The new McLaren W1 is the ground-breaking successor to two of the greatest supercars ever – the McLaren F1 and McLaren P1TM – and elevates the McLaren ‘1’ car lineage to new heights in every aspect of performance.
The Ultimate expression of a real supercar, the new W1 has been created according to the McLaren ethos of class-leading performance, informed by the core principles that underpin every McLaren supercar: epic power applied through cutting-edge aerodynamics and lightweight chassis technologies; the highest levels of dynamic excellence and the purest driver connection; the perfect driver environment, for all driving situations; and awe-inspiring visual and aural drama.
All of McLaren’s significant and renowned expertise in lightweight engineering and aerodynamic performance, inspired by years of racing innovation and the company’s World Championship mindset, was applied to W1. The engineering team behind the new McLaren Ultimate model have between them contributed to 16 McLaren Formula 1 World Championship titles across driver and constructor categories. This expertise as part of a bigger team has resulted in the most focused supercar that McLaren has ever built, but also one with a huge breadth of capability.
“The McLaren W1 is a celebration of both the excellence of the iconic McLaren F1 and McLaren P1TM and the manifestation of McLaren’s World Championship mindset. With our new Ultimate supercar, we are again pushing the boundaries of real supercar performance with an epic hybrid powertrain featuring our all-new MHP-8 V8 engine, the most advanced aerodynamic platform of any McLaren road car and extensive use of advanced lightweight materials. This allows us to engineer a supreme track driving experience from the same car that gives unparalleled driving enjoyment on the road.
“Formula 1-derived aerodynamics, pure rear-wheel drive and McLaren hydraulic performance steering showcase McLaren’s approach to purposeful innovation as a racing company that always delivers the best possible performance. It is therefore no surprise that the new W1 is our fastest-lapping and fastest accelerating road-legal car ever. It also provides the purest driver connection by remaining true to the principles that underpin the ultimate supercar driving experience. This really is a car that only McLaren could create.”
Michael Leiters, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Automotive
W1 is a supercar for all occasions; more than any other McLaren, it is equally at home on road and track and as the fastest-lapping and fastest accelerating McLaren road-legal supercar yet, is exhilarating to drive whatever the circumstances.
The spine-tingling driver enjoyment ensured by the W1’s revolutionary new high-downforce, low-drag, ground-effect aerodynamics design is further enhanced by the unique transformation process from Road mode to Race mode for track driving: W1’s ride height lowers (by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear) and a heave system stiffens the suspension. Front and rear active wings are deployed, with the McLaren Active Long Tail extending rearwards by up to 300mm to assist in generating the 1,000kg of downforce available in W1.
The all-new MHP-8 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine that debuts in W1 is coupled with a power-dense E-module to deliver scintillating speed. The epic power of this all-new 1275PS High-Performance Hybrid powertrain and McLaren’s relentless dedication to lightweight engineering has resulted in levels of performance previously only attainable by track-only supercars and race cars.
Just as the W1 name celebrates McLaren’s World Championship mindset, the date of the public reveal of the car was also chosen with this in mind: October 6th 2024 is the 50th anniversary of Emerson Fittipaldi sealing McLaren’s first Formula 1 Drivers and Constructors World Championships.
Epic performance from V8 High-Performance Hybrid powertrain with pure RWD
At the heart of W1 is an all-new High-Performance Hybrid powertrain, comprising McLaren’s all-new MHP-8 V8 combustion engine, an all-new E-module (integrating a radial flux electric motor and motor control unit), and an 8-speed transmission with E-reverse. Power and torque are to the rear wheels only, through an E-differential.
The 928PS of the new V8 and 347PS of the E-module combine to produce 1275PS, giving W1 the highest-ever power output of any McLaren and putting it above all core competitors. Engineered for epic power delivery and breathtaking performance, the powertrain combines with a vehicle weight of 1,399kg to deliver an astonishing power-to-weight ratio of 911PS/tonne for W1 – the highest-ever for any road-legal McLaren and more importantly, best-in-class.
This huge amount of power, together with total torque of 1340Nm and instant throttle response from the E-module, gives W1 astonishing acceleration figures: 0-100km/h takes 2.7 seconds, 0–200km/h (124mph) is possible in just 5.8 seconds and 0-300km/h (186mph) can be achieved in under 12.7 seconds.
McLaren has challenged convention by choosing to retain the purity of a rear-wheel-drive chassis in a car with this much power and torque, at a time when competitors are turning to front-wheel-drive assistance. Only McLaren could successfully achieve acceleration of this magnitude with dynamic performance to match in a rear-wheel-drive supercar, thanks to its extensive heritage in Formula 1 which exclusively deploys power through the rear wheels to reach the pinnacle of performance and ultimate steering precision.
McLaren’s all-new MHP-8 flat plane crank 90-degree V8 engine is central to the delivery of the W1’s epic power. Designed from the outset to be at the centre of the very best electrified powertrains, the twin-turbocharged 3,988cc unit has a lightweight block, cylinder heads and pistons in aluminium and showcases McLaren’s expertise in engineering combustion engines that set new standards – for example, plasma spray coated cylinder bores are employed to allow engine speeds of up to 9,200rpm.
A 350bar Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) system and port fuel injection extend the performance scope of the MHP-8 engine without adversely affecting emissions, enabling the highest-ever specific power output in a McLaren – a massive 233PS per litre.
The twin-scroll turbochargers in W1 are optimised to deliver higher peak power and torque than previous components, available throughout the rev range and improved response from as low as 2500rpm.
The exhaust features tubular manifolds that are engineered to maximise driver engagement as well as performance, with long, equal-length runners tuned to build sound to a crescendo as the engine speed approaches its 9,200rpm electronic rpm limit.
The motorsport-derived E-module that works in combination with the combustion engine is mounted to the side of the transmission and contributes up to 347PS. Comprising a radial flux E-motor and integrated Motor Control Unit – an engineering approach similar that taken in IndyCar racing – the E-module is a masterclass in maximising efficiency while minimising package volume and weight, The whole unit weighs just 20kg and further advantages include reducing coolant volume, low-voltage and high-voltage connections and seals. The sealed unit improves serviceability with a dry interface outside of the transmission unit.
The E-motor element is capable of spinning up to 24,000rpm has a specific output of 23PS/kg, which is directly comparable to Formula 1 E-motors.
The E-module is powered by a 1.384kWh battery, which together with the management unit and power distribution unit is enclosed on a structural carbon fibre floor housed within a cavity in the carbon fibre monocoque, located as low as possible to benefit vehicle centre of gravity.
The motorsport-derived battery cells are designed to prioritise high power outputs to the E-module, increasing throttle response and boosting overall power to the levels needed to deliver the eye-watering levels of performance that W1 reaches. Even with this focus on maximising power, the W1 can be driven in zero-emission, electric-only mode for up to 2km (1.6 miles).
The battery state of charge is managed to maintain a minimum level of charge to crank the engine on vehicle start-up, power for the reversing function and a reserve for when the car remains parked for extended periods.
In line with McLaren’s commitment to minimising weight, the total weight of hybrid components has been reduced by 40kg compared to the McLaren P1TM while delivering almost double the electric power. Further weight is saved by the absence of engine ancillaries including the alternator, starter motor and additional pipework required for a conventional HVAC system.
Born from Formula 1-inspired ground-effect aerodynamics
McLaren has been synonymous with aerodynamic innovation and excellence since its very beginnings, with Bruce McLaren himself always determined to push for any advantage offered by new ways of managing airflow to balance lift and drag in the most efficient way possible. The 1967 championship-winning McLaren M6A Can-Am racecar employed ground effect aerodynamics with great success and while it was another decade before the technology came to Formula 1 – and the 1990s before the McLaren F1 showed how effective it could be in a road car – ground effect remains a significant advantage as part of an overall aerodynamic package for those car makers who can master it.
It is no surprise then that the new McLaren W1’s striking design is defined by aerodynamic requirements, with McLaren’s engineers focusing on combining the high downforce and low drag that ground-effect innovations provide to the foundations for the new Ultimate McLaren’s extraordinary abilities.
The aerodynamic platform of W1 is the most advanced ever in a McLaren road car, the result of 350 hours of wind tunnel sessions with 5000 points tested. The concept begins with the Aerocell monocoque, which is shaped to facilitate full ground effect aerodynamics. Featuring integrated seating – which saves almost 70mm in wheelbase requirement – and raised footwells with an adjustable pedal box and steering to ensure the optimum driving position, the Aerocell is unique to W1, which also features the highest number of aerodynamic and active surface areas of any McLaren.
The Aerocell also incorporates fixings for McLaren’s first-ever Anhedral doors. The decision to adopt this door concept was dictated by aerodynamic requirements demanding a door design that is hinged only from the roof. In conjunction with the reduced-size side window drop glass, the McLaren Anhedral Door allows optimisation of airflow from the front wheel arches into the high temperature radiators, providing extra cooling space that allows the size of the radiators required to cool the powertrain to be reduced, optimising packaging and saving weight. The fact that the door shape is reminiscent of the bodyside of the McLaren MCL38 Formula 1 car is also a neat visual signature.
The W1 builds on the Formula 1-inspired aerodynamic innovation that first distinguished the McLaren P1TM from its competition and has been honed in subsequent McLaren cars. The attention to aerodynamic requirements in W1 even extends to the powertrain, which is inclined by 3 degrees to accommodate the car’s high-downforce rear diffuser.
The key to W1’s duality of dynamic character – offering a sublime driving experience on road and track alike – is McLaren Race mode. When deployed, this engages shape-shifting aerodynamic technologies to enable world-best, radical ‘road to track’ character transformation. Uniquely in W1, much of the downforce is achieved using all of the underbody for ground effect, with this maximised when Race mode is selected.
The lowering of ride height – by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear – and deployment of active front and rear wings is not just theatre: in Race mode W1 is capable of generating up to 350kg of downforce at the front and 650kg at the rear, giving total downforce of up to 1000kg in high-speed corners.
The active front and rear wings and a roof-mounted air flow diverter W1 are among the most advanced aerodynamic features ever in a road-legal McLaren. The revolutionary McLaren Active Long Tail rear wing – arguably visually the single most dramatic element of the new W1 – is absolutely integral to the aerodynamic performance of the car. McLaren’s first association with a ‘longtail’ name dates back to the 1997 F1 GTR, but in the case of this new Active Long Tail wing it is an essential part of the strategy for management of drag, lift and downforce.
Actuated by four E-motors and moving up, down, and – depending on whether the W1 is in Road mode or Race mode – also 300mm rearwards and adjusting in pitch, the McLaren Active Long Tail extends the working area of the rear diffuser in Race mode and is key to the generation of downforce. It also operates in DRS and airbrake configurations as required to help optimise aerodynamic balance.
The front wing is actuated by two E-motors and swings through an arc to create a full-width lower frontal area, feeding air under the car in Race mode via a Formula 1-style T-tray and keel. The two wings work in conjunction with each other and other elements of the design to allow fast and accurate management of aerodynamic requirements.
For road driving the Active Long Tail wing sits over the rear bodywork and front and rear wing deployment is optimised for this environment, with the front wing sitting higher at low speeds to avoid damage from speed bumps. W1’s vehicle lift system further reduces this risk.
The design of the front suspension also contributes to aerodynamic efficiency, with the lower wishbones of the pushrod and inboard damper system raised significantly to keep the channel of air flowing cleanly towards the rear of the car. Other components have an optimised aerodynamic profile to further assist. Conditioning airflow at the rear of the car is less of a priority since the diffuser manages this function, meaning outboard springs and dampers are the optimum solution.