$3 million McLaren P1 GTR unveiled with retro Le Mans livery, 986-hp

We've been teased with design concepts and snippets of information regarding the McLaren P1 GTR for some time now, and typically when that happens the official, full-on reveal is a bit of a letdown. Not in this case. Call it the famed paint scheme, or the monster rear wing. Or maybe it's the 986 hp on tap. Or the $3 million price tag. Whatever it is, the P1 GTR, dressed for its official reveal in Geneva, looks utterly magnificent.

It won't look magnificent on public roads, however, because the P1 GTR is strictly for the racetrack. Which means it's limited to a select few buyers, ones that can not only afford the chunk of change but also withstand the rigorous process McLaren will impose upon them prior to letting them drive it -- like a custom seat fit, a "Human Performance Assessment," presumably to ensure they won't die at the wheel, a pre-test at Silverstone followed by the real-deal, if ready, in Spain.

Seem a bit ridiculous? Here's why it's not:

The "base" P1 is one of the fastest hypercars on the planet. The P1 GTR will be faster. A lot faster. The 3.8-liter turbocharged V-8 gets a 62 hp bump while the electric motor zaps an additional 21 hp. Further more, 110 lbs. of weight is shed by using "motorsports derived parts" like polycarbonate side windows, as well as ditching superfluous items needed for road homologation. The front track is 80mm wider, the ride height is 50mm lower and the adjustable rear wing has been replaced by a fixed one, albeit still capable of the DRS feature. This wing is set 100mm higher than the road-going P1's most aggressive setting, helping ensure total downforce levels increase by 10 percent, or 1,455 lbs. at 150 mph. Let that number sink in for a second.

Add to that Pirelli slick tires and a livery that's surely worth a few mph and you have yourself a weapon that only trained drivers will be able to handle safely. Oh, and that livery. It's inspired by Derek Bell's podium finishing McLaren F1 GTR at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, sponsored by Harrods. Bell's actual race car, chassis #06R, will be on stage with the P1 GTR come the Geneva auto show in early March.

We'll be there in person to bring you live images in the carbon, as well as the production-ready reveal of McLaren's 675LT, a more-track-focused (and yet street legal) version of the 650S. Add to that Ferrari's 488 GTB and wealth of other Euro-missiles and we have ourselves one hell of a show.