RE: McLaren P1 pricing and performance
Discussion
garypotter said:
"I wonder if they'll take a finished XP P1 somewhere for an actual vmax run minus the limiter as they did with the F1."
I have this little voice in my head telling me that it was not Mclaren that went for the original high speed test in the F1, I think it was a privately owned car doing the first 217 run, when that was beaten I think it was about '96 when Mclaren went for their official fatsest run.
I could be writing a load of "Daily Mail"
To my knowledge the development F1 (XP5 I think) was clocked at 231mph at Nardo in the early 90s, and McLaren took it to Ehra-Lessien in 1998 for a crack at the speed record - back then the record was still the Jag XJ220's 217mph. On the straight and totally standard, the car hit 236mph. With the limiter removed it averaged 240mph on two runs to set the new record. (There's Youtube clips of the in-car videos with Andy Wallace driving - worth a watch if only for the ferociously thrilling growl of the F1's engine sustained for minutes at a time.)I have this little voice in my head telling me that it was not Mclaren that went for the original high speed test in the F1, I think it was a privately owned car doing the first 217 run, when that was beaten I think it was about '96 when Mclaren went for their official fatsest run.
I could be writing a load of "Daily Mail"
I'm not aware of any unofficial F1 speed tests before 1998, although I'm sure they happened. Autocar managed 211mph at Bruntingthorpe, for example. The official production car record remained 217mph until broken by the F1 in 1998; everyone knew the F1 would have a faster top speed than the XJ220 but it just McLaren a while to demonstrate this. (For what it's worth, the Bugatti EB110 SuperSport maybe could've got close to the Jag's record too.)
Harry H said:
Soooo, boring. Yep it's super fast, but so what. Way quicker than anyone could possibly exploit on the road and there's loads better track kit for a tenth of the price.
It's no better looking that a host of other "Super Cars" that are a 3rd of the price as well.
Absolutely pointless. If I had the dosh, which I don't and desperately wanted a McLaren I'd buy it's much cheaper brother. More than enough car for 99.99999% of even the super talented drivers found on here and give the rest to charity.
Of course, a 1400kg car producing 900bhp and 600kg of downforce is always likely to be boring isn't it.It's no better looking that a host of other "Super Cars" that are a 3rd of the price as well.
Absolutely pointless. If I had the dosh, which I don't and desperately wanted a McLaren I'd buy it's much cheaper brother. More than enough car for 99.99999% of even the super talented drivers found on here and give the rest to charity.
What is the point of any supercar? Or indeed any fast car? Or in fact cars as a whole?
Maybe McLaren should move into shoe making or horse saddles instead...
garypotter said:
"I wonder if they'll take a finished XP P1 somewhere for an actual vmax run minus the limiter as they did with the F1."
I have this little voice in my head telling me that it was not Mclaren that went for the original high speed test in the F1, I think it was a privately owned car doing the first 217 run, when that was beaten I think it was about '96 when Mclaren went for their official fatsest run.
I could be writing a load of "Daily Mail"
I'm not the authority on this stuff. Peleton25 (Erik) is.I have this little voice in my head telling me that it was not Mclaren that went for the original high speed test in the F1, I think it was a privately owned car doing the first 217 run, when that was beaten I think it was about '96 when Mclaren went for their official fatsest run.
I could be writing a load of "Daily Mail"
I dunno about an initial McLaren F1 run of 217mph.
Flemke (PHer with his own F1, and a fairly sizeable PH thread dedicated to him/the car) intimated a while back that at least one F1 owner has maxed an F1, irrespective of the factory work.
As I understand it, the basic road cars (ignoring GTRs etc) are gearing limited to 231mph with the standard 6th gear and standard 7500rpm rev limiter. Jonathan Palmer drove prototype XP3 around Nardo at this speed. That's what the regular (bad choice of word!) road car will do, flat out, unless you tinker with it.
When they took XP5 for the record run (31st May 1998), they had to remove the 7500 limiter on the engine to get it to 241mph (over-revving by about 300rpm or so). Based on that you could suppose that if they could have fitted a longer 6th to it, it'd have gone ever-so-slightly faster since peak power was at 7400rpm. There is and was no point in bothering with that.
The fact that they removed the limiter for the Ehra-Lessien run, and the fact that Andy Wallace was driving it, but mostly the fact that McLaren owned and still own XP5, all points to that run having been carried by the factory itself.
C
BelfastBoy - very close on the chronology of F1 top speed attempts. It was XP3 at Nardo in 1993 that did 231 with an engine slightly down on power, but this was not an officially recorded event as you state, so no record obtained at that time.
I can't see McLaren bothering with a top speed test of the P1. They have been quite open about the fact the car was not designed with that sort of goal in mind and that the design would have require far too many compromises to make a worthy attempt. Think Veyron with its 10 radiators and all the weight and packaging issues to go along with them.
>8^)
ER
I can't see McLaren bothering with a top speed test of the P1. They have been quite open about the fact the car was not designed with that sort of goal in mind and that the design would have require far too many compromises to make a worthy attempt. Think Veyron with its 10 radiators and all the weight and packaging issues to go along with them.
>8^)
ER
GroundEffect said:
There'll be a technical reason behind 217mph. Could be transmission cooling, battery pack loading/cooling or even engine cooling (however unlikely at a Vmax).
Why? I'm sure with all there experience of cooling in F1 and the P1 one not as tightly packed as a F1 car they cooling isn't a big issue. Why does it have to be a technical reason.And if the Ferrari is faster will that alone mean it's better car than the Macca?
MartiniBianco said:
Ugly...except top view:
Partially agreed. Arial shot is definitely the best view. However, I wouldnt go as far as too say that the rest is ugly - just different? It may have the old "Chris Bangle" effect and grow on you over time. Probably help once it's been seen in the flesh....[quote=Dazed & Confused]
I'm not sure what to make of Mclaren blinking first in terms of full revealing of specs. Do they know something about the Ferrari which means they need to try and get P1 buyers before the F150 is announced?
This way all the buzz at Geneva is going to be about the Ferrari.
[/quote]
I suspect that regardless of what McLaren did the new Ferrari will steal the limelight....McLaren is a big story in the UK especially to the typical PH'er but in the wider world Ferrari is just much,much bigger news.
I'm not sure what to make of Mclaren blinking first in terms of full revealing of specs. Do they know something about the Ferrari which means they need to try and get P1 buyers before the F150 is announced?
This way all the buzz at Geneva is going to be about the Ferrari.
Edited by Dazed & Confused on Tuesday 26th February 11:25
[/quote]
I suspect that regardless of what McLaren did the new Ferrari will steal the limelight....McLaren is a big story in the UK especially to the typical PH'er but in the wider world Ferrari is just much,much bigger news.
I realise everyones masturbating on the acceleration because they've announced it but surely given its weight, power and likely downforce this cars party piece will be corners, getting into and out of them quickly, perhaps 15 or so of them linked in a circle, lets call it a track and setting incredible lap times (for a road car) I wonder where they'll find someone with large enough testicals to attempt a full on Ring time :-)
I'm having an ongoing almost daily argument with one of my sons friends about how you quantify what a really fast car is. He keeps saying it's a Bugatti and that top speed is important, he also insists that Ferrari's are best cars ever. I tell him that the scariest most exciting most intoxicating thing I have ever driven on a road was my Caterham R500 (no windscreen helps).
He just doesn't get the wider argument. But then he is ten years old.
He just doesn't get the wider argument. But then he is ten years old.
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