For a car with such an abbreviated name, the McLaren W1 packs a vast amount of engineering tech. It’s also more advanced in some key areas than a contemporary Formula One car. That’s one hell of a USP.

At its heart sits an all-new V8 hybrid powertrain with a combined system output of 1,258 brake horsepower (bhp). The 4.0-liter twin turbo V8 makes 915 bhp on its own, boosted by what McLaren refers to as an “E-module,” which adds another 342 bhp. With a quoted dry weight of 1,399 kilograms (3,084 pounds), that results in a power-to-weight ratio of 899 bhp per metric ton. Not many cars can match that, certainly not ones that wear registration plates and can be driven on the road by ordinary, if very wealthy, mortals.

Core to the W1 is its new Aerocell monocoque, whose shape and composition is heavily influenced by McLaren’s aerodynamic targets. It’s made from pre-preg carbon fiber, the most complex form of composite manufacture, and one that combines light weight with great structural rigidity.

McLaren claims that the W1’s aero platform is the most advanced the company has ever developed for a road car. It utilizes what’s called “ground effect,” an aerodynamic process mastered by Colin Chapman’s Lotus Formula One team back in the ’70s and subsequently banned. It returned to F1 in 2022, and it relies on a clever under-floor concept to generate low pressure underneath the car to suction it closer to the road or track surface. The W1 is only the second road-legal car to use it, the other being the Aston Martin Valkyrie.

Long Tail Cleverness

Given that the new McLaren is primarily a high-performance road machine, it’s a big challenge to create a car that can work in every environment. The W1 does it by having two primary modes, Road and Race. In the latter, the ride height drops by 37 millimeters at the front and 17 millimeters at the rear, a clever “heave” system stiffens the suspension, and the W1’s active aero kicks in. Its complex front wing uses e-motors to alter its configuration in Race mode, a central section diverting air downstream to an F1-inspired keel, while the side sections generate front downforce. Under braking, this flow is redirected to provide more cooling, while also moving the aero balance towards the rear.

But it’s the W1’s rear wing, dubbed the McLaren Active Long Tail, that’s the car’s party piece. This extends rearwards by up to 300 millimeters through a 180-degree arc, far beyond the edge of the W1’s body, and it is critical to the W1’s immense track capability. In Race mode it conjures up to 350 kilograms of downforce at the front and 650 kilograms at the rear for maximum attack in high-speed corners. Four e-motors move the wing up or down and alter its angle; it also works as a DRS—drag reduction system—and an air brake. It’s one of various elements on the car McLaren is seeking to patent.

Equally inspired is the W1’s rear diffuser, which benefits from the Aerocell’s structure to the extent that it’s wrapped tightly around the powertrain and acts as the rear crash structure as well as a critical aerodynamic element. It’s made of  intermediate-modulus carbon fiber, an even stronger and more heat-resistant composite.

“The interaction of the rear wing and diffuser is extremely clever,” says Marcus Waite, head of performance and attributes at McLaren Automotive. “When the rear wing moves backwards, it reinforces the diffuser to the extent that you could call it a diffuser extension. The rear wing is helping to suck more air out through the car to achieve ground effect. That relies on being able to accelerate the air under the car as quickly as possible, and then expand it out.”

This is a key concept: A Formula One car is at its most effective when the aerodynamic center of pressure is stable and as close as possible to the center of gravity. The McLaren W1 aims to deliver on that principle on track without being heinously undrivable on the road. Cool trick.

Gull-Wing Doors for Radiators

Now check out the W1’s doors. McLaren has previously favored dihedral doors, but these are anhedral—colloquially known as gull wings. Their shape assists the airflow from the front wheel arches into the high-temperature radiators, and provides an extra 100 millimeteres of cooling space. So the radiators don’t need to be as big. It also means the W1 is easier to get into and out of. Note that the seats are integrated into the monocoque, which helps reduce the wheelbase by 70 millimeters, and further trims the weight.

The doors are one of the most showbiz moments on a car that is dramatic-looking but predominantly functional. Highlights include visible carbon-fiber aero structures, exposed suspension components, and side pods that take their cues from current F1 design thinking. Their intakes and ducts perform various cooling and aerodynamic functions.

The all-new engine has been four years in development, designed from the outset to be a core part of an electrified powertrain. The 3,988-cc unit is rich in high-end technical innovation such as plasma-spray-coated cylinder bores and valve gear that uses sliding finger followers with diamond-like carbon coating to reduce friction. It revs to 9,200 rpm, higher than any previous McLaren engine, with peak torque on its own of 664 pound-feet.

The E-module consists of a radial flux e-motor similar to the sort used in F1 that can spin to 24,000 rpm and weighs just 20 kilograms. It’s coupled to a motor control unit and fed by a 1.384-kWh battery, whose cooling system can withstand lengthy track sessions. The W1’s monocoque has been designed to include a cavity in which to secure the battery, positioned as low as possible in the structure to optimize the center of gravity. The battery’s state of charge is always sufficient to start the engine and to operate the electric reverse gear. The P1, back in 2013, was McLaren’s first stab at a hybrid, and the progress since then means that the W1’s setup weighs 40 kilograms less than the P1’s while delivering 40 percent more power.

The transmission is an all-new eight-speed dual shift with a much higher torque capacity than on previous McLarens. There’s also an all-new hydraulic E-differential. Rivals in the hypercar space are using multiple e-motors for torque vectoring and to provide all-wheel drive. The W1 is proudly rear-drive only, and it’s a testament to the company’s immense engineering smarts that they’ve delivered a car that can cope with a combined 988 pound-feet of torque at the input shaft.

Phenomenally Rapid

The W1’s suspension is also F1-inspired, in particular an innovation called FRIC. That stood for Front and Rear Interconnected Suspension, which linked all four corners of the car diagonally to  control the car’s attitude as the speed and downforce increased. The W1’s front suspension uses titanium torsion bars and an active-heave crosslink, while the rear setup has a Z-bar with active drop links to optimize the car’s vertical motion. The front uprights and wishbones are 3D-printed in titanium. This is also the first McLaren road car to use pushrods that are linked to inboard dampers, another aspect of the car’s ruthless aero optimization.

A Comfort setting is the default road one, and uses the e-motor for torque infill. Sport ups the agility and connectedness, with sharper throttle response and faster gearshifts. Race mode is the one that initiates the full aerodynamic transformation. There’s also a Race+ for expensively surfaced circuits.

And the W1 needs one to do its best work. Even in a world in which the new breed of electric hypercar has rewired expectations, this is a phenomenally rapid machine. The W1 can accelerate to 62 mph in 2.7 seconds, 124 mph in 5.8, and 186 mph in “less than 12.7 seconds.” That makes it faster than the highly streamlined Speedtail, and the W1 is also three seconds per lap faster round McLaren’s reference test track—at Italian proving ground Nardo—than the aggressively aerodynamic Senna. Its top speed is an electronically limited 217 mph.

Powertrain options in Race mode include a GP setting for consistency on longer runs, or Sprint for all 1,258 bhp. Bespoke Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS rubber is standard fitment, 265/35 at the front, 335/30 at the rear (there are also less extreme R and Winter 2 Pirellis.)

The steering is also fully hydraulic, a key McLaren USP while virtually everyone else adopts a fully electric setup. The brakes use the McLaren Carbon Ceramic-Racing+ setup, with 390-millimeter discs front and rear, and six-piston calipers on the front, and four-piston ones on the rear. There are F1-style ducts and aero wheel appendages to optimize cooling. The W1 can come to a halt from 124 mph in 100 meters.

InnoKnit Interior

Inside, the fixed seats and raised footwell give the W1 the feel of a well-bred competition car. The pedals, flat-bottomed steering wheel and primary controls adjust to meet the driver. The W1 has the narrowest A-pillars on any McLaren, slender sun visors, and a rear-view camera to atone for the lack of over-the-shoulder visibility.

The wheel now has two buttons—one for a Boost function, the other to tweak the aero—but is still less busy than a Ferrari’s wheel. As on the McLaren Artura and 750 S, the chassis and powertrain modes can be adjusted via rocker switches on the top of the instrument binnacle. The binnacle itself has been shaped aerodynamically.

There’s a central hi-res touchscreen, as on other McLarens, although in the W1 such considerations are surely secondary. There’s a modest amount of stowage space behind the seats. McLaren is also pioneering an interior trim called InnoKnit, an ultra-lightweight sustainable material that can be tailored in multiple colors, and integrates audio and ambient lighting. Its Special Operations division is ready and waiting to personalize the car.

To which end the W1’s £2 million cost ($2.6 million) is merely the starting point. It’s academic anyway, because production is limited to 399 cars, all of which are spoken for. McLaren Automotive has had a turbulent few years, but the W1 is a once-in-a-generation techno marvel.