McLaren pushes the limit of personalisation and performance with the new W1

It was a most unusual autumn day on which I arrived at the historic Silverstone race circuit for an intimate first look at the much-anticipated McLaren W1 hosted by McLaren Special Operations. Rather than the expected wind and damp, the temperature was more reminiscent of a mid-summer’s day as the sun shone down upon the gathered collection of McLaren cars that decorated the venue, both statistically displayed and blasting round the track.

Launched on the 50th anniversary of McLaren’s first Formula 1 World Championship win, the W1 is the fastest, most technically advanced and capable hybrid hypercar the marque has ever conceptualised, designed and built. I was joining an audience of owners, enthusiasts and press at this McLaren Pure experience – part of the special ownership club benefits that are exclusively on offer to McLaren owners.

This Pure event saw owner-drivers spend two days experiencing the latest advancements from the brand, while also getting the chance to work their own cars to the absolute limit around the Formula 1 circuit, with professional driver instruction available if desired.But the highlight of the event was the W1, which, to be clear, is bonkers fast. Limited to just 399 models, the supercar is the fastest accelerating road-legal McLaren ever produced, able to reach 200km/h from standstill in just 5.8secs thanks to an all-new, high-performance hybrid powertrain consisting of the MHP-8 V8 engine – a combined 4-ltr V8 fuel engine and E-module derived from F1 battery technology – and an eight-speed dual clutch transmission, which includes an integrated E-Differential.

This hybrid engine creates 1,258 bhp and 1,340 Nm of torque, balanced by 1,000kg of downforce created by the innovative integrated aero system. This technological feat comprises a purpose-built Aerocell and Active Long Tail, which, when the car is in race mode, extends backwards by 300mm in a mesmerising display of automatically adjusting control surfaces that optimise performance in any given moment – it’s not unlike watching a fifth-generation fighter jet in action.

But to reduce this phenomenal machine to mere stats is to do it a massive disservice. As I joined the McLaren Pure members on the Silverstone circuit – driving flat out in a McLaren Artura on the hanger straight – the W1, piloted by Bruno Senna, flew past me at such speed it was as if I was standing still.FUNCTION AND FORM

But even beyond the feat of technical engineering, McLaren’s Special Operations team are ensuring that owners make each of the 399 manufactured W1s, all of which have been pre-sold with a starting price of £2m, entirely their own. This hyper-personalisation includes customised finished such as unique colour tines for carbon fibre components and wheel finishes, tailored interiors, from material choice – including patented McLaren InnoKnit fabric and bespoke stitching – to customised interior lighting, and unique details such as personalised patterns, graphics, or functional components.

The personalisation works around yet more innovative details designed to ensure weight, control and performance are held in pin-point accuracy. The car’s doors open differently to any other McLaren to aid aerodynamic performance; the car’s pedals and steering wheel move to fit the driver’s seat; driving mode selectors are positioned intuitively just a finger-click away. McLaren’s InnoKnit fabric can be knitted perfectly to the shape and size of the seats, meaning there is no waste of space, air or weight. Visually, there are no buttons or dials on the steering wheel itself: the sense is one of no clutter, no distractions, just deliberately engineered simplicity that focuses on the things that really matter.Taken as a whole, the W1 seems to defy physics. While at Silverstone, I heard the phrase, ‘Excellence everywhere’ repeated multiple times – an undeniably refreshing sentiment that is evident throughout the W1’s concept, design and build. McLaren has built a veritable space rocket that is just at home doing a few laps of Silverstone’s F1 circuit as it is impressing the neighbours, then eventually, when you decide you really must go home, gliding the last 300m of your driveway in electric-only mode so you don’t wake up the neighbourhood.

McLaren really has thought of everything. The W1 is beautiful, smart, perfectly executed and incredibly fast. Car lovers would have to be mad not to want one. With a production run limited to just 399 customer-designed cars, this is a very special creation, indeed. 

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