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New Models
AUTOS: McLaren Unveils P1 In Paris
The supercar successor to the acclaimed F1 is shown at the auto show in near-production form, though details are scant.
McLaren introduced a near-production version of the P1 supercar during the first press day at the Paris Auto Show. (Photo: Motor Authority)
We’ve seen the studio shots and guessed at all the specs, but here is the McLaren P1 supercar in all its glory, these photos coming direct from its debut today at the 2012 Paris Auto Show. This is the first auto-show appearance for McLaren, the automaker, and we can’t think of a better car with which to highlight its debut.
McLaren makes no secret of its primary design goal for the P1: to be the best driver’s car in the world, both on the road and track. Note that the P1 won’t be challenging the Bugatti Veyron for the production-car land-speed record, but it could potentially be the fastest-accelerating car money can buy.
Right now, many of the car’s specifications are being kept secret. In fact, the P1 on display in Paris isn’t actually the final production version but a concept. We hope you like the styling, though: a leaked patent drawing as well as comments from company insiders suggest the production version will look very similar to the concept you see here today.
Speaking at today’s unveiling, McLaren chairman Ron Dennis said, “The McLaren P1 will be the result of 50 years of racing and road car heritage. Twenty years ago, we raised the supercar performance bar with the McLaren F1 and our goal with the McLaren P1 is to redefine it once again.”
The McLaren P1 leverages the five decades of McLaren’s motorsport skills, including inspiration from the legendary F1 supercar it will soon succeed. It was designed from the outset to prioritize aerodynamic performance and thus has spent many hours in a wind tunnel and using CFD (computational fluid dynamics) aerodynamic modeling, just like in Formula 1 racing.
So what has that achieved? McLaren boasts the P1 develops in excess of 1,320 pounds of downforce before reaching its top speed, and its frontal area is smaller than any other supercar on the market. Its coefficient of drag is 0.34, which is very low considering the enormous levels of downforce.
We still don’t have the details on the powertrain, but McLaren is adamant that each horsepower the P1 generates will only have to carry around 3.7 pounds or less. By comparison, each of the Bugatti Veyron’s horses must tote 4.5 pounds.
How the P1 will generate its power remains a mystery, though the smart money is on McLaren using an uprated version of its twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter engine found in the MP4-12C. A KERS hybrid is also expected, helping to give the car an additional boost when required. Combined output could end up being 800 horsepower or more.
McLaren makes no secret of its primary design goal for the P1: to be the best driver’s car in the world, both on the road and track. Note that the P1 won’t be challenging the Bugatti Veyron for the production-car land-speed record, but it could potentially be the fastest-accelerating car money can buy.
Right now, many of the car’s specifications are being kept secret. In fact, the P1 on display in Paris isn’t actually the final production version but a concept. We hope you like the styling, though: a leaked patent drawing as well as comments from company insiders suggest the production version will look very similar to the concept you see here today.
Speaking at today’s unveiling, McLaren chairman Ron Dennis said, “The McLaren P1 will be the result of 50 years of racing and road car heritage. Twenty years ago, we raised the supercar performance bar with the McLaren F1 and our goal with the McLaren P1 is to redefine it once again.”
The McLaren P1 leverages the five decades of McLaren’s motorsport skills, including inspiration from the legendary F1 supercar it will soon succeed. It was designed from the outset to prioritize aerodynamic performance and thus has spent many hours in a wind tunnel and using CFD (computational fluid dynamics) aerodynamic modeling, just like in Formula 1 racing.
So what has that achieved? McLaren boasts the P1 develops in excess of 1,320 pounds of downforce before reaching its top speed, and its frontal area is smaller than any other supercar on the market. Its coefficient of drag is 0.34, which is very low considering the enormous levels of downforce.
We still don’t have the details on the powertrain, but McLaren is adamant that each horsepower the P1 generates will only have to carry around 3.7 pounds or less. By comparison, each of the Bugatti Veyron’s horses must tote 4.5 pounds.
How the P1 will generate its power remains a mystery, though the smart money is on McLaren using an uprated version of its twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter engine found in the MP4-12C. A KERS hybrid is also expected, helping to give the car an additional boost when required. Combined output could end up being 800 horsepower or more.
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