After Lanzante converted a bunch of P1 GTRs into road legal cars, McLaren decided it was time for an official run of 5+1 P1 LMs, just like they did with the F1 in 1995.

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McLaren
By Máté Petrány
Jun 21, 2016




The party starts with Kenny Bräck driving the P1 XP1 LM up the Goodwood hill on Sunday. Then, Lanzante will build five more P1 LMs. One will be dark grey like the prototype, while the other four come in orange.

After Lanzante Motorsport won the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans with their F1 GTR for McLaren, the company built 5+1 road legal GTRs, thus creating the F1 LMs. Production was limited to five units because McLaren wasn't sure if they could sell more, but with the Sultan of Brunei buying three (two black, one orange), there wasn't many left for the rest of the millionaires. Today, LM3 (orange) belongs to Ralph Lauren, LM2 (orange) is also somewhere in America while XP1 LM (also orange) remained at McLaren, forcing Lewis Hamilton to buy a 760hp Pagani Zonda with a manual instead.

Unlike the F1 GTRs, the P1 GTRs aren't proper race cars, but that didn't stop buyers queueing up for them. McLaren Special Operations only made 24 units to be raced at private track days organized by the company, but then Dean Lanzante started to make those road legal as well, suddenly, these became the fastest road-going McLarens ever.

Since the development work was done already, McLaren felt it was time to hop onboard, launching the P1 LM, the last six P1s ever to be made, also by Lanzante.


McLaren
Here are all the details of the P1 LM, straight from Lanzante:

Engine

The biggest change is to the engine hardware producing additional boost and hybrid power in order to maintain the McLaren P1 GTR's 1000PS (986bhp). This is achieved while still using 99-octane fuel.

The engine bay features gold plated heat shielding while the catalytic convertor pipes and exhaust headers are made using the exotic 'super-alloy' Inconel saving 4.5 kg. Furthermore, the charge coolers will be produced with even more efficient cores to maintain power at higher run temperatures.
Chassis

Wheels and tyres are unique to the P1 LM but the Race Active Chassis Control and major parts of the McLaren P1TM GTR are retained.

The LM will be 60kg lighter than even the McLaren P1 GTR thanks to the removal of race parts such as the air-jack system, the use of lightweight seats from the McLaren F1 GTR, the Inconel exhaust and titanium tailpipes, lightweight fabricated charge coolers, Lexan windows, and the use of titanium bolts and fixings.
The final set up of the cars will be completed by Kenny Brack at the Nürburgring circuit.

Design

The advanced aerodynamics and styling of the McLaren P1 GTR are largely carried over to the P1 LM but with increased aero from a modified rear wing, and larger front splitter and dive planes. Together the changes give a predicted increase in downforce of 40%.

The P1 LM is uniquely fitted with a fully exposed carbon fibre roof and additional panels. Other exterior changes include orange brake callipers on the orange examples and silver on the grey ones.
Interior

Exposed carbon fibre covers the entire dashboard, instrument cowl, seat backs, roof, door cards, centre console and even the floor mats. Air conditioning is included as standard.

Orange Alcantara is used for the seat inserts and door pulls on the orange cars, black on the grey examples. Five point seat belts are also fitted.

The Alcantara trimmed steering wheel is unique to the P1 LM and is a modified version of that used in the championship winning McLaren MP4/23 driven by Lewis Hamilton.
Additional Equipment

The P1 LM will be supplied by Lanzante Ltd. with a full tool kit including a torque wrench and wheel socket plus diagnostics tablet. Included, too, will be a tailored car cover and battery charging system. Owners will also be treated to a 1:8 scale model of their car and framed rendering.

McLaren: the name conjures images of bellowing Orange Can Am racers, delicately sculpted Formula 1 racers and fabulous road cars like this breathtaking 2014 P1 Hybrid. Boasting chassis number 2, this McLaren P1 was the earliest serial number available to the public and – since McLaren kept serial number 1 – this McLaren P1 is the earliest chassis number in private hands today. A one-owner jewel, the supercar was delivered new in May 2014 with a painted carbon fiber body. Later in the production cycle, McLaren announced their plans to offer a limited number of cars with exposed carbon fiber body panels. The owner shipped the car back to McLaren in September 2015 to be fitted with an exposed carbon-fiber body and upon completion, McLaren shipped the completed car back in December 2015 and then later the original painted body in three separate crates. McLaren built only four or five exposed carbon fiber cars after the end of the original production run, however this P1 is the only example that was converted from a painted to exposed-finished body by the factory. The original body will be included in the sale of the car with complimentary shipping to a location within the continental United States.

The McLaren P1 demonstrates that the supercar concept has advanced exponentially in the last decade. More than just a freakish powertrain wrapped in wads of carbon fiber, the P1 is an exquisitely rendered system of systems. Its aero design imparts more downforce than any other production road car in the world. It supplements that with a combination of RaceActive Chassis Control and an adjustable rear wing to add ground effect aerodynamics and maximize the downforce inherent in the car’s sculpting. Its revolutionary MonoCage monocoque, one of the lightest such structures of any road car at just 180 pounds, is composed of carbon fiber with five times the strength of titanium and incorporates the additional protection of Kevlar.

McLaren designers and engineers simultaneously drew on both the past and the future of Formula 1 for the P1, employing such outlawed technologies as the aforementioned active aerodynamics and suspension while previewing the change to hybrid powertrains introduced in the 2014 rulebook. In addition to its all-carbon-fiber construction (McLaren pioneered its use in Formula 1), the P1 incorporates many present-day Formula 1 technologies, including IPAS (Instant Power Assist System), a development of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) that instantly delivers maximum power, and DRS (Drag Reduction System), which adjusts the rear spoiler to maximize straight-line speed, all at the touch of steering wheel-mounted buttons.

Power is wrought through a combination of a twin-turbocharged 3.8L DOHC 32-valve V-8 rated at 727 HP and, in the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, a permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor adding 177 HP for a total output of 903 HP and more than 700 lb-ft of torque. Mounted amidships and fed by a roof-mounted snorkel air intake inspired by the McLaren F1 road car, this power package blasts the P1 to 60 MPH in 2.7 seconds, 100 MPH in 5.1 and 185 MPH in just 16.5 seconds, the latter 5 fewer than the McLaren F1. The F1’s exotic silicon-carbide-coated carbon-ceramic disc brakes, supplied by Formula 1 partners Akebono, halt the P1 from 120 MPH in a mere 380 feet.

Drivers can choose from several modes of performance, beginning with E-mode, which uses only the electric motor and the most docile suspension setting. Things start happening fast from there, drawing the driver into ever-more intimate contact with the P1 that climaxes in full-on Race mode. It is there that the P1 is truly in its element, delivering its pilot into the nirvana of car and driver operating as one. The RaceActive system hunkers the car down two inches closer to the ground, inducing full ground effect, and the wind-sculpted rear spoiler ascends almost a foot from its enclave to generate more than 1,300 pounds of downforce at 160 MPH, the key to the P1 driving experience at its outer limits. Power delivery is seamless and unrelenting thanks to the interplay between the two power sources; acceleration, braking and cornering are forays into new and wonderful gravitational realms, all performed to the visceral, unfiltered soundtrack of that shrieking twin-turbo V-8.

At rest, the P1 is a study in the laws of airflow wrought in complex beauty and fine detail. Like a handcrafted timepiece that shows off its intricate movement through glass, P1 number 2’s carbon-fiber surfaces are tinted rather than painted, exposing the artfully hand-laid woven material through a glass-like coating of green lacquer. The effect is appropriately stunning on a car whose beauty—in even the most pedestrian color—arrests onlookers as if suddenly locked in suspended animation.

Green metallic lacquer ties the Pirelli P-Zero-shod 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels to the overall scheme, which repeats inside with green carbon-fiber accents and stitching on the black leather upholstery. The P1’s racing-style seats and focused controls are typical of McLaren’s driver-centric design philosophy, which also makes room for such conveniences as climate control, navigation, carpeting and an exclusive Meridian sound system.

A championship racing pedigree, shocking performance and exclusivity: this McLaren P1 has it all, with the added attraction of being in a league of its own as what McLaren itself calls, “the most exciting, capable, technologically advanced and dynamically accomplished super sports car ever made.”

The team behind the ‘Ring-beating P1 LM confirm a new longtail version. Wow

Yikes, this is exciting. Lanzante are making a longtail McLaren P1 GT, and we’ll see it next week at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

If you need a reminder, Lanzante are behind the road-legal McLaren P1 GTR – known as the P1 LM – which set a quite mad 6m43.2s lap at the Nürburgring last year. It also proved pretty quick up the Goodwood hillclimb.

For some, though, it’s simply not enough. And one customer in the Middle East has asked for a P1 that replicates the wonderful old McLaren F1 GT (pictured in grey); proper longtail, many vents and scoops, properly swept wheelarches. And this time, a ginormous rear wing. Expect a strong top speed from this one.

McLaren will have its own longtail at Goodwood, in the shape of the new 600LT. But Lanzante’s first teaser image suggests this will be a proper longtail; the proportions look wildly different to a P1 or P1 LM, while a second teaser shot reveals just how slatted those front arches are. And how flipping good a green and cream combo looks.

Whether this car shares the 903bhp hybrid powertrain from a regular P1 or the 986bhp tune from the P1 GTR we don’t yet know, but we’ve not long to wait: the teaser image, posted on Lanzante’s Instagram page, also confirms a reveal at the Festival of Speed on Friday July 13. Bring it on…

Whenever a McLaren P1 GTR comes up for sale, it's a special event. McLaren pumped out 40 extra track-only variants of its Ultimate Series hypercar after all 375 road-going P1s had been built, loaded them up on whey protein powder, and sent them to the gym to shed 110 pounds and gain 83 extra horsepower from the standard P1. Well one is currently for sale from duPont REGISTRY, and it holds vehicle identification number 01.

This 2016 P1 GTR listed on duPont REGISTRY's website is a car of firsts. In addition to being the first P1 GTR ever built, it's the first of only a handful of GTRs that have been converted for road use by Lanzante, who installed tail lights, turn signals, and a front axle lift system. The car is clad in an iconic yellow and black livery with a red stripe and "01" decals located on the doors and hood. According to duPont REGISTRY's blog, the new owner will receive complementary training from McLaren driving instructors, because this car is a lot to handle.

There's just one conundrum: the car has just 900 miles on the odometer. It's high enough to make the zero-mile disciples scoff, but low enough that collectors will still think twice about taking it out for a Sunday drive. Still, with a 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged V-8 and an electric motor behind your head generating 986 combined horsepower and the ability to reach 60 mph in 2.4 seconds on the way to a 225 mph top speed, the temptation to drive it like you stole it will always be there.

Considering this car's rarity and significance in the P1 GTR's production, we wouldn't judge the buyer if they wanted to keep it pristine and with low miles. However, you won't need a tow truck to transport this stripped-down track monster to a hypercar show.

Trawling the classifieds for a new runabout, under 60k miles, full year’s MOT, budget of Ł10,000? How boring.

Scrap all that and buy this instead. Jenson Button is putting his pride and joy McLaren P1 up for sale, with just 551 miles on the clock, for a bargain Ł1.6million.

Regardless of the 2009 F1 World Champion cheeks that have graced the leather bucket seats, this example is ‘one of a kind’, featuring a Track Mode 2 upgrade from McLaren Special Operations. This is a bespoke software upgrade that allows ‘for a road legal version of Race Mode’ – costing Ł20k.

Further upgrades include carbon fibre door mirrors, Stealth Pack, lightweight forged wheels, carbon ceramic brakes with yellow calipers, Meridian sound system, vehicle tracking system, front and rear parking sensors, and genuine Jenson scent.

He said of his sale: “So I’ve decided to put my McLaren P1 up for sale so that someone else can enjoy her. It’s a tough decision but living in America I don’t really get the chance to drive this beauty.” If you were doubting whether a 551-mile machine had even had its engine run-in properly, Jenson “did give her a final blast up to Silverstone for WEC last month!”

The P1 - a member of the hybrid hypercar holy trinity - has 903bhp, a top speed of 217mph and can hit 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds. It even promises combined fuel economy of 34mpg, although we can’t be sure the F1 champ was quite hitting that latter figure.

Interested? You can find more specs and contact the dealership, Steve Hurn Cars, here.

A successor to the McLaren P1 is in the works; that much we know is true. But McLaren hasn't given up on the P1 itself, despite production ending some seven years ago. Instead of letting sleeping hypercar legends lie, the British supercar manufacturer has given the mighty P1 and P1 GTR a new battery upgrade "taking on new technologies including the key learnings from the battery technology of the Speedtail, meaning it is lighter and more power-dense," McLaren tells CarBuzz. The new battery weighs less than half of what the original did, and improves not only acceleration but handling ability too. We've now learned a little more about the battery and discovered that McLaren has prioritized performance over eco-friendlinessSpeaking exclusively to CarBuzz, a McLaren representative answered our questions about the upgrade. The first thing we wanted to know was why the automaker leveraged the Speedtail rather than the plug-in hybrid Artura for the new tech. As it turns out, the Artura's battery pack is built around range-focused cells, while the Speedtail uses power-dense cell technology that favors performance over range. When asked whether the electric range of the P1 had been altered by the new pack, we were surprised to hear that the electric range has dropped from 7.5 miles down to just 1.9 miles - a quarter of the original figure. The reason for this is simple: "The new technology prioritizes reduced weight and increased vehicle performance, with [the] rate of regenerative recharge also improved."

The new lithium-ion phosphate battery cell reduces the weight from 233.7 pounds to just 110 lbs, shaving four-tenths of a second off the 0-186-mph dash


This isn't as a result of retuned motor outputs, however, which remain at 903 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. McLaren tells us that the increased performance is purely due to weight. But due to the improved regenerative ability of the battery, nothing is lost from a power deployment perspective, so you won't run out of juice and be stuck with combustion power only.

The battery itself is plug and play, requiring only a vehicle-level software update. All in, the replacement takes only 14 hours at a McLaren dealer and is covered by a new 6-year warranty. It comes at a price, however, and P1 owners who wish to secure the upgrade will have to cough up $156,700 including the supply and fitment of the cell, just a few grand shy of the price of a Porsche 911 GT3. The upgrades will be available to owners from July 2022