McLaren Wants the P1 to be the Best Driver's Car Ever

McLarenMcLarenUnited Kingdom, 1963 > present92 models
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has finally began revealing details about the P1McLaren P1United Kingdom, 2012 > present3 photos
supercar. It says that its goal with the car is to create the best driver's car ever made on road and track even if that means it does not win a battle in terms of specs. However, it says that the look of the car shown in Paris is still just a design study and subject to change. The production version will be shown in 2013 and deliveries will start in late 2013. 

"Our aim is not necessarily to be the fastest in absolute top speed but to be the quickest and most rewarding series production road car on a circuit. It is the true test of a supercar’s all round ability and a much more important technical statement. Our goal is to make the McLaren P1 the most exciting, most capable, most technologically advanced and most dynamically accomplished supercar ever made," said McLaren Managing Director Antony Sheriff.

The P1 will be made almost entirely from carbon fiber and will have some of the most advanced aerodynamics of any road car ever. The passenger area is made from a new Monocage that directs air to the dynamic rear wing. The technology was developed from the Monocell that is used in the MP4-12CMcLaren MP4-12CUnited Kingdom, 2009 > present15 versions
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. To further reduce weight, the P1 uses single piece clamshells over the front and rear of the body. The P1 produces 600kg of downforce, which is five times more than an MP4-12C and close to an MP4-12C GT3. 

McLaren is still keeping very quiet about the engine. It says that the car will have a power to weight ratio of more than 600ps per tonne. McLaren says that the car prioritizes function over style. It did not try to build a car with maximum top speed. 

"It reflects the fact that many buyers of today’s fastest supercars do use them increasingly on the race track, at special owner events. We wanted a car that would feel like a proper racing car. And then could be driven home in great comfort and refinement. In other words, a real McLaren but with an even broader breadth of ability," said Program Director Paul Mackenzie.

One of the P1's top features will be its Formula 1-inspired DRS wing. The wing adjusts during driving depending on what the driver needs. It can produce high downforce while cornering. The wing has 300mm of extension and can pitch up to 29 degrees. In straight line driving, the wing stalls to create no downforce. There are also two flaps under the car that also open and close dynamically up to 60 degrees. The front flaps and rear wing work together under acceleration and braking. 

The P1 will use custom made tires from Pirelli branded Speed Marque.