Biography
The McLaren P1 is a sports car produced by British marque McLaren Automotive. It is a plug-in hybrid with a mid-engine layout. It was first shown at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, with sales of the P1 beginning in the United Kingdom in October 2013 and all of the limited run of 375 units sold by November 2013. Production ended in early December 2015. The United States accounted for 34% of the units and Europe for 26%. It is considered by the automotive press to be the successor to the McLaren F1, utilising hybrid power and Formula One technology, but does not have the same three-seat layout. McLaren later stated that the Speedtail serves as the actual successor to the McLaren F1. The P1 has a mid-engine, rear wheel drive design that used a carbon fibre monocoque and roof structure safety cage concept called MonoCage, which is a development of the MonoCell first used in the MP4-12C and then in subsequent models. Its main competitors are the LaFerrari and the 918 Spyder. They are all similar in specifications and performance, and in a race around Silverstone circuit they were all within half a second of each other, the P1 finishing first at 58.24 seconds and the LaFerrari finishing last at 58.58 seconds; the 918 was in-between with 58.46 seconds. Parts of the car were inspired by a sailfish that Frank Stephenson saw when on holiday in Miami. 58 units of the track-oriented P1 GTR and 5 units of its road legal counterpart, the P1 LM were produced after the initial run of 375 cars. 13 experimental prototypes 'XP', 5 validation prototypes 'VP', and 3 pre-production 'PP' cars were produced by McLaren before the production of the P1 started. A number of these 21 test cars have been refurbished, modified and sold to customers. The P1 features a 3.8 L; 231.8 cu in (3,799 cc) twin-turbocharged V8 engine. The twin turbos boost the petrol engine at 1.4 bar (20.3 psi) to deliver 542 kW (737 PS; 727 hp) at 7,500 rpm and 531 lb⋅ft (720 N⋅m) of torque at 4,000 rpm, combined with an in-house-developed electric motor producing 132 kW (179 PS; 177 hp) and 192 lb⋅ft (260 N⋅m) of torque. The electric motor and the petrol engine in the P1, produce a combined power output of 674 kW (916 PS; 903 hp) and 900 N⋅m (664 lb⋅ft) of torque. The electric motor can be deployed manually by the driver or left in automatic mode, whereby the car's ECUs 'torque fill' the gaps in the petrol engine's output, which is considered turbo lag. This gives the powertrain an effective powerband of almost 7,000 rpm. The car has rear-wheel-drive layout and is equipped with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission developed by Graziano Trasmissioni. Power for the electric motor is stored in a 324-cell lithium-ion high-density battery pack located behind the cabin, developed by Johnson Matthey Battery Systems. The battery can be charged by the engine or through a plug-in equipment and can be fully charged in two hours. The car can be operated using either the petrol engine, the electric motor or with a combination of the two. The P1 has an all-electric range of at least 10 km (6.2 mi) on the combined European drive cycle. Under the EPA cycle, the range in EV mode is 19 mi (31 km). During EV mode the P1 has a petrol consumption of 4.8g/100 mile, and as a result, EPA's all-electric range is rated as zero. The total range is 330 mi (531 km). The P1 combined fuel economy in EV mode was rated by the EPA at 18 MPGe (13 L petrol equivalent/100 km; 22 mpg-imp petrol equivalent), with an energy consumption of 25 kW-hrs/100 mi and petrol consumption of 4.8 gal-US/100 mi. The combined fuel economy when running only with petrol is 17 mpg‑US (14 L/100 km; 20 mpg‑imp), 16 mpg‑US (15 L/100 km; 19 mpg‑imp) for city driving, and 20 mpg‑US (12 L/100 km; 24 mpg‑imp) in highway. The P1 has Formula 1 derived features such as the Instant Power Assist System (IPAS), which gives an instant boost in acceleration via the electric motor, a Drag Reduction System (DRS) which operates the car's rear wing, thereby increasing straight line speed, and a KERS. Both of these features (IPAS, DRS) are operated via two buttons on the steering wheel. It also generates a downforce of 600 kg at 257 km/h (160 mph) and it boasts of a drag coefficient of only Cd=0.34. According to McLaren the P1 accelerates from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 2.8 seconds, 0–200 km/h (0–124 mph) in 6.8 seconds, and 0–300 km/h (0–186 mph) in 16.5 seconds, making it a full 5.5 seconds faster than the F1, and a standing quarter mile is claimed in 9.8 seconds at 245 km/h (152 mph). Autocar tested 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) mph in 2.8 seconds, 0–120 mph (0–193 km/h) mph in 6.9 seconds, the standing quarter mile in 10.2 seconds at 147.5 mph (237 km/h), and the standing kilometre in 18.2 seconds at 178.5 mph (287 km/h). In electric only mode 0-60 mph in 10 seconds. The P1 is electronically limited to a top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph). The P1 has a dry weight of 1,395 kg (3,075 lb), giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 656 PS/tonne. It has a kerb weight of 1,547 kg (3,411 lb) which translates to 601 PS/ tonne. The P1 also features bespoke Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres and specially developed carbon-ceramic rotor, caliper and brake pads from Akebono. According to McLaren it takes 6.2 seconds to brake from 300 km/h (186 mph) to standstill, during which the car will cover 246 metres. From 60 mph (97 km/h), it will cover 30.2 metres.