McLaren P1

HYBRID SUPERCAR SET TO TAKE OVER THE LEGENDARY McLaren F1

• 916PS hybrid
• 0-300kmph under 17 seconds
• F1 style KERS and DRS button for more power and less drag

The difference between the finest chef's knife and a full-power chainsaw is that while both are the ultimate expression of cutting technology, the former is vastly more useful in daily life. A chainsawed chicken is an American horror flick. A finely chopped cockadoodledo, on the other hand can be life-changing. That, in essence, is the P1. The supercar that takes reality seriously. 

Which is why the initial plan of making 500 was pared to 375, a number better for exclusivity as well as to ensure the car is an appreciating asset. No, we are quite serious. Then again, this is the car that must top the McLaren F1 so the pressure on the P1 is immense. What it has is aerodynamics that make aircraft look under designed. from 0.34cdA at its slipperiest, the car will deploy a rear wing, flaps in front of the wheels to generate more downforce than te MP4-12C(by five times) and as much as some Le Mans racers. The P1 aims to be the fastest series production car around a circuit, period. 

The structure is carbon fibre, of course, just like the MP4-12C and the whole thing weighs just 1400kg, which is, to be honest, 260 kg more than the F1. The structure holds a specially cast 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol that makes 727PS and also adds a 176PS electric motor. That is 916PS and 900 Nm and this is important. The P1 hits 300kmph in under 17 seconds which means the MP4-12C will be left for dead. And the electric motor does more than just add power, it also makes the car's responses more electric, including supplying negative torque(subtract torque to unload the clutches, in effect) to make shifts smoother and faster and of course, it charges the batteries under braking as usual.

This is a reality focussed car, so you get all the usual bits inside but without too many buttons so it feels focussed. The interior trim is mostly naked carbon because clear coating adds weight. The carpet is, I am not kidding, optional. When launched, the McLaren F1 was the fastest. McLaren says the P1 is the same thing for 2013.

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