The McLaren P1 GTR is a modified version of the McLaren P1 supercar. The GTR was made for the racetracks and not to be street legal. While only 50 were manufactured in the GTR's initial run, another 58 were ordered in subsequent production. The car takes cues from sailfish swimming techniques and is known to have a powerful engine. However, it also comes with a seven-figure price tag.
Read on to find out details, aspects, and history of the McLaren P1 GTR.
Brake Horsepower Is Incredibly High
The McLaren P1 GTR was known to have high brake horsepower. While “horsepower” and “brake horsepower” both measure engine power output, brake horsepower has been seen as a more definitive measurement because it factors in power loss due to friction.
Brake horsepower is often measured by fully revving up the engine and then letting it slow to a complete halt. Unfortunately, the P1 GTR only had an initial run of 50 models produced. The engine is a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 and compared to the regular P1, the P1 GTR sports an extra 83 horsepower.
The P1 GTR was made for the track, so it didn't have to factor in any road regulations. Other significant differences between the GTR and the standard model are that the GTR has a titanium-alloy exhaust system for louder noise, racing slicks, improved exterior aerodynamic design, and a wider track. The GTR can get a top speed of 217 MPH and can reach 124 MPH in 6.8 seconds. It also has 664 lb-ft of torque.
It Had A Prototype
As with most new vehicles, the P1 GTR had a prototype made prior to its release for engineering and testing purposes. It needed validation tests, which make certain areas of a vehicle prone to high-stress situations, giving engineers an idea of what on a car and where a car will break first. This helps the engineers find a way to prevent breakage when the actual model is debuted on the sales floor.
The prototype is often crushed upon completion of its validation tests, now considered obsolete that it's served its intended purpose. However, once in a while, like with the P1 GTR, the prototype is spared destruction and goes on to become an actual road car.
One surviving prototype is the XP05, which is one of 14 experimental prototypes the P1 GTR had. The XP05's specialty was to test gearbox calibration and Bosch injection development. After its validation tests proved successful, the XP05 went on to become a GTR track car, being displayed in booths in the auto show circuit.
As for how these prototypes get to enjoy car life after testing, the car itself has to be stripped to the carbon fiber base and then reassembled just like a non-prototype car would. While most P1 GTR vehicles are only made to race, there are exceptions, as a few have been modified to become street-legal.
Hyperbole Made Real
While the P1 had 375 made and they each cost $1 million, the P1 GTR had only 50 made and they each cost $1.9 million. The P1 GTR started out as an exaggeration, never expected to become reality.
After all, given that its base model, the P1, has 904 horsepower and is a rear-drive hybrid, the regular P1 seemed extreme enough. In addition, the P1 was mainly carbon-fiber from exterior to interior.
The P1 also uses concepts from what McLaren previously achieved with the F1. The wing was adjusted due to a downforce of 1323 pounds at 160 mph potentially causing damage, and the exterior's main design feature is about airflow.
And this is just for the P1 base model, which is already breaking ground for streetcars. When the GTR arrived, it did all this and more, so whatever seemed exaggerated with the P1 became reality with the P1 GTR.
Sailfish-Inspired Design
As crazy as it may sound, a lot of the design elements of the engine and the interior workings were inspired by studying and viewing sailfish.
Design Director of McLaren Automotive, Frank Stephenson, had the inspiration for the P1 GTR while on vacation. There, he saw sailfish on the wall of his resort and was told it was a speedy fish to catch, inspiring him to investigate this particular species in regards to its speed.
Stephenson then stopped in Miami and bought a sailfish from a local fisherman. After that, he had it scanned in the scanning department of the McLaren Automotive aerodynamics laboratory in Surrey. Carmakers there began to research just why the sailfish was so quick. That said, it was not the first incident of automotive companies to adopt natural techniques into their vehicles.
The sailfish is essentially a “turbo swordfish” that exhibits bursts of enhanced speed in order to catch prey. The sailfish have scales that create miniature vortices. These, in turn, give the fish a bubble of air to travel in that reduces drag and increases speed.
McLaren then put his designers to work making a texture similar to that of sailfish scales inside of the ducts leading to the P1's engine, increasing air intake into the engine by 17%.
Sources: cars.mclaren.com, motorauthority.com, motortrend.com, bbc.com, caranddriver.com, autoexpress.co.uk,