McLaren P1 Concept (2012)

CAR GARAGE | McLaren P1 Concept (2012) | At the 2012 Paris Motor Show, the Mondial de l'Automobile, the McLaren P1 is previewed as a design study.  The McLaren P1 will be the result of 50 years of racing and road car heritage,' says McLaren Automotive Executive Chairman Ron Dennis. The McLaren P1 leverages five decades of McLaren's motorsport skills.

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.  'Every body panel, air intake, exhaust and water was designed to guide in air from the most efficient places to maximise and cooling, "says Lacey. The unusual door ducts, from the initial styling sketches, draw water into the cooling circuit. That low body water helps get to the rear wing. The rear deck is extraordinarily low, just like a sports car racing. 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 optimize aerodynamics. The double element rear wing profile has been developed using exactly the same methods and software as the current McLaren Formula 1 car.

As with the legendary McLaren F1 road car of 1992, the McLaren P1 is a mid-engine design that uses a carbon fiber monocoque safety cage and roof structure called MonoCage roomates concept is a development of the MonoCell used in the current 12C and 12C Spider. All the body panels are carbon fiber 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).

The McLaren P1 has a single large clamshell-molded front and rear panels, roomates 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. The large carbon panels are also multi-functional, with integrated scoops and ducts to boost aero performance and cooling. Lightness, as with all McLaren road cars, was a priority for the McLaren P1. 'This approach is more efficient weight, but it does require more complex structures, with fewer parts but more design time, "notes Chief Design Engineer Parry-Williams.

This helped give the car a natural, almost organic, quality. All the ducts were developed with the aero team, giving a direct link to McLaren's motorsport heritage. Plus there is the most aggressive rear diffuser ever seen on a road car. Good visibility has always been a McLaren mantra. The lights are a signature part of the car. Whilst at the back, the low rear deck and pronounced wheelarches, give the rear end a simple evocatively powerful graphics. Again, beautiful, organic forms framing and enhancing the technical features,' says Stephenson.