It’s been more than a decade since McLaren P1 production began, and it might be time for a successor. McLaren just put up a video about its “1” cars, the F1 and P1, with various employees from the brand talking about what makes them so special. At the end, a date and time flash up on the screen: October 6th, 1:00 PM British Summer Time (or, 8:00 AM Eastern Time). Will we see a P1 successor then? We’ll definitely get something, even if it’s just a teaser.
Earlier this year, McLaren reportedly previewed the new hypercar, code-named P18, to dealers. It should get a new hybrid V-8 powertrain, something McLaren confirmed was in development last year, replacing the twin-turbo V-8 the company has used since the MP4-12C debuted in 2011. The P1 successor will also sport a new design language, something McLaren previewed earlier this year.
The P1 was revealed in 2012 and along with the Porsche 918 Spyder and Ferrari LaFerrari made up the “Holy Trinity” of hybrid hypercars. Its hybrid twin-turbo V-8 powertrain made 903 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, and thanks to its mostly carbon-fiber construction, the P1 weighed right around 3,330 pounds. There was more too. It had a clever hydraulic cross-linked suspension system and active aerodynamics for performance like little else. Even now, it’s one of the fastest cars in the world.
McLaren has since made other hypercars, the Senna, Speedtail, and Elva, but none were epochal like the P1. Or the F1 before it, for that matter. With its newest “1” car, McLaren hopes to recapture the magic.
Meanwhile, Porsche is working on its own new hypercar, an EV previewed by the Mission X, while Ferrari is brewing a hybrid hypercar of its own. All three have big shoes to fill.
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