McLaren confirms W1 global public debut for FOS

While it might be true that McLaren’s recent merger (‘forced marriage’ might be a better description) with British startup Forseven makes for interesting reading – and rampant speculation regarding strategic direction following CEO Michael Leiters departure – it is also worth remembering that the firm has one pivotal marker already set in stone. The incoming W1, with its innovative 1275hp hybrid powertrain (most of it courtesy of a new V8) is intended to push the technical envelope in the same way its predecessors, the F1 and P1, did in their respective eras. That makes its global public debut a fairly notable event – one that will be conveniently located in West Sussex later this week. 

To reinforce its messaging and the W1’s heritage, McLaren will showcase the car directly alongside the P1 and F1, so you’ll get a real sense of the lineage. If nothing else, you’ll get a firsthand impression of the differences in scale – especially if the W1 has all its body-lengthening aerodynamic trickery on display. Of course, should you fall under the car’s spell you won’t actually be able to do anything about it – all 399 examples were spoken for before McLaren even revealed it last October. Equally, that’s reason enough to get an eyeful while you can: much like the F1 and P1, subsequent sightings of the W1 on the road are likely to fall somewhere between rare and non-existent. 

Sadly we won’t get to see the car running (which is understandable given where it is in development, though disappointing given McLaren’s confidence on the sound it will make) but there is plenty of other Woking-based stuff to fill the gap. Not least the spectacle of the Le Mans-winning F1 GTR muscling its way up the hill with JJ Lehto himself at the wheel. As you might expect, that’s to mark 30 years since McLaren’s unexpected triumph at the world’s most famous 24-hour race, as is the presence of the new 750S Le Mans, the special edition model it revealed to the world just last month. 

It seems that car – limited to just 50 examples, let’s not forget – will take part in the ever-popular supercar runs, as will the Artura MCL38 Celebration Edition. And if the prospect of that is too pedestrian for your viewing pleasure, there’s always the V10-powered Solus GT to get your juices flowing. FOS devotees will recall McLaren’s bonkers track car (arguably the most eccentric and extreme model it has ever made) roaring its way to Timed Shootout victory back in 2023. On the basis that it is using a customer car this time around, it probably won’t be doing that again – but any chance to be close to its naturally aspirated engine at full chat is always one worth taking.