Simply Abu Dhabi XI

Mackenzie says that aero is so central to the P1 philosophy that it formed the basis of the car's design. "The performance criteria for the P1 was so extreme that the aerodynamicists and the technicians had to sit with the designers," he tells us. So, along with active aero at the car’s front end, there’s that giant, self-adjusting rear wing. Add in adjustable ride height and it all takes an even more dramatic turn. Engage ‘race mode’ with the car at a standstill and the P1 drops 50mm, hugging the ground like it never wants to let go. Always a good thing when hurtling around a racetrack at what may appear to be insane speeds. Of course McLaren are right in the thick of the latest hybrid supercar technology, the P1 adding their own take on how to make the best use of electric power in conjunction with their legendary combustion engines. Early in the P1’s development McLaren scrapped plans for a new 5.0-litre V8, deciding instead to use the same twin- turbocharged 3.8-litre V8 that proved so successful in the 12C. However, though it’s based on the same engine architecture, the P1's unit is unrecognisable. McLaren describes it as 90 per cent new, with a wholly revised crank train, fuelling, heads and block. And here that powerplant is paired with a KERS energy storage system that will boost power to a highly respectable 903 horsepower and 660 lb- ft. of torque. This F1-derived KERS module is no watered-down version of the boost system on those F1 racers either. In fact it’s quite the opposite: just look at these numbers and you’ll see what I mean. Current F1 KERS systems generate 81bhp of boost for a maximum of seven seconds at a time. The P1's system generates 161bhp and is available constantly. That's impressive performance from electric power alone. And while those figures may fall a little short of say, LaFerrari in terms of maximum bhp and top speed, McLaren’s Paul MacKenzie had something to say on the issue: “We believe the McLaren P1 is the most exciting, capable, technologically advanced and most dynamically accomplished supercar ever made. It may not be the fastest car in the world in absolute top speed, but that was never our goal. Rather, we believe it is the fastest- 2 4 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I