The McLaren F1, when it came out, was an absolute game changer in the supercar market, and one of the first cars that was worthy of the title of hypercar.
Ever since the production version of the new P1 was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, it has been drawing comparisons with its long dominant predecessor, and while the P1 hasn’t turned the supercar scene on its head at the same scale as the F1, judging by these performance figures, it will still manage to leave a mark among its competitors.
The 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 coupled with an efficient electric motor means the is capable of some serious road rage. It produces 916 PS – impressive by all accounts, and it’s all this mechanical wizardry under the hood including KERS and DRS that allows the car to achieve near manic speeds. The P1 will do 0-100 km/h in 2.8 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 6.8 seconds, and will touch 300 km/h within 16.5 seconds, leaving the aforementioned F1 trailing in its wake by a solid 5.5 seconds. It’s also capable of touching a top speed of 350 km/h, which it is electronically limited to.
Speeding up isn’t the only thing it’s really quick at either, thanks to the silicon carbide coated, especially designed carbon ceramic disc brakes from Akebono, the P1 can come to a complete standstill form a 100 km/h over a distance of just 30.2m and in just under 3 seconds, it takes 4.5 seconds and 116m to come to a stop from a speed of 200 km/h, and finally, from 300 km/h it takes just 6.2 seconds and 246m to reach 0 km/h. Because the car is ultimately a hybrid, McLaren claims it will even give you mileage figures of about 14.5 km/l (34 mpg), quite decent considering how rapidly it can actually cover all those miles and kilometres.
This unique piece of futuristic mechanics takes 17 days and a team of 82 technicians to assemble, and one specimen has already been entrusted into the care of it’s proud owner (who’s based in the UK). So for those of you who want to own one, remember there are now only another 374 pieces up for grabs. The CEO of McLaren, Mike Flewitt spoke at the car’s maiden delivery, he said, “We designed the McLaren P1 from the outset with one clear goal: to be the best driver’s car on road and track. The confirmation of the performance figures underlines this. I am very proud of our Woking based team and everything they have achieved with this ambitious project. The handover of the first McLaren P1 is another milestone in our 50 year history.”
