McLaren’s new hypercar, the P1, was recently unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show
and there were some bold claims being made by none other than Ron Dennis, the CEO of McLaren Automotive. Ron was heard joking about the P1 being 10 seconds faster around the Top Gear test track and then said that the P1 was tested at the Nurburgring Nordschleife and will lap the legendary circuit in under 7 minutes. That would make it a contender for the fastest production car at the Nurburgring. The current record is held by the the Radical SR8 LM. As if that wasn’t enough, he went on to state that “it’s going to be the fastest car in the world.” That statement won’t go down well with many, but at the same time, it seems very unlikely that the P1 will be able to match specialist hypercars like the Koenigsegg Agera R let alone rival the current holder of the title of ‘fastest production car in the world’ – the Bugatti Veyron Supersport, which managed 431 km/h (267.81 mph).
To remind you of what the McLaren P1 will bring to the table, here’s a round up of the spec sheet. The 3.8L twin-turbocharged V8 engine, also seen in the MP4-12C, now puts out 737 PS and 720 Nm of torque. It is paired to an electric motor, developed in-house by McLaren, which delivers 132 kW or 179 PS and up to 260 Nm of torque. The combined power output is 916 PS and 900 Nm; numbers which allow for a 0-100 km/h time of under 3 seconds, a 0-300 km/h time under 17 seconds and a top speed of 217 mph (350 km/h) with the Instant Power Assist System (IPAS) and Formula 1 derived Drag Reduction System (DRS). McLaren will only make 375 P1s. The price is set to start from £866,000 (Rs.7.2 crore approx).
However, until the P1 has gone through the proving grounds, we will have to wait and watch as the new McLaren goes up against its natural rivals – the LaFerrari and the Porsche 918 Spyder. Now that’s something which we just can’t wait to see!
Here’s the video of the unveil: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICRWf5A2fuQ
