The McLaren P1 was the most talked about car at the Geneva motor Show, but now we’ve been to the McLaren technology Centre to get under the P1’s carbon fibre skin.
Without body panels, it’s remarkable how securely packed the P1’s engine bay is – just like an F1 car. P1 designer Paul Howse calls it ‘shrink-wrapped design,’ and told us that as well as being inspired by McLaren’s F1 heritage – particularly the 2008 championship-winning car – and honed in the wind tunnel, the design uses biomimickery, borrowing lines from hammerhead sharks and peregrine falcons, too.
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The close-fitting bodywork indicates lots of heat to dissipate, which is why the heat shield behind the rear window and the exhaust finisher are made from titanium, while the rear section of the exhaust is plated with gold. Although it looks complex, the carbon fibre bodywork integrates over 200 components into just three main pieces.
P1 chief designer Dan Parry-Williams tells us that the firm examined two and four-wheel drive, V10 and V12 engines before deciding that its existing 3.8-litre twin-turbo engine would best meet performance and sub-200g/km of CO2 emissions targets. However, ideal from conception in late 2009, the firm also made a decision to select hybrid technology, including a full EV mode, which has indicated that 90 per cent of the engine is new.