Is the Mclaren P1 flawed?

[Paul O]

I know next to nothing about this car but the one thing that immediately strikes me (other than looking very cool) is that the steering wheel is on one side - as in, traditional.

Now, as the Mclaren F1 was designed as the ultimate car with a central driving position as this was the perfect position for a driver, does this mean that the P1 has been compromised or built to a budget?

Or did the F1 get it wrong all those years ago?

[toppstuff]

How many other cars have a central driving position?

Why is having a central driving position important?

Are other cars that don't have a central driving position weaker because of it? I don't think so.

Therefore, the answer to your question is no. Of course it isn't.

[FeelingLucky]

Most F1 owners (when pushed on the subject) admit that getting in and out is a bit of a pain in the backside.
But as (probably) nobody uses an F1 as their daily, it isn't an issue.

Not that the P1 will be used as a daily either, but given the choice between Wrong hand drive and central, I'd go down the middle every time.

[Paulotheb]

I think this is a fair question. Is there logic to say that if a central driving position isn't optimum (which is what I thought McLaren were after when they built the F1), then did they make a mistake all those years ago? Just a thought for debate, that's all...

Another thought is the LHD-only option - not sure where the majority of P1s will be sold, but for the RHD market, would that reduce the allure somewhat? Not that I'd know seeing as I've never driven a supercar (and probably never will), but I do think it might detract from the experience.

[TurboTerrific9]

I think most F1 owners would suggest that the central driving position is one of the major factors in the car being and feeling so special.

[Petrolhead95]

TurboTerrific9 said:

I think most F1 owners would suggest that the central driving position is one of the major factors in the car being and feeling so special.

The central seat was always a huge factor in making the F1 unique to all its rivals, IMO.

[WCZ]

why didn't they make it central ? is it because then they'd have to provide rear seats as they didn't want to make a single seater?

[DMC2]

Supposedly it wasn't made central due to health and safety restrictions which weren't around when they designed the F1.

[alock]

TurboTerrific9 said:

I think most F1 owners would suggest that the central driving position is one of the major factors in the car being and feeling so special.

It's the one reason I could never imagine owning one. It would feel odd going out with my wife where she is sitting partially behind me and having the third seat empty. If it's for the experience of the central position when you're on your own, then it might as well have been a single seater and saved more weight.

The only scenario I can imagine it working for me is if I had two female friends

[GRBF430F1]

alock said:

It's the one reason I could never imagine owning one. It would feel odd going out with my wife where she is sitting partially behind me and having the third seat empty. If it's for the experience of the central position when you're on your own, then it might as well have been a single seater and saved more weight.

The only scenario I can imagine it working for me is if I had two female friends

Fair play and leave the Mrs at home

[Bas Jaski]

The only flaw IMO is that it doesn't have a V12 .

I'm not a big Mclaren fan, and when I heard that they where using the MP4 tub and engine I wrote it off. Now I think it looks fantastic though, the speed is amazing. I'm aware of the emissions regs but Ferrari managed...

Yeah, the engine is my only gripe with the car. If I had the cash wouldn't stop me from buying it though!

[Pork]

GRBF430F1 said:

Fair play and leave the Mrs at home

Personally, I thought the middle seat was genius and had hoped the P1 would be the same.

[jackal]

Paul O said:

I know next to nothing about this car but the one thing that immediately strikes me (other than looking very cool) is that the steering wheel is on one side - as in, traditional.

Now, as the Mclaren F1 was designed as the ultimate car with a central driving position as this was the perfect position for a driver, does this mean that the P1 has been compromised or built to a budget?

Or did the F1 get it wrong all those years ago?

Was Jesus black ? Is the Pope Gay .... God a gas ?


etc.

[NightDriver]

WCZ said:

why didn't they make it central ? is it because then they'd have to provide rear seats as they didn't want to make a single seater?

Because the basic tub is based on the 12C and to accommodate a central driving position would have required a completely new tub. 12C wasn't central driver as for an 'everyday' supercar it would have been too much of a compromise.

There's no legislation which prevents central driving positions, in fact there are still a huge number of safety benefits from it.

[100 IAN]

I may have imagined it but i seem to recall reading/being told that the F1 has the gearstick on the right of the driver as a lhd car would, because some countries ban rhd drive cars and with the gearstick on the right it could be argued that however you classify it, it definitely isn't rhd.

I assume F1 drivers tend to enter/exit the car using the lh door because of the gearstick (?)

[hurstg01]

FeelingLucky said:

Most F1 owners (when pushed on the subject) admit that getting in and out is a bit of a pain in the backside.

especially if you get in from the 'wrong' side and try to negotiate the gear lever instead of the fly-off handbrake

[Peloton25]

NightDriver said:

There's no legislation which prevents central driving positions, in fact there are still a huge number of safety benefits from it.

None that specifically outlaw it, but many that make the possibility of using such a layout exceedingly difficult.

For instance, the US's insistence to continue with testing of unbelted occupants in a crash despite having 49 of 50 states with seatbelt laws and a more than 85% compliance rate. This single piece of legislation which isn't measured in any other major automotive market in the world affects the design of a number of cars - especially sportscars with lower rooflines. The US is ~40% of McLaren Automotive's current business so this couldn't be avoided.

Another challenge are newer side impact standards - take a look at the thickness of the P1 door versus that of the F1 - nearly double. A three seater, even with the benefit of overlapping shoulder placement by recessing the passenger seats as they were in the F1, would have ended up being excessively wide and impractical.

I agree that its a shame that one of the primary differentiators for the F1 wasn't included in the car many consider its successor, but it wasn't solely down to cost controlling/platform sharing or perceptions of any inconvenience.

>8^)
ER

[anniesdad]

Sounds like we'll never see another...F1. That's a good thing.

[BoxerF50]

Early reviews from a few owners to be who have driven the P1 are very positive:

http://www.mclarenlife.com/forums/mclaren-p1-f1/47...

[TobyLaRohne]

BoxerF50 said:

Early reviews from a few owners to be who have driven the P1 are very positive:

http://www.mclarenlife.com/forums/mclaren-p1-f1/47...

indeed, and on another video andy has on youtube it does a 1.13 (flying start) lap of the top gear curcuit with him as a passenger...gives you some idea of what kind of time it is good for when they put down a lap for top gear.