McLaren P1 set to cross the block at Mecum Monterey Auction

McLaren P1 set to cross the block at Mecum Monterey Auction

2015 MCLAREN P1
Hybrid 3.8/903 HP, Automatic

Engine 3.8/903 HP
Trans Automatic
Color Silver
Interior Black
VIN/Serial SBM12ABA3FW000291

ESTIMATE $2,200,000 - $2,500,000

No 291 of 375 produced
Hybrid twin-turbocharged 3.8/903 HP engine
RaceActive chassis control
Instant power assist system
Drag reduction system
Dual clutch 7-speed automatic transmission
Launch, track, boost and E modes
Akebono carbon ceramic disc brakes
Active rear wing
Roof-mounted air intake
Full carbon fiber body
Kevlar and carbon fiber monocage
Carbon fiber interior accents

As few as 10 years ago, a car of the McLaren P1’s caliber might only have been seen zooming along Le Mans’ Mulsanne Straight or diving into the Nurburgring’s treacherous Fuchsrohre; no-one would have thought it a suitable device for the open road. But that was then, and now the McLaren P1 is at the vanguard of the nascent hyper-hybrid movement sweeping through the world of exotic automobiles.

McLaren press releases heralded the P1 as “the most exciting, capable, technologically advanced and dynamically accomplished super sports car ever made.” If that sounds like typical corporate hyperbole, consider that the P1 incorporates many contemporary Formula 1 technologies, including IPAS (Instant Power Assist System), a development of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) that instantly delivers maximum power, and DRS (Drag Reduction System), which adjusts the rear spoiler to maximize straight-line speed. Its revolutionary MonoCage monocoque, one of the lightest of any road car at just 180 pounds, is composed of carbon fiber with five times the strength of titanium, and it incorporates the additional protection of Kevlar.

Its mid-mounted twin turbocharged 3.8L/727 HP DOHC 32-valve V-8 drives a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, which contains a permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor adding 177 HP for a total output of 903 HP and more than 700 lb-ft of torque. The P1 offers several modes of performance to suit every type of driving right up to full-bore Race mode, in which the P1’s RaceActive Chassis Control hunkers it down to the road surface and raises the rear spoiler, maximizing downforce at more than 1,300 pounds at 160 MPH and readying it for the ballistic climb to its governed top speed of 218 MPH.

Where the P1’s mantis-like carbon-fiber bodywork was sculpted by the wind, its interior was shaped by McLaren’s driver-centric design philosophy, which makes room not only for the P1’s superb racing seats, but such amenities as climate control, navigation, carpeting and an exclusive Meridian sound system as well. A World Championship pedigree, dazzling performance and exclusivity qualify the McLaren P1 as the very definition of hypercar greatness. Finished in extra-cost Supernova Silver, this McLaren P1 is No. 291 of 375 produced and has been driven fewer than 1,000 miles since new.


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