All supercars are engineering achievements. Some more than others.
Take, for example, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. That's an amazing piece of machinery, no doubt. However, it is an engineering marvel in a completely different way than say the McLaren MP4-12C. And if you thought the "baby McLaren" was fascinating, you haven't seen anything yet.
That's because the big daddy P1 with more than 900 horsepower and plenty of F1 techno wizardry is sure to deliver even more mind blowing statistics and facts than previously thought.
It will cost £866,000 and only 375 will be built. 250 have been accounted for. So, if you have money burning a whole in your pocket you may want to speak up...now. The vehicle has spent a helluva lot of time in the wind tunnel and is said to be packaged very tightly, much like an F1 car. Space is considered a limited commodity in the engine bay.
Remember how the original F1's engine bay was plated in gold to dissipate heat? Well, we reckon that's why the rear section of the exhaust gets the same treatment in the P1.
The P1 has an all-electric mode and its batteries are said to be the densest and the electric motor is most powerful fitted to any production vehicle. McLaren road-tested an all-electric MP4-12C with the same system for 60,000 miles to ensure all was well.
Much like the MP4-12C, this was all done for a reason: to eek out the best possible lap times. According to sources, McLaren is said to have been aiming for a sub seven-minute lap time around Germany's Nurburgring.
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The McLaren P1 by numbers
375 Total number of cars to be built to maintain exclusivity, although a racing model has been considered during the car’s design and engineering
300 per cent difference in suspension stiffness from normal to race modes
1 The only option for the £866k car is an extra battery charger
1 Car built per day on a bespoke line in the McLaren Production Centre
16000 litres of water shot at each production car in monsoon testing to check each on for leaks
600kg of downforce in race mode thanks to 300mm rear wing extension, less drag than a 12C in normal
980 degrees temp of exhaust gas in track mode
6 different types of carbon fibre used in the carbon fiber
800 degrees brake disc temperature of special Akebono brakes. Discs are so hard they’re near indestructible and should last the life of the car
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