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  • This is our latest look of the McLaren P1. It's one of the most anticipated hypercars

  • in recent memory, and faces stiff competition from the likes of the Porsche 918 Spyder and

  • LaFerrari. First, the headlines. The P1 is a technical

  • tour de force and is powered by a 3.8-litre twin turbo charged V8 engine in conjunction

  • with an electric motor, producing a combined output of 903bhp.

  • That means the P1 is able to accelerate to 62mph in under three seconds and

  • onto a top speed of 217mph. It can also be a very green car, managing an

  • official 34mpg on a combined cycle and emitting 194g/km of CO2. The P1 is built around a carbonfibre

  • tub known as the Mono Cage. This tub weighs 90 kilos and includes space

  • for all of the P1's electrical systems, as well as its battery.

  • McLaren has been obsessed with saving weight in the P1, so much so that the windscreen

  • has been planed down to become just 3.2mm thick, 1mm thinner than that

  • used on the 12C and 3.5 kilos lighter. The diet continues inside, where each seat weighs

  • just 10.5 kilos. It's joined by a carbonfibre trim, which does without its top layer of

  • resin. McLaren says this gives a more natural look

  • and crucially saves another 1.5 kilos.

  • Don't think of the P1 as only being for the track, however.

  • McLaren tells us it's engineered the hypercar to ride as

  • well around town as it does on the circuit. Its

  • suspension system is again based on the 12C, but uses special hydraulic adjustment to control

  • ride height and vertical stiffness. In some cases, the space-age technology showcased

  • on the P1 really is from space. A silicone carbide coating, used to get the carbon ceramic

  • brakes their stopping power generating up to 2g in places

  • was first used on the Ariane space rocket.

  • At £866,000 each, the P1 is likely to be a rare and exclusive machine. Just 375 models

  • will be produced in total, all of which have already sold out.

This is our latest look of the McLaren P1. It's one of the most anticipated hypercars

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