How do you make a ballistic 3.8-litre V8 and electric motor powered 916 PS, 978 Nm hybrid supercar even better? While you and I can keep scratching our heads about that, the supercar cognoscenti in Surrey, England have commissioned the Batman-esque McLaren P1 GTR to conduct testing in Europe and the Middle East. And yes, you read that right- the McLaren P1 GTR!
The ‘GTR’ moniker is something that has to be earned and the P1 sure is a viable candidate. To do this, the car is being run through its paces at multiple locations in Europe and UK. In addition to this, the car will also be tested in the extreme heat in Bahrain and Qatar. Matting the gas of this ultra light hypercar is ace GT car driver and chief test driver of McLaren, Chris Goodwin.
Prepping up for Geneva, the car’s diet plan is to lose a few kilos and in the right places. This will include a more track focused, lighter powertrain and a spoiler you can’t possibly miss. One that is capable of generating more down-force than a team pile-up after a world cup final win!
The leaked images and the video have scratched the surface of the car’s talents and that might be enough to ogle over for a few but the nerds have been looking for performance figures to match with the racy decals. However, for this, we might have to wait a while. At least until the Geneva Motor Show in March this year and when McLaren pulls the silks off it, we sure will be there to tell you all about it!
Story: Aniruddha Mulgund
