When I wrote that the Audi A6 E-Tron showed how disappointed we are by current battery electric vehicles (BEVs), only one or two readers protested. The car was a marvel in its concept form, but the changes it suffered to reach production lines, although subtle, were enough to make it look ordinary and dull. Sadly, our boredom with the car industry is more widespread than it may seem. Just look at the McLaren W1, the company's successor to the F1 and the P1. It is said to be a technological masterpiece. Yet, nobody seemed to care about it.
Sure, the latest Ultimate Series model is powerful: its hybrid powertrain with a 4-liter V8 delivers 1,258 hp (1,275 PS). In fact, it is the most powerful McLaren ever made. It is also quick, reaching 100 kph (62 mph) from a standstill in 2.7 seconds. Its top speed is 350 kph (217 mph). You'll have the impression you have already seen these technical specifications somewhere else, and you'll be very right. Although the W1 is limited to 399 units, there's nothing extraordinary about it apart from its base price (£2 million).
Just go check Facebook, Instagram, and any social media you may prefer. Nobody is talking about the W1. The exceptions are the websites and magazines trying to promote their articles about this hypercar, hoping that the posts about it will make audience numbers as high as its price tag. They have tried it before with the Bugatti Tourbillon, the Venom F5, the Rimac Nevera, and a long list of other products. Hypercars are not moving the needle as much as they used to.
Photo: Gooding & Company
McLaren couldn't care less. It has already sold all units to all the guys who want to look good when they park in front of the country club, making a hell of an effort to leave the cabin without looking unfit or too old. Even if a small percentage of these 399 cars is taken to a race track, I doubt it will make them any more attractive. Unless they are the only hypercars around, there's a good chance someone will beat their time. Ironically, that will depend more on the driver than on the machine. What a difference from what we had when the Ferrari F40 and the McLaren F1 were first presented...
It may be the case that the McLaren F1 became such a special machine because no other car could hit the same speeds, but the main picture I selected for this article shows it is more than that. Look how small it looks compared to the P1 and the W1. Despite that, it is still the most capable of the three. McLaren made these successors bigger, probably roomier and more comfortable, a lot heavier, and certainly more powerful, but it did not make them better (hyper)cars than the F1 was (and still is). Why? I have no idea, but I've got some clues.
Was it due to Gordon Murray working somewhere else? The legendary designer created his own spiritual successor to the F1 under his own brand (Gordon Murray Automotive, or GMA). Called T.50, his new mechanical child is impressive, but it also did not drive as much attention as the F1 did. That does not exclude the fact that the T.50 has a soul, something that makes it unique and desirable. Being light is one of them. The T.50 tips the scales at 997 kilograms (2.198 pounds), which makes it 402 kg (886 lb) lighter than the W1 (1,399 kg, or 3,084 lb). That difference alone represents 40.3% of the T.50's mass.
Photo: Gordon Murray Design
The T.50 also does not make concessions to fuel economy or emissions. It presents a naturally aspirated V12, also with four liters, that revs at up to 11,500 rpm. The V12 delivers a bit more than half the power the W1 offers (663 PS, or 654 hp), but it sounds glorious. Do yourself a favor and watch the video below with the T.50's final sign-off drive. If that does not give you an idea of what I am discussing here, nothing will.
Perhaps the McLaren F1 is to blame for all of this. When it broke speed and acceleration records, people must have thought that the idea was to keep doing that, over and over. In the car's defense, it did not have how to explain how wrong this interpretation was. It just stood there, humiliating everything else on wheels that came after it. Not because it was faster (which it still is, in several cases) or accelerated faster than its current competitors, but because it was driver-focused.
Photo: Gooding & Company
Does the W1 also follow that principle? Perhaps. Will people see it as the technological marvel some folks have said it is? I have my doubts, especially because that is frequently transitory. There will be something else in the market to beat it, packed with gadgets and clever solutions, when people start recognizing these said wonders – if they ever do. Above all, will that matter?
In other words, will the W1, the Tourbillon of any of these hypercars ever have the same charisma as a Ferrari 250 GTO or a McLaren F1? Will they help perpetuate the passion for cars that my generation has experienced and many others before mine? If my children are a trustworthy measurement tool for that, I fear the answer is no. Their lack of interest in cars is as sad to me as it is understandable. If I were a kid today, I'd probably be in the same boat as them. I'm yet to see a modern vehicle that drives as much interest as the F1 once did.
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