The 903bhp McLaren P1 hybrid supercar is in the final stages of pre-production tesing, ahead of the first examples of the £866,000 petrol-electric road-racer being delivered to customers. One of the names on the 375-strong order form is American TV host Jay Leno, who’s paid a visit to McLaren’s Woking HQ to see the P1s in the initial stages of production – and become the first non-McLaren employee to publically test the new McLaren flagship on track. Find out what Jay makes of the 903bhp P1 – and see being driven at the limit – in the feature-length video below.
Remind me of the McLaren P1’s specifications
The McLaren P1 uses a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V8 derived from the firm’s 12C supercar, and developing 727bhp at 7500rpm. Maximum torque of 535lb ft is developed at 4000rpm, but filling in the holes lower down in the V8’s delivery is a 177bhp/192lb ft electric motor, which is also capable of powering the P1 on battery power alone for up to 12 miles.
Weighing in at 1395kg, according to McLaren, the all-carbon P1 will accelerate from rest to 62mph in less than 3.0sec, and roar past 124mph in less than 7.0sec. A mere ten seconds later, it’ll be past 186mph, and well on its way to an electronically restrained top speed of 217mph.
The massive rear wing can generaqte up to 600kg of downforce in ‘Race Mode’, which also lowers the P1 50mm closer to the road (or track) surface and increases roll stiffness in the hydraulically adaptive suspension by a whopping 300%. An F1-style DRS button inside tilts the rear wing to reduce drag and raise straight-line speed. Braking is taken care of by mirror-finish Akebono carbon-ceramic brakes, developed by the same Japanese outfit which takes care of the stoppers in McLaren’s F1 racing cars.
McLaren is targetting a record-breaking sub-7min Nurburgring lap time for the P1 – and a bloody nose for its sworn enemy: the 950bhp LaFerrari. Check out CAR’s hybrid hypercar comparison here, and click here to read Ollie Kew’s Geneva motor show blog reflecting on the world debuts of both the McLaren P1 and LaFerrari