McLaren W1 First Look: $2.1m Supercar Won Over Jay Leno, But I Still Need Convincing

Deep in the shadowy recesses of Jay Leno's Garage, two Brits pull a matte black sheet off a svelte supercar. The McLaren W1's nose emerges, more nautical than aquiline, with little fanfare and no applause. Immediately, the grizzled automotive journalists on hand start glancing back and forth, forth and back, comparing McLaren's latest and greatest to the P1 and F1 sitting right and left. Familiar yet futuristic, the W1's design clearly bears the brunt of computer renderings and iterative algorithms. Yet the shapes, lines, and forms still look so familiar. Will the small stylistic step forward, more than a leap despite another decade-plus passing, actually matter to collectors?

Of course not. But the theatrics of these automotive unveils never fail to disappoint. Really, the royal we gathered here today hoping to glean at least some semblance of a clue about the W1, that previous pictures posted on socials and scrutinized through the small screens of smartphones never revealed. Mostly whether, in an era when Koenigseggs and Bugattis (and maybe SSC Tuataras) fight for 300-mph supremacy, can a successor to the world-beating F1 and the world's first hybrid supercar, the P1, actually hope to stay ahead of the game?

Luckily, McLaren brought along Marcus Waite, Head of Attributes & Performance, to answer any and all such questions, typically with a resoundingly British understatement and stiff upper lip that belie some of the enthusiasm for what should be quite a spectacular achievement.

To my eye, the unfortunately-named W1 looks fairly tame from afar. Of course, that's within the pantheon of an industry in the throes of absurd excess, angularity, and all-out overtechnification. Sleek and very clearly optimized for aerodynamics, with a hint of previous McLaren style in the headlights, roofline, and haunches, the W1 nonetheless resolves into a much fuller form up close. That front splitter actually serves as a full-on wing, able to articulate up to 10 degrees during hard braking to prevent nose dive from ruining airflow into six discrete underbody channels.

The roof scoop mounts further back than on the P1, to make room for massive gullwing doors that proceed to reveal more of the side's aerodynamic appendages, both for slipstream slipperiness but also downforce and cooling. The enormous side intakes, larger perhaps even than a Z06 Corvette, feed radiators that keep the engine and hybrid system operating at optimal temps.

Any aero visible, however, pales in comparison to the ground effects that McLaren prioritized for the W1. Because—and I cannot understate how much McLaren overstated this—Formula 1 world championships and technology underpin the new car. As in, a lot of banned tech that F1 will not allow, to help this new flagship both hit a higher top speed than a Speedtail while lapping the Nardo Ring faster than a Senna.

Down to brass tacks, then. The aforementioned six channels underneath the W1, fed by the front wing (not a splitter!) first need to avoid any air churned up by the wheels and tires. Hence the large front wheel arches—all the better for placing tires on a racetrack, or up a tight driveway—as well as the visible venting and buttressing. The underbody channels then expand, creating vacuum, before feeding the enormous diffuser that, in similar fashion as the new Bugatti Tourbillon, actually connects to the chassis structure to help keep the entire rear end thinner and, therefore, higher. Even the engine and gearbox sit at a three-degree angle to create more precious millimeters of expansion to increase downforce margins.

Then the air flowing over and around hits a novel rear wing, which McLaren dubbed the "Active Longtail" for good reason. In 18 seconds, the wing lifts up off of the body and stretches out, on a series of intricate appendages that reminded me for all the world of a Volkswagen Phaeton's trunk hinges (built by Italian bicycle maker Campagnolo). Doing so increases total downforce from 440 pounds to the maximum of 2,200 pounds. Not bad, yet less aggressive than perhaps expected from a car that weighs just over 3,000 pounds.

The aerodynamic requirements of besting both the Speedtail and Senna in their native habitats also dictated lifting the driver's feet up 2.5 inches higher, yet the interior looks fairly typical of mid-engined supercars. Other than the bright orange "Innoknit" fabric, a sustainable option that might look better when not decked out in the Formula 1 racing team's colors. 

The seat cushions and backs do not adjust, instead a button brings the pedals to the driver's feet, which saves weight but also overall length. Meanwhile, tiny rolldown windows trace back to the F1 more than the P1, McLaren decided to retain hydraulic steering and braking—the latter with an integrated electronic parking brake, though—and a central touchscreen can apparently play The Weeknd.

However, the gathered assemblage neither got to hear Blinding Lights nor the W1's engine fire up, because this car served as more of a rolling concept than a true automobile. As such, no iterative algorithm-enhanced control arms beneath those sculptural fenders, instead stamped metal pieces that clearly approach nowhere near a Pareto frontier of aerodynamics and strength. Perhaps also explaining the matte carbon weave for the front clamshell transitioning to gloss grey for the body over some, shall we say, less than perfect panel gaps. At least the tail worked, and sure looked the business!

But Waite claimed the finished design took 350 hours of wind tunnel testing, in addition to thousands of computational fluid dynamics renders. In an era when power output easily outpaces tire traction, the name of the game for these supercars then becomes how to absolutely maximize available grip. First, though, you do need that power—and here, the W1 delivers.

At just over 3,000 pounds, the W1 promises 1,258 combined horsepower from the plug-in hybrid V8 powertrain. The engine itself still only displaces 4.0 liters, as on previous McLarens, but now bears the acronym MHP-8. Key details: 916 horsepower and 664 lb-ft from internal-combustion alone, a flat-plane crank, and both direct and port injection. Aluminum for the engine block, cylinder heads, and pistons, plus plasma-coated bores to delete the need for cylinder liners, result in a block that weighs 44 pounds less and measures 1.2 inches shorter than any previous McLaren 4.0L.

Now bolt on a pair of twin-scroll turbos to boost low and high-end, well, boost on the way to 9,200 RPM. McLaren claims the twin-scrolls result in 30% more torque by 2,500 RPM, despite the use of a radial flux electric motor that alone can punch out 342 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque while spinning up to 24,000 RPM. A new 800-volt battery with 1.4 kilowatt-hours of capacity feeds that motor, with gains from the electrical system versus the P1 reported as 90% more power despite weighing 30% less.

The eight-speed dual-clutch houses the electric motor, which handles startup and reverse by itself. To cope with so much combined torque, the even gears' shaft splits both input and output duties. An electronically controlled differential then constantly adjusts delivery to the rear wheels, to better manage traction of the full combined 1,258 horsepower and 988 lb-ft.

Of course, the driver can choose various modes to capitalize on the capabilities that a plug-in hybrid powertrain creates. E-mode, as the name suggests, runs the electric motor only—a little shy of the total 899 horsepower-to-ton power-to-weight ratio, though. Comfort mode unlocks the internal-combustion engine fully, and lets the e-motor help a bit. And Sport then tells the e-motor to run full bore at all times, while the gearshifts become less smooth but more "engaging."

Two race modes, too, because F1 F1 F1! Sprint wastes as many electrons as needed for a "qualifying lap" while GP manages battery output and temps for a full track stint. At any time in any mode, the driver can then punch a thumb at the Boost button on the steering wheel to unleash the electric motor's full output.

More F1 goodies? Well, how about active rear drop links banned by the FIA. (In fairness, all active suspension is banned.) But also splined titanium torsion bars—yes, like an air-cooled Porsche or a Mitsubishi Montero—for when the front inboard suspension heave elements lock out, both the front tires can still push down to maintain traction.

The W1's computers will help maintain traction, too, since software programming can now outsmart just about any human short of Lando Norris himself. Waite even admitted that test drivers already struggled to reach the full braking potential, since the enormous 15.4-inch carbon-ceramic brake discs can apparently haul the W1 from 124 miles an hour to a dead stop in just 328 feet. 

All told, he acknowledged that the W1's engineering begins to reach the point of sheer physics at which human bodies will struggle to handle the acceleration, lateral g forces, and braking capabilities. And yet, at what point does a car that potent become simply too hardcore for road driving in any fashion?

The supercar and emerging hypercar industry centers around finding a middle ground, which today's technology makes possible more than ever before. Traction and stability control allows four-digit horsepower stats not only reasonably, but safely, in any regard for any driver. And electronically adjustable suspension, especially with inboard or pushrod configurations, can span a wider range of damping profiles than ever before.

In hindsight, the original F1 seems insane for its era—and still so, even if the stats on paper no longer hold up quite as well. And remember that the P1 debuted only two years after the MP4-12C, which only emerged the better part of another two decades after the F1. Now, cut that gap almost in half, and the W1 cannot escape comparisons to a previous era of hybrids—notably, the Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder. Maybe the Lamborghini Revuelto serves as today's most relevant competition, though being more apropos, the supercapacitor Sian probably fits the bill best.

McLaren wants the W1 to race on track better than racecars, while also remain liveable—and enjoyable. Which explains the hydraulic steering and braking, as well as the pushrod suspension's ability to lock out anti-heave. But we're solidly in the EV era, when no cars feel fast anymore thanks to ungodly acceleration of the Rimac Nevera and Lucid Air Sapphire. Even the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, despite such impeccable finesse across the board, stays in the realm of tame performance.

The W1 should—arguably, needs to—live in that realm of speed, despite sticking with the rear-wheel-drive layout. (And I asked, but rear-wheel steering got nixed early on. Looking at you, Porsche.)

At a theatric presentation interspersed with quintessential Leno wisecracks, as I tried to keep up with the engineering jargon, I wondered whether the engagement that made McLarens so great can survive such an onslaught of technology. Power and aero and braking and software, all at the limit of physics, putting more pressure on tires (Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS, R, or even Winter 2 for those trips to St Moritz and Zermatt!), despite tire technology ramping up steeply in the past decade, too.

The single car that came to mind most? Gordon Murray's T.50, which dials back the tech and ramps up the subjective metrics. As if the original Lotus and McLaren ethos (ethe?) that created so many championship wins survived in a different multiverse and avoided the big business tech boom. Would I take a W1 against a T.50 at even money? Well, McLaren benefits from a slight edge in the legitimate—all together once more—Formula 1 heritage. And a larger company building more cars always lends an air of seriousness to the reliability question.

Admittedly after having driven neither, the allure of a naturally aspirated V12 and six-speed manual simply steals the show. But that's just my two cents, and for those who don't have a fair amount more than two cents to budget, just remember that it doesn't matter what you think.

Maybe if you can afford one, you can afford the other, too. Too bad the W1's production run of 399 customers cars is already allocated, despite—or thanks to, depending on how you look at it—a price tag starting at $2.1 million (before truly unlimited customization options). Hey, even Jay Leno sprung for one, despite thinking he might skip out after putting thousands of miles on his F1 and P1.

Ideally, unlike that P1, the W1's hybrid system will work with the air conditioning on. I kid, because surely McLaren's know-how—championship pedigree from F1, everybody—will apply. F1 success and F1 tech all sound great, and in fairness the W1 appears to combine my favorite aspects of my three favorite McLarens: the pared-down 600LT, hybrid Artura, and approachable 750S. Just with more of each attribute doing more, all at once. 

Here's hoping for not too much more, though, since as McLaren well knows, less is more and more complexity means that more needs to work together well, more. The kind of complexity that requires an entire team of dedicated professionals to find success at the upper echelons of... Well, you know, the other 1.