If you haven’t got a McLaren P1 yet, you’ve probably missed your chance. In a statement released yesterday, McLaren said it’d finished the 375th example of the P1, and it won’t be making any more. Fusing a highly powered conventional engine with a F1-inspired hybrid system, the McLaren P1 is one of the the most advanced, efficient supercars ever made – and a poster boy for hybrid energy.
First unveiled in 2012 at the Paris Motor Show, the P1 is the spiritual successor to the McLaren F1, and currently the fastest road car the company makes. The P1 may look radical on the outside, but its carbon fibre body is designed to extract the most efficient aerodynamics possible from every surface. That means it has around 600kg of of extra downforce at around 161mph, providing better cornering speed and even better overall handling. Underneath, a carbon fibre Mono Cage chassis weighs just 90kg – and helps make the P1 a lightweight 1,450kg.
However, it’s the P1’s powertrain that makes it one of the most important supercars ever made. Like most sports cars, the McLaren starts off with a 3.9 litre twin turbo V8 petrol engine, but then combines it with a 176bhp electric motor. The result? A combined 903bhp that can power the P1 from 0-100km/h in 2.8 seconds, 200km/h in 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 217mph.
Despite that power, the P1 can return up to 34.0mpg and CO2 emissions of just 194g/km. When the car needs to be stopped, the McLaren also features its very own, specially designed braking system.
A poster boy for hybrid technology
Although it’s a $1.15 million supercar, the McLaren P1 has done wonders for the general perception of hybrid energy. It may use similar technology to a Toyota Prius, but it shows that hybrids can be fast and exciting – and efficient.
What’s more, it also shows the FIA’s – motorsport’s regulatory body – decision to introduce hybrid technology to F1 and WEC was the right one. By forcing teams to design and push the limits of hybrid technology, companies such as Mercedes, McLaren, Renault and Honda are learning more about sustainable powertrains – and that can only be a good thing.
Read next: The UK leads the energy-efficient car revolution – and it has motorsport to thank.
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