 seconds, at least that’s what’s claimed by the marque. Its top speed will be electronically limited to 217 mph.
More importantly, thanks to ground-effect aerodynamics and a radical new Active Long Tail spoiler, the W1 is seriously swift around a racetrack. At the Nardo handling circuit in Italy, used by many automakers for dynamic testing, the new car is fully three seconds quicker than a Senna. Could it challenge the Mercedes-AMG One for Nürburgring lap-time supremacy? Your move, McLaren.
Bruce McLaren first experimented with ground-effect aero on his Can-Am racers in the 1960s, and the W1 applies the same principles of low drag and high downforce to boost stability at speed. Its active front spoiler provides “a level of performance comparable to the rear wing on most supercars,” channeling air into a sculpted underbody that sweeps upwards—starting from before the rear axle—into a brutal-looking diffuser.
Switch into Race mode (chief aerodynamicist Robin Algoo calls it the W1’s “secret weapon”) and the suspension hunkers down by up to 1.5 inches, while the patent-pending Active Long Tail extends rearwards by 300 mm, effectively lengthening the rear diffuser. The result is a maximum downforce of 2,205 pounds—approximately the weight of nine NFL players—at 174 mph.
Interestingly, Race mode isn’t street-legal, as the Active Long Tail protrudes well beyond the rear bumper, so it can only be activated when the GPS system detects the car is on a racetrack (or indeed a temporary circuit, such as the ones in Las Vegas or Monaco). You can, however, move the wing to its maximum stretch when the W1 is stationary, which will surely be the default position for car shows or posts on Instagram.
Although shaped entirely by airflow, the W1 remains recognizably a McLaren, with a cockpit-style cabin and a mesh-wrapped tail that clearly evokes the P1, plus a flowing side profile inspired by this year’s championship-leading MCL38 F1 car. Delicious technical details abound wherever you look; spot the 3-D-printed titanium suspension components behind the front wheels, for instance, or the elegant, wing-shaped supports for the door mirrors.
The biggest visual departure, however, is found with the doors. They are no longer McLaren’s usual dihedral design, but a roof-hinged anhedral opening instead (“gullwing” doors to you and me). These look spectacular when raised and allow for exceptionally narrow A-pillars to improve visibility. A rethink will be required if McLaren makes a Spider version, though.
The W1 rides on forged wheels measuring 19 inches and 20 inches at the front and rear, respectively, wrapped in custom Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tires. There’s also the option for center-lock magnesium rims. The car’s double-wishbone suspension uses pushrods and inboard shock absorbers with F1-style active heave control, alongside three driver-selected settings: Comfort, Sport, and Race. Braking is by huge carbon-ceramic discs with monobloc calipers.
You can’t carry two passengers like you can in an F1, but the McLaren’s seats are unusual, being molded into the carbon fiber “Aerocell” tub. The steering wheel, pedals, and primary controls all move to fit the driver, while the seats can be reshaped with custom-made padding. You sit low, with feet raised up as they are in an F1 race car, the peaked front wings visible through the steeply raked windshield. The central rearview mirror is replaced by a digital screen, which also shows the Active Long Tail at work.
Many surfaces inside the W1 are exposed carbon fiber—even the sun visors are 0.1-inch-thick slices of the stuff—but there are a few concessions to practicality, including a sliding cupholder and a recessed luggage shelf behind the seats (big enough for two crash helmets, according to McLaren). The squared-off steering wheel is machined from a solid piece of aluminum and has optional shift lights in the upper rim. Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity comes standard.
So, how will it drive? A paltry electric range of just 1.6 miles means you won’t be in silent EV mode for long. But McLaren’s decision to retain hydraulic steering (when all its rivals have gone electric) should ensure detailed feedback even at everyday speeds. And on a circuit? McLaren intends for its W1 to be “the ultimate supercar driving experience,” at least according to McLaren CEO Michael Leiters (but then, he has to say that).
Fittingly, the late Bruce McLaren’s words are emblazoned on the wall of the W1 project office: “The luck thing—really there’s no such thing as good luck. It’s good preparation and hard work.” It seems that part has been completed when it comes to McLaren’s W1, and now a total of 399 owners—who’ve put in their own preparation and hard work—will get to enjoy the results.
