Autocar has become the world's first car magazine to gather and publish independent performance figures for the McLaren P1 hypercar.
The 903bhp P1 is the subject of this week's Autocar road test and was put through a raft of track tests at the MIRA proving ground, during which it hit 60mph from rest in 2.8sec, reached 100mph in just 5.2sec and covered a standing quarter mile in 10.2sec with a terminal speed of 147.5mph.
Of all the cars Autocar has road tested, only Bugatti's Veyron Super Sport has proven quicker in a straight line – and then only marginally. The £1.67 million Bugatti reached 60mph and 100mph just 0.2sec faster than the P1, and was only 0.1sec quicker through the standing quarter mile.
Meanwhile, neither the Bugatti nor any of the other cars Autocar has tested could match the P1's on-track performance around Autocar's handling circuit. The P1 completed a lap in 1min 6.8sec, a good 1.2seconds quicker than the next fastest car, the road legal but track-focused Radical SR3 SL open sports car.
The Veyron lapped the track in 1min 8.5sec while Ferrari's F12 managed it in 1min 8.6sec. The P1 might have lapped even faster but for two damp patches; one in a high-speed bend, the other in a heavy braking zone.
The most impressive things about the McLaren P1 are not its outright pace – although that is breathtaking – but that such a usable, pliant and enjoyable road car can have such duality of character. And that a car so fast can be so approachable and engaging on a track.
The McLaren P1 is limited to a production run of 375 units, each costing £866,000.
Autocar magazine, featuring the P1 road test and incorporating a 'best of British' theme, is on sale now.
Read our McLaren P1 review here.
Get the latest car news, reviews and galleries from Autocar direct to your inbox every week. Enter your email address below:
Join the debate
Add your comment
Definitely not definitive
The definitive hypercar. And it's British.
ss