Yahoo Autos McLaren's New Hypercar Will Be Named W1
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a name. On Friday, McLaren announced the name of the secret new hypercar set to debut in a little more than a week: come October 6th, we'll be meeting the McLaren W1.
While rumors had been in the wind that McLaren would create a successor to the P1 for some time, the British carmaker only officially confirmed the vehicle in a video released earlier this week in which it rolled out some of the brand's heavy hitters — both human and mechanical — to build hype ahead of the new car's reveal at 1pm U.K. time a week from Sunday. That date, not by coincidence, happens to be the 50th anniversary of McLaren scoring its inaugural Constructors’ World Championship in Formula 1.
Beyond that video and the announcement of the name, the carmaker isn't saying much. The closest thing to any formal details was a statement from McLaren CEO Michael Leiters: “The McLaren W1 is defined by real supercar principles and is the ultimate expression of a McLaren supercar," he said. "W1 pushes the boundaries of performance and is worthy of the ‘1’ name. Like its predecessors the F1 and McLaren P1, W1 defines the rulebook of a real supercar.”
McLaren itself may be keeping its lips sealed about what to expect, but it seems someone with knowledge of the W1 is willing to reveal some of its secrets ahead of the debut. According to Automotive News, sources who've been briefed on the W1 describe it as a mix of the P1 and the Senna. It'll be a hybrid, much like the P1 of a decade ago; power will come from an all-new V-8 reportedly not related to any existing engines McLaren makes, along with an electric component that uses a lightweight battery inspired by Formula 1 tech to allegedly make the electrical side of the hybrid system around 70 percent lighter than that found in the Artura.
The report also claims the W1 will use active shutters in the air channels that flow past the headlights, enabling the car to open or close them as needed based on conditions. Much like the P1, the new hypercar also reportedly features an air intake on the roof to help the V-8 suck in oxygen and spit out power. AN claims the powertrain will make around 1,200 horses in total. It all certainly sounds like what we'd expect; luckily, we won't have to wait too long to find out if it's true.
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