The new McLaren W1 is following in the iconic tyre tracks of the F1 and P1, so to say it has a lot to live up to in this review is the understatement of the year. In order to find out if it has the requisite hypercar chops, Henry Catchpole drives it around the fabulous Mugello circuit (in Ferrari’s backyard!) and on the beautiful but bumpy roads of northern Tuscany.
The W1 certainly has enough performance because it produces a mighty 1257bhp and 988lb ft of torque from its hybrid powertrain, all of which goes to the rear wheels alone through an e-diff. Those numbers come from a combination of a new 4-litre, twin-turbo, flat-plane crank, 90-degree V8 and a radial flux e-motor that sits alongside the eight-speed DCT gearbox. Those stats for the V8 might sound very familiar to owners of a 750S, but the engine really is new and with both port and direct injection it is capable of revving to 9200rpm. What’s more, it’s got character as well as punch.
The acceleration figures are 0-60mph in 2.7 seconds, 0-124mph in 5.8 seconds and 0-186mph in under 12.7 seconds. That’s a match for the similarly rear-wheel drive but considerably more focussed Aston Martin Valkyrie. The McLaren W1’s aero stats would worry the Aston too, because in Race mode, with the ride height lowered and rear wing extended backwards by 320mm, its ground effect design creates 2205lb (1000kg) of downforce at 174mph.
The end result is that the W1 hits over 200mph by the end of Mugello’s 1.1km main straight. That’s just a few miles per hour shy of the speed Lando Norris was reaching in his Formula One car when the F1 circus pitched up for the Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello in 2020.
It’s not all new with the W1, though, and with good reason. Unlike its rivals at Ferrari, Aston Martin and Porsche, the McLaren W1 has retained hydraulically power assisted steering, which results in fabulous feel. Similarly the brakes don’t have to deal with regen duties for the small 1.4kWh battery, so it is a purely hydraulic system clamping the calipers onto the new carbon ceramic discs. Both these things are part of the reason the new W1 is so engaging on road as well as track.
