McLaren Announces the P1's Hypercar Successor

Hypercar manufacturer McLaren has finally unveiled the successor to the legendary F1 and record-shattering P1. The McLaren W1 will hit the road in 2026 and offers several improvements over its direct predecessors—even if some of its specs seem on par with other recent McLarens, including the 750S and P1.

With a starting price of $2.1 million and production numbers limited to 399, the McLaren W1 is as inaccessible as its predecessors and peers. Predictably, all those vehicles were snapped up before the W1 was announced. Still, you can't have one aside, do the W1's specs live up to the McLaren legacy?

A new flagship from the manufacturer that gave us the F1

Since the McLaren F1 set the world alight in the 1990s, McLaren's flagship vehicles have had much to live up to. With 1,258 hp and 988 lb-ft of torque, the McLaren W1 certainly fits the bill in the raw power department. There's a lot of Formula One tech in there, too, including weight-saving 3D printed parts and aerodynamic features capable of producing 2,205 pounds of downforce while in "Race" mode.

In terms of performance, those numbers translate to a 2.7-second 0-60 time and an "electronically limited" top speed of 217 mph. Whether or not McLaren ups or removes that limit in a future version of the vehicle remains to be seen. Like other McLarens, the focus isn't just on top speed or acceleration. Instead, it's all about on-track performance. So, expect the more subtle parts of the W1's design to keep it competitive with vehicles that don't quite match on paper.

Related: Bugatti Tourbillon Preview: 1,000-hp V16, 800-hp electric motors, gorgeous interior

The W1 is a plug-in hybrid, but not for environmental reasons

McLaren committed to hybrid powertrains a few years ago, so it's no surprise its new hypercar is a PHEV. However, the additional battery and electric motor aren't there to improve fuel economy, and they certainly aren't there to give the vehicle's V8 any time off. On electric power alone, the W1 will only have around two miles of range.

The motor provides an additional 342 horsepower and 324 lb-ft of torque, which is more than you'll get from the average large SUV and roughly double what you'll get from a standard vehicle. Due to the nature of electric motors, all of that power is available the second you put pressure on the accelerator. As for the plug-in part, a Level 2 charger will take the battery from dead to 80% in around 20 minutes.

The McLaren W1's engine is pretty impressive too

You can't have a hybrid without a combustion engine, and beyond the batteries is a 4.0-liter flat-plane-crank V8 capable of delivering 916 horsepower on its own. All of that power passes through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission before an electronically controlled differential allocates it appropriately.

Countering all of that power is McLaren's proprietary hydraulic brake system, which features 20 pistons (six on each front brake, four on the back) that clamp the calipers down on a set of 15.4-inch carbon ceramic rotors. The brakes can stop a W1 traveling at 124 mph in just 328 feet.

Related: Hennessey Venom F5 lineup: Inside the world’s fastest hypercar family

Final thoughts

The raw specs are there on paper, and the W1 is worthy of carrying a McLaren badge. You also have various tech filtering down from Formula 1 and the eye-catching appearance you would expect from an out-and-out hypercar. Moreover, none of this is that much of a gamble on McLaren's part. The McLaren Artura has already shown us what the manufacturer's hybrid powertrains can do.

With all of that being said, competition is significantly stiffer now. It may be a challenge With the Venom F5 and Bugatti's upcoming Tourbillon setting as many records as the F1 and P1 did. While the W1's 0-60 times are more than enough to get the adrenaline flowing, the vehicle can't compete on that front with performance EV manufacturers either. Efforts from Rimac, Lucid, Czinger, and Tesla will smoke it from 0-60. Still, that doesn't take away from the fact that the W1 will be an exciting, pacey, agile, and good looking continuation of Bruce McLaren's legacy.