McLaren W1 Delivers 1,258 HP and 2.0-Second 0-60 as 399 Sold Out

Q: Is McLaren's new W1 a versatile masterpiece or a hypercar with an identity crisis?

The McLaren W1 looks more like a versatile masterpiece, though not without traces of an identity problem. On the evidence from the Florence first drive, the W1 clearly delivers the core brief McLaren set for it. At Mugello, its 1,258 hp hybrid system, active aerodynamics and 1,000 kg of downforce made it a serious track weapon, with reviewers highlighting its stability, speed and the F1-style “BOOST” function. On Tuscan roads, it was also praised for making huge performance surprisingly accessible, with strong steering feel, usable visibility and enough compliance to handle traffic, rough surfaces and speed bumps better than most cars in this class. That said, the criticism is not trivial. The car’s “Comfort” mode appears overstated, and its bucket-seat, carbon-heavy, hardcore character means it is not truly comfortable in the luxury grand-touring sense. Some journalists also felt that, unlike the F1’s top-speed mission or the P1’s hybrid-hypercar breakthrough, the W1’s attempt to be everything at once slightly blurs its identity. The occasional low-speed hesitation from the dual-clutch gearbox reinforces that sense of compromise. Still, those compromises seem secondary to the scale of the achievement. At roughly £2 million, with 399 units and performance that firmly places it in the hypercar elite, the W1 is best understood as a highly successful “two-car solution”: a road-usable hypercar that remains fundamentally track-focused, rather than a confused one.

3 articles · Updated · Motor1 · Jun 29

McLaren’s W1 pairs a 1,258-hp twin-turbo V8 hybrid with a 2.0-second 0-60 mph claim, making it the brand’s most powerful road car yet.
At 3,084 pounds dry, the $2.1 million flagship stays rear-wheel drive, uses hydraulic steering and brakes, and packs 2,205 pounds of downforce to prioritize driver feel over all-wheel-drive traction.
Mugello track testing found the W1 confidence-inspiring and highly adjustable, with Race, Sprint and looser stability settings unlocking sharper turn-in, stronger braking and controllable oversteer.
A hybrid fault briefly triggered limp mode during hot-lap testing in 90-degree heat, but McLaren said drivetrain thermal calibration will be finished before deliveries later this year.
Only 399 W1s will be built, all already pre-ordered, extending McLaren’s limited-run “1” lineage after the 106-car F1 and 375-car P1.