McLaren W1 Melds F1 Aerodynamics with a Lightweight Hybrid V-8

• We visited Jay Leno’s famous garage to spend some quality time with the McLaren W1 and other McLarens in Leno’s car collection.
• The look of the W1 is undeniably striking, but we were even more awed by the spec sheet on this lightweight, technically fascinating car.
• All 399 W1 cars they’re going to make, naturally, are already spoken for at a price of $2.1 million.

It’s hard to stand out when you’re flanked by a McLaren F1 on one side and a P1 on the other. That’s even more the case when the surrounding landscape is comedian Jay Leno’s storied car collection, encompassing more than 200 of the most coveted marques and models in automotive history.

McLaren clearly had faith in the new W1 to showcase it among its predecessors and rivals, and after getting a closer look at the latest supercar, we can understand why.

It’s not McLaren’s most striking design, but get closer and the W1 wins you over with details both beautiful and technically interesting, like the almost organic surface of the machined struts that support and control its active rear wing, or the peekaboo of its carbon, titanium, and aluminum undercarriage through the bezels and folds of its aerodynamic body.

Sit down with the spec sheet, and you’ll be even more impressed. The W1 is rear-wheel drive, should weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 3300 pounds based on McLaren’s dry-weight claims, makes about two-thirds that much in downforce (2200 pounds), and offers 1258 horsepower and 988 pound-feet from its hybrid V-8 powertrain. It has taken lessons in aerodynamics and lightweighting from McLaren’s Formula 1 team, and if the previous McLaren 1-series cars are a difficult act to follow, the W1 is poised to catch up quickly.

Leno, shown with McLaren CEO Michael Leiters, had the car on the premises for an episode of his YouTube show that will debut on March 10.

New Engine Design

The W1 offers our first look at McLaren’s latest powerplant design. Although it is a twin-turbo 4.0-liter aluminum V-8, with a 90-degree bank angle and a flat plane crank, the MHP-8 is not a bored-out or boosted-up version of the previous M840T that has powered the majority of McLaren’s modern offerings, from the 720/750S to the Senna and Speedtail. McLaren designed the MHP-8 with light weight and compact packaging in mind. The engine is 1.2 inches shorter overall, which is where a literal chunk of its 44 pounds of claimed weight savings over any M840T variant comes from. On its own it makes 916 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, and when combined with an electric motor—as in the W1—the final power output is 1258 horsepower and 988 pound-feet of torque.

McLaren was able to shorten the MHP-8’s aluminum block during the design process by bringing the cylinder bores closer together—which was made possible by using 3D-printed cores to design the water jackets for optimized cooling and structural layout of the engine block, and also employing plasma spray-coated bores rather than liners. There are no titanium engine parts, but hollow intake valves and camshafts save additional weight, as does the deletion of a starter and alternator.

The tasks of starting and charging are handled by the electric motor and control unit. The MHP-8’s lightweight valvetrain and stiffer crankshaft allow it to spin up to a 9200-rpm redline, and it’s still got plenty of grunt, with up to 30 percent greater torque than M840T from 2500 rpm on up. While that’s up from the 750S’s 8250-rpm redline, surprisingly the new, higher-revving engine’s bore is 1.0 mm smaller and its stroke is 1.5 mm longer (92.0 mm x 75.0 mm) than the previous 4.0-liter’s.

Inside Jay Leno’s garage.

McLaren is taking a unique approach to the fueling of the MHP-8. It uses a combination of port fuel injection and gasoline direct injection (GDI). Combining the two is not unusual, but where the more common configuration is to run port fuel injection all the time and use GDI at higher rpm, McLaren is flipping the script by using the direct injection at lower rpm and bringing in the port injection at higher rpm. Engineers at McLaren say this format allows for a better optimization of the airflow mixture and uses a smaller direct injector for better efficiency.

Two twin-scroll turbos were chosen for higher peak power and increased torque and combined with a small volume intake with short runners to make the MHP-8 responsive throughout its rev range. Also, unlike the previous V-8, the two turbos are unique, with their compressors rotating in opposite directions.

On its own, the MHP-8 is a formidable powerplant, but what really kicks it into supercar territory is the addition of an e-module that integrates a radial flux motor and motor control unit in a compact package, which requires less heavy cabling and cooling than separate units. The e-module weighs a claimed 44 pounds and is mounted to the side of a new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic capable of handling higher torque levels than previous McLaren transmissions. But not high enough to handle the combined torque of the engine and motor, which is why the electric assist is fed through the transmission after the clutches, through the shaft that houses the even gear ratios.

As with the Artura plug-in hybrid, there is no reverse gear, as reversing is done by driving the motor backward. A compact 1.4-kWh battery is inset in the floor of the W1’s monocoque chassis and makes up a structural part of the carbon floor. It’s an 800-volt system and maintains a reserve of power, so there is always enough to crank the engine or put the car in reverse. It also regenerates during driving as soon as the driver lifts off throttle, and McLaren says it can recharge enough in the cool-down coast from one speed run to be ready for the next.

To keep the driver aurally in tune with the mid-mounted powerplant, McLaren moved sources of mechanical noise—like the timing drive—to the rear of the engine, away from the cabin; stiffened body panels and mounts to minimize resonance; and designed a tuned exhaust system with long, equal-length runners that join at the outlet to bring out the higher pitches of the engine note.

Aero and Chassis

With the W1 McLaren continues its tradition of carbon-fiber tub and body, but it makes the already lightweight process even lighter by moving away from resin transfer (RTM) in favor of resin-infused fibers (pre-preg), a construction choice previously only used on Formula 1 cars and the Solus GT track model. The result, which McLaren calls “Aerocell,” is lighter and designed around the aerodynamic elements of the car. The floor is higher by 2.5 inches, but McLaren says driver comfort is unaffected. The seat is fixed, and its position is part of the monocoque’s layout. This allowed McLaren to reduce the wheelbase by almost three inches.

The higher front of the Aerocell floor made it possible to integrate the front suspension mounts into the structure, which made space for channeled airflow inside the wheel wells and eliminated the need for a subframe. Door hinge mounts are also a part of the monocoque body, and McLaren has moved away from its butterfly “dihedral” door design in favor of a Mercedes-esque top-mounted “anhedral” door. Besides looking cool at car shows, the change in door design allowed for better airflow out of the front wheel arches into the side pod radiators.

Better airflow could be the W1’s catchphrase, as every element on its body was designed to smooth out air and direct it beneath the full-floor ground effects into cooling ducts and over the rear wing. Air management begins at the front lip, with an active wing that swings forward up to 10 degrees under braking to prevent porpoising. The entire floor of the W1 expands into a rear diffuser that kicks up to become part of the rear bumper structure. The front suspension plays a part in the car’s aerodynamics, with profiled and 3-D-printed components and inboard-mounted dampers, and carbon-fiber lips and trays inside the front bay that keep a clean flow of air to the back of the car. McLaren uses titanium pushrods for the first time in the W1, linking to the dampers and an active heave element that keeps the car flat and aerodynamically consistent on track. Even the side mirrors were tested for minimal disruption of the airflow.

In the rear, an active wing controlled by four electric motors automatically extends up to 11.8 inches rearward as well as altering its pitch to make the W1 into a longtail for maximum downforce but retracts and tilts to act as an air brake under deceleration.

Speaking of deceleration, the W1 uses McLaren’s carbon-ceramic 15.4-inch disc brakes but adds an extra layer of ceramic to allow for more aggressive pad material with higher friction rates. Six-piston monobloc calipers clamp the front, and four-piston calipers with an integrated electric parking brake do the rear. An additional benefit of all the aero design is brake ducts inspired by Formula 1 racing, which both cool the brakes and direct air out of the turbulent wheel wake zone and back toward the radiators. McLaren says the W1 will stop from 124 mph in 328 feet and from 60 mph in just 95 feet.

W1 buyers will have a choice of rubber depending on their driving plans. Pirelli will offer 265/35 front and 335/30 rear tires in a bespoke Trofeo RS that comes standard, or P Zero R for more road use and even a P Zero winter tire, for those winter concours in the Swiss Alps.

Interior and Experience

Every one of the 399 planned W1 builds is spoken for, even at $2.1 million. Should you get a chance to sit in one, you’ll see an option of leather, faux suede, or McLaren’s new “InnoKnit” fabric. The seats are fixed, but the pedal box moves, and McLaren reps assured us it can accommodate both unusually tall and more compact drivers. The steering wheel is smaller and flattened top and bottom for a better view of the instrument cluster and more space below. Unlike some supercar competitors, there are minimal controls on the wheel aside from two buttons. One controls on-demand boost for full power delivery from the electric motor. The other drops the wing into a “DRS” drag-minimizing mode. Hit ’em both and do your best Lando Norris impersonation.

The W1 offers several drive modes, including a limited-range all-electric mode which is available for approximately 1.5 miles and at speeds up to 80 mph. Comfort mode uses the motor only as needed for smoother power delivery, and Sport brings it in for the full 1258 horsepower. Race mode offers full power in two forms, GP for extended lapping and Sprint for maximum power delivery in a qualifying-lap situation. McLaren says Sprint should offer enough power for most track lengths, but Nürburgringers may find themselves out of juice before the finish line. Comfort and Sport handling modes change ride quality to match need.

Off-track civilizing items include an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay, a console cupholder, and small-item storage. Additional storage for helmets or gear bags is available behind the headrests.

McLaren says the W1 can hit 62 mph in 2.7 seconds and 186 mph in under 12.7 seconds with a top speed of 217 mph—a limit McLaren says was chosen based on the limitations of the tire choice rather than a mechanical limit on the car itself. Even though all the W1 models are presold, we don’t expect this to be the last time we see the MHP-8 engine in use, so start saving up for the next opportunity.

Source