The first ‘sans camouflage’ footage of the production-intent McLaren P1 has been released approximately one year after the concept version debuted at the 2012 Paris motor show.
With the first customer deliveries scheduled to start in the coming weeks, McLaren is in the process of final validation testing of the P1 in the arid US states of Arizona, California and Nevada where temperatures during this time of the year can soar as high as 52 degrees.
McLaren says it has worked closely with its technical partners to develop and engineer bespoke solutions for a car it claims “challenges what has been produced previously” and “redefines the boundaries” for high-performance cars.
The P1 is the long-awaited McLaren F1 successor, utilising Formula One-derived hybrid powertrain technology, including Instant Power Assist System (IPAS), which provides an instant boost in acceleration by driving the front wheels via the electric motor, and a Drag Reduction System (DRS) that operates the car’s adjustable rear wing.
Both of these features are controlled by buttons on the steering wheel – just like in an F1 car.
It features a twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 petrol engine and an electric motor that develop a combined maximum output of 674kW and 900Nm of torque.
It can go from zero to triple figures in less than three seconds and hit an electronically limited top speed of 350km/h.
Only 375 examples of the P1 will be built, at the rate of one per day, and only in left-hand drive.
Pricing for the car in Australia is expected to be close to $2 million.
