‘Developing the real supercar’ is how McLaren titles its latest behind-the-scenes video of the W1 hypercar. Given a good amount of these will end up in climate controlled collections with zero miles, it’s great to see the new hybrid hypercar being pushed to its limits in all conditions. Those W1 customers who want to use their car all year round are certainly being encouraged to, if this is anything to go by.
Check out the Pirelli winter tyres, for example, the new P Zero Winter 2 fitted onto wheels already seen on the W1. The McLaren won’t require another set of winter rims, basically, for those who want to use it in the colder months - just a tyre swap. Presumably getting winter tyres in W1 sizes must have required McLaren asking Pirelli very nicely to get them sorted.
The winter testing in this video was for testing traction and stability control systems; if they work on the ice, they’re going to work when it’s a bit damp out and too much of 1,275hp is unleashed. Don’t forget the W1 is purely rear-wheel drive as well, so the assists are going to be busy. But they also can’t feel like the excitement is being extinguished; it’s a fine line between keeping you safe and spoiling the fun. Hence the hours slithering around on the ice where, of course, the W1 looks absolutely brilliant. Glides across the bumpy surface, too, in best McLaren tradition.
The time in the Arctic, which has recently concluded, also saw the powertrain put through its paces. ‘Stress testing of HV battery, gearbox and new MHP-V8 engine in extreme cold pushes durability and performance to the extremes’ reads the press release. So there’ll be no fear for customers, it would have to be assumed, in taking out a McLaren W1 even if the ambient temperature isn’t ideal. We look forward to those videos in due course…
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