McLaren P1 aims for pole position with global debut in Paris
Global debut of new
McLaren ultimate supercar
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McLaren P1 aims to
be the best driver’s car on both road and track
The large adjustable ‘active’ rear wing adjusts automatically to boost
downforce and optimise aerodynamics.
Mid-engine design
that uses a carbon fibre monocoque and roof structure safety cage called
MonoCage, and lightweight carbon ‘multi-purpose’ body panels
The official McLaren P1 reveal film can be
viewed at www.youtube.com/McLarenAutomotiveTV
McLaren Automotive will use its first ever international motor show
appearance to preview its next generation ultimate supercar – the McLaren P1 –
which takes much of its technological and spiritual inspiration from the
company’s Racing division. The McLaren P1
has one simple goal: to be the best driver’s car in the world on road and
track.
At the Paris Motor Show, Mondial de
l'Automobile 2012, the McLaren P1 is previewed as a design study. Next year a production version, which
the company aims to put on sale within 12 months, will be revealed.
‘The McLaren P1 will be the result of
50 years of racing and road car heritage,’ says McLaren Automotive Executive Chairman Ron
Dennis. ‘Twenty years ago we raised the
supercar performance bar with the McLaren F1 and our goal with the McLaren P1
is to redefine it once again.’
‘Our aim is not necessarily to be the
fastest in absolute top speed but to be the quickest and most rewarding series
production road car on a circuit’, says McLaren Automotive Managing Director Antony Sheriff. ‘It is the true test of a supercar’s all
round ability and a much more important technical statement. Our goal is to
make the McLaren P1 the most exciting, most capable, most technologically
advanced and most dynamically accomplished supercar ever made.’
The McLaren P1 leverages five decades of McLaren’s motorsport skills. It
was designed from the outset to prioritise aerodynamic performance and spent
many hours in a wind tunnel and using CFD (computational fluid dynamics)
aerodynamic modelling – just like a Formula One car.
The new McLaren P1 has much higher levels of downforce than any current
road car – 600kg is achieved well below maximum speed. That is approximately
five times as much downforce as a McLaren 12C. Its margin over most other high
performance supercars is even greater. The McLaren P1’s downforce is similar to
current sports racing cars, including the 12C GT3 racer.
Despite the huge performance, the McLaren
P1 is also a refined
and comfortable high speed supercar. ‘It
is designed to be driven to the racing circuit, with great levels of comfort
and refinement,’ says Sheriff. ‘And
then to be used on the racing circuit, where it will offer an experience
matched only by purpose-built race cars.’
The McLaren P1 showcases McLaren Automotive’s advanced motorsport-based
engineering, prioritising high performance through state-of-the-art technology.
It will feature notable advances in weight reduction, packaging, high-speed
performance, materials (especially carbon fibre), powertrain and in
aerodynamics.
Racing car track performance, from a road car
‘Of course, the McLaren P1 will have
an immensely powerful engine, superb brakes and state of the art suspension
controls,’ says
Programme Director Paul Mackenzie. Power to weight ratio will be more than
600PS per tonne. ‘But a major reason for
its extraordinary performance is its high level of downforce and its all round
aerodynamic excellence. They do not just improve stability, handling,
roadholding and braking at high speed. They also improve agility and driver
confidence at much lower speeds. Our goal was to get great levels of downforce
at lower speeds, and we have achieved that. It is a major boost to driving
enjoyment, and to a driver’s feeling of being in total control.
‘Like all McLarens, the car is built
around the driver. Our aim is to deliver the very best driver’s car on the
road, one focused on the elite enthusiast driver, but you certainly don’t have
to be a racing driver or a professional to enjoy it. Like all McLarens, the McLaren
P1 is also technologically at the absolute cutting edge.’
This goal – racing car-like track performance from a road car – was one
of the primary targets for McLaren P1. ‘It
reflects the fact that many buyers of today’s fastest supercars do use them
increasingly on the race track, at special owner events,’ says Mackenzie. ‘We wanted a car that would feel like a
proper racing car. And then could be driven home in great comfort and
refinement. In other words, a real McLaren but with an even broader breadth of
ability.’
The astonishing track performance also makes for a better road car. ‘It improves cornering composure at any
speed,’ says Mackenzie. ‘It also
means no nasty surprises.’
Frontal area is substantially less than the (already small) 12C, and
smaller than any series production super-sports car. Cd is 0.34 – very low
considering the enormous levels of downforce.
Aerodynamic led design
The McLaren P1 prioritises function over pure style, notes Chief Design
Engineer Dan Parry-Williams. That is very much part of the McLaren ethos. ‘It is engineering design led. Yet it is a
striking and handsome car. The P1 reflects McLaren’s core values. It celebrates
aerodynamics, great packaging and light weight. It is all about innovative
technology. At the very beginning, we sought to develop a car that you could
drive to a racing circuit, then press a button and race it. Maximum speed was
never a priority. It’s much more technically challenging, and more meaningful,
to develop a car that seeks to be the fastest-ever series production car on a
racing circuit. That also makes it much more road relevant than just sheer top
speed.
‘The priority was high speed
performance matched with tremendous composure, which would come mostly from the
state-of-the-art aerodynamics. We wanted a car that was benign and predictable
at any speed.
‘In the beginning, we produced a
“jellymould” model that reflected the initial concept. It had to be
aerodynamically sound and as tightly packaged as possible around the occupants
and the mechanical architecture giving it a shrink wrapped-like outer skin
surface. It had a more rounded glasshouse, with greater curvature, to improve
aerodynamics and visibility, and give the cabin a fighter-jet canopy shape. We
wanted the deck of the car to be as low as possible. The teardrop cabin shape
also meant you had a lot more air flowing over the cabin to the rear wing. We
also tried to minimise tolerances and clearances. There is no “fat” on the McLaren
P1.’
Using Parry-Williams’ basic packaging and aero principles, three
in-house design themes were developed to full size. The chosen theme was then
selected and developed through a continual progressive cycle in conjunction
with the aerodynamicists and engineering. It was a collaboration between engineering
and design, with Design Director Frank Stephenson overseeing the design process.
Parry-Williams adds: ‘The
collaboration was one of the great things about the project and that allowed us
to reach such a complete package’. Stephenson agrees: ‘We have ended up with a car that looks as futuristic as a concept car
– except that it will go into production – and with similar aerodynamic
properties to a sports racing car. I believe it is a terrific achievement.’
Active aerodynamics include Formula 1-like DRS
Expertise in Grand Prix racing was used to hone the aerodynamics of the
McLaren P1.
The former Head of Aerodynamics for the McLaren Racing, and now Head of
Vehicle Technology for McLaren Automotive, Simon Lacey, was responsible for the
aero performance: ‘The astonishing
downforce actually makes driving easier as well as faster,’ says Lacey. ‘As you go faster, you actually feel more in
control.’
‘Every body panel, air intake, and
air exhaust was designed to guide in air from the most efficient places and to
maximise cooling,’ says Lacey. ‘That’s partly why
the body is so compact, and looks so “shrink wrapped”. The unusual door ducts,
from the initial styling sketches, draw air into the cooling circuit. That low
body helps air get to the rear wing. The rear deck is extraordinarily low, just
like a sports racing car. The extreme teardrop shape of the glasshouse guides
more air more efficiently to the rear wing.’
The large rear wing adjusts automatically to boost downforce and optimise
aerodynamics. It can extend rearwards by up to 300mm on a racetrack, and by up
to 120mm on the road. The pitch of the rear wing can increase by up to 29
degrees. The double element rear wing profile has been developed using exactly
the same methods and software as the current McLaren Formula 1 car.
The McLaren P1 also has a DRS (drag reduction system) function, like a
Grand Prix car, to reduce downforce and increase straight line speed. But while
a Formula 1 car has a moveable flap in the rear wing, the McLaren P1’s rear
wing’s pitch is adjusted.
In addition to the adjustable ‘active’ rear wing, the McLaren P1’s aerodynamic
performance is optimised using two flaps mounted under the body ahead of the
front wheels. These are also actively controlled, and change angle
automatically to optimise performance, boosting downforce and aero efficiency,
increasing both speed and driver confidence. The flaps operate through a range
of 0-60 degrees.
The rear wing and front flaps work together to boost handling, braking
and straight line performance. The active aerodynamics ensures totally
consistent handling and driving behavior. The rear wing can also act as an
airbrake when deployed.
The smooth underbody also helps to generate ‘ground effects’ suction,
boosting downforce.
‘On the race track, the McLaren P1
would display similar levels of performance to a Le Mans sports racer, thanks
to its aerodynamic shape,’ adds Lacey. ‘It would have a
level of racetrack performance never before seen in a series production road
car.’
Every design detail optimises aerodynamics, from the door shape (which
helps funnel air with maximum aero efficiency), to the numerous ducts, to the
wheel-arch shapes to the snorkel intake on the roof. The latter detail also
ties in with Grand Prix design, and was an iconic feature of the seminal
McLaren F1 road car. Another design feature that reflects the F1 road car is
the gold leaf heat shield around the exhausts. Gold is the ideal metal to
reflect heat, never mind its cost.
Visibility is also exceptional for a supercar, thanks to the curved and
expansive “canopy” glass, the low beltline and thin A pillars.
Lightweight carbon ‘multi-purpose’ body panels
As with the legendary McLaren F1 road car of 1992, the McLaren P1 is a
mid-engine design that uses a carbon fibre monocoque and roof structure safety
cage concept called MonoCage which is a development of the MonoCell used in the
current 12C and 12C Spider. The structure of the MonoCage, unlike the 12C’s
MonoCell, also serves to guide air into the engine through an integral roof
snorkel and air intake ducts, saving further weight. All the body panels are
carbon fibre to reduce weight. This carries on a McLaren innovation: it was the
first company to offer a full carbon body Grand Prix car (in 1981) and the
first to offer a full carbon body road car (the F1).
There are also very few body panels. The McLaren P1 has large clamshell
single-moulded front and rear panels, which are attached to the central carbon
MonoCage, and that’s it, apart from two small access flaps in the rear, a front
bonnet and the two doors. This reduces weight and the number of shutlines,
creating a cleaner appearance..
The large carbon panels are also multi-functional, with integrated
scoops and ducts to boost aero performance and cooling. The panels are
extraordinarily thin and light whilst being very strong. Lightness, as with all
McLaren road cars, was a priority for the McLaren P1. If one component can do
the work of two, or more, it replaces the need for separate components. ‘This approach is more weight efficient, but
it does require more complex structures, with fewer parts but more design
time,’ notes Chief Design Engineer Parry-Williams.
Parry-Williams worked continually with the design studio to improve the
surfaces, making them as beautiful as possible whilst maintaining optimum
aerodynamics.
‘Everything is there for a reason –
true form improves function. Every duct, every surface, does a job, either in
aero or in cooling.’
‘Genuinely beautiful and at the forefront of
automotive design’
Working closely with Parry-Williams, Design Director Frank Stephenson
wanted a car that was ‘striking but also
functional, a real statement of intent. I wanted a genuinely beautiful and
dramatically honest “supersports” car, in keeping with McLaren’s heritage but
also at the forefront of automotive design’.
He further developed the surfaces, making everything as small, light and
dynamic as possible. This helped give the car a natural, almost organic,
quality. The design intent was to expose the carbon structure beneath,
not only showing exactly where the air was going – through the door ducts into
the main radiators – but also to break up the visual mass of the body side and
accentuate the cab-forward stance, giving the car a real look of lightness and
agility. All the ducts were developed with the
aero team, giving a direct link to McLaren’s motorsport heritage.
‘I wanted it to look like a Le Mans
racer with that low body, long rear deck and open mesh rear styling to put the
mechanicals on view and to help cooling,’ says Stephenson. ‘Plus
there is the most aggressive rear diffuser ever seen on a road car. Like
everything on the McLaren P1, it’s there for a good reason.’
The glasshouse was inspired by the canopies of fighter jets, giving the
occupants similar sensations to a pilot. The windscreen is deeper than it is
wide, creating a feeling of lightness and airiness inside. Good visibility has
always been a McLaren mantra.
The lights are a signature part of
the car. The LED headlights, with their speed
marque DRL, are extremely small in size meaning more frontal area can be devoted
to cooling. Whilst at the back, the low rear deck and pronounced
wheelarches, give the evocatively simple rear end a powerful graphic. The
concept being that the rear lamps are literally the trailing edge of the
bodywork, framing the diffuser and allowing more heat to exit from the engine
bay. ‘Again, beautiful, organic forms
framing and enhancing the technical features,’ says Stephenson
McLaren’s ‘ultimate car’ heritage
The McLaren P1 follows in the footsteps of the classic McLaren F1 as the
‘ultimate car’ offering. The name ties in with Grand Prix racing. P1 means
first place – and McLaren has 180 GP victories in its 46 year Formula One
history – or position one on the grid (McLaren has scored 153 pole positions).
There is also heritage in that name: the McLaren F1 was initially known as
Project 1, or P1
The McLaren F1 was lauded as the greatest supercar of its era when it
was first shown 20 years ago. At the time, it was the world’s most
technologically advanced and fastest supercar.
‘We’re confident that the McLaren P1
will continue in the same tradition,’ notes Antony Sheriff.
Production plans
The McLaren P1 makes its debut at the Paris Motor Show on the first
press day, September 27. Further details – including its powertrain and other
technical information – will be announced early in 2013, shortly before sales
begin. Deliveries are expected to commence in late 2013, the year of McLaren’s
50th anniversary.
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