CarBrandLogos archive · McLaren · 2013

McLarenMcLaren P1

Formula One aerodynamics and a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, twenty years after the F1.

Photo: Axion23 (original) Tony Patt (cropped) · CC BY 2.0

The story

A defining chapter in McLaren history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the McLaren P1, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

McLaren announced its successor to the F1 in 2012 and made clear from the start that it was chasing a different target. Where the F1 had pursued outright speed by removing everything, the P1 pursued lap time by adding — a hybrid drivetrain, active aerodynamics and active suspension.

McLaren M838T · Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0

Design and engineering

The combustion half was a heavily revised version of the 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8, joined by an electric motor mounted to the engine that filled the turbo lag and could drive the car alone for a short distance. Together they produced a figure comfortably beyond 900 horsepower. The rear wing moved through a large range and could deploy a drag-reduction mode on straights, as in Formula One; the suspension lowered the car and stiffened dramatically in race mode, at which point it generated enormous downforce for a road car.

Fo S20162016 0624 123606AA · Matthew Lamb · CC BY-SA 2.0

In production

Frank Stephenson's team gave it a shrink-wrapped body with almost every surface working aerodynamically, and a cabin stripped to the point of austerity — no carpets, thin glass, exposed carbon.

McLaren P1 GTR at Grand Basel 2018 03 · Ank Kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0

Legacy

It arrived alongside the Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder, three hybrid hypercars launched within months of each other, and the comparison defined the era. All 375 were sold before production began in October 2013 and finished in December 2015. A track-only GTR followed. The W1, revealed in 2024, is its acknowledged successor.

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Engine

3799 cc twin-turbocharged M838TQ V8

Designer

Frank Stephenson

Body

2-door coupé

Technical specification

The McLaren P1, in detail.

Production: October 2013 – December 2015
Class: Sports car (S)
Body style: 2-door coupé
Layout: Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Engine: 3799 cc twin-turbocharged M838TQ V8
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch
Designer: Frank Stephenson ; Paul Howse ; Rob Melville ; Simon Lacey (engineer); Simon Lacey
Assembly: United Kingdom: Woking, Surrey, England
Manufacturer: McLaren Automotive