McLaren P1 Super Sports Car Debut, Geneva

With the Geneva Motor Show around the corner, automakers are on the verge of unveiling their new makes and models. As the press releases are rolling in, the McLaren P1 has proven to be a stand out machine, the type of car that helps the Geneva Motor Show maintain its famed reputation. This is not McLaren's first rodeo when it comes to creating sensational hype on their new cars, so they commissioned renowned auto photographer George Williams to fly to the middle east to capture the stunning sports car in its natural habitat - the racetrack.

McLaren Automotive is a British manufacturer of luxury, high-performance sports cars, located at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in Woking, Surrey. Following the company’s global launch in 2010, McLaren Automotive launched the groundbreaking 12C and 12C Spider and plans to introduce a new model each year.

The interior of the McLaren P1™ offers the driver and passenger a cocooning, efficiently packaged, comfortable cabin. The interior feels like the cockpit of a fighter jet, complete with glass canopy overhead and, with a windscreen deeper than it is wide, visibility is optimized.  This makes the car all the easier to plant on road and track.

Light weight – as with the rest of the car – is a priority, and switchgear is kept to a minimum, yet the McLaren P1 retains luxury features such as full climate control, satellite navigation and a bespoke sound system, developed from the outset with Meridian.

McLaren is a pioneer in the use of carbon fiber, and it features extensively throughout the McLaren P1, not least in the MonoCage chassis and the aerodynamically-shaped body panels, but also inside the two-seat cabin. It is the lightest possible material, while offering the strength desirable for safety and structural integrity, and is used for the dashboard, floor, headlining, doors, rockers and a single piece is shaped for the central control unit to further optimize weight. Attention to detail within the interior of the McLaren P1 is such that, to further reduce weight, the top layer of resin has been removed, to leave the carbon non-lacquered for a more natural look…and saves a further 1.5kg.

The racing bucket seats use the minimum amount of foam, are encased in ultra-thin carbon fiber shells, and mounted on lightweight brackets and runners, contributing to an overall weight of just 10.5kg each. The seat backs are fixed to 28 degrees from the vertical, but can be set to 32 degrees to make them more suitable for racing as it will give more helmet head room. The height of the seat will be custom set to suit the driver and passenger, and can be subsequently adjusted in the workshop. Fixings for a six-point race harnesses are in place, in addition to inertia reel seat belts.

The final, production-ready McLaren P1™ will make its global debut at the 83rd International Motor Show in Geneva, and the McLaren Automotive press conference will take place at 11.15am CET (10.15am GMT), Tuesday 5 March.

 (Photography by George Williams)