The McLaren P1 GTR looks a bit like a toymakers’ idea of what a supercar should be – brash and racy, with gullwing doors, a low nose and an enormous rear wing that looks like it might light up if you push a button.
Incredibly, however, this is absolutely for real – all 1345 kg and £2,000,000 of it.
Designed purely for the track, this P1 has had all the road-car specifications stripped out of it and light-weight materials such as polycarbonate put in, leaving behind what Top Gear have called the ‘maddest McLaren yet’.
Given that the car’s modified twin-turbo, 3.8 litres V8 produces a whopping 986BHP when power is added from the electric motor (which contributes 197BHP), they may be onto something.
The body of the P1 GTR is 50mm lower than the road version and, combined with a wider front track, that rear wing and a front-mounted aero blade, means that the car benefits from a 10% improvement in down force.
Overall, the car has a power-to-weight ratio of 684BHP per tonne, something that will set it up nicely against the Ferrari FXX K on the track.
The wheels are 19 inch, with F1 -style centre lock hubs. Inflated wheel arches rise into reshaped radiator ducts, before the wing seamlessly flows into the rear – where you’ll find two enormous titanium alloy exhaust pipes.
The yellow and green livery is inspired by the car which brought about the famous McLaren Le Mans victory in 1995, when it came 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 13th, with Derek Bell at the wheel of the winning car. The car was sponsored by Harrods and had the same livery as that which now graces the P1 GTR.
Inside, the car is pure racetrack: DTM-style seats, harnesses, and a digital steering wheel, based on that of the 2008 F1 car.
Who needs heated seats and in-car entertainment when you’ve got this magnificent car to play with?
Before you rush out to buy one, however, we should point out that only 35 will be made, and they’ll be offered exclusively to owners of the road version of the P1.
The rest of us will just have to be content with a model version from the toy store.