The last McLaren P1 rolled off the assembly line in 2015. Seven years later, the British are now offering existing customers a facelift with a performance gain.
Looking back, McLaren should congratulate itself today on having listened to the customers back then. The British originally wanted to put 1,500 units of the P1 on wheels, but the clientele pushed for a smaller number with increased exclusivity. The result was 375 cars at a price of 1.1 million euros each. The small edition now means that a planned model update measure in the third quarter of 2022 will probably not be that difficult to organize. McLaren is replacing the hybrid battery in the P1 seven years after the end of production. At least if the customers want it. And if you pay 150,000 euros for it.,
minus five percent dry weight
The replacement battery is state-of-the-art and is similar in structure to the battery that is also in the Speedtail. A McLaren spokesman told auto motor und sport on request: "The new battery is more powerful and will be at least 55 kilos lighter than the original version. This reduces the car's dry weight by five percent, which in turn improves acceleration and racetrack performance. " So a little more of everything? None! The electric range is shrinking from a maximum of eleven kilometers to three. In view of the fact that the possible uses for customers have always been negligible, this should not play a role. Since the gain in performance weighs much more heavily.
Of course, the e-range is not a very important criterion here. The hybrid drive in the McLaren P1 is of course performance-oriented and does not serve as a "greenwash" for the centrally installed 3.8-liter V8 with its 737 hp. The system output of McLaren's first road hybrid is 916 hp and a maximum of 900 Newton meters of torque. The (previously) 96-kilo battery is charged either via the combustion engine or by cable. With the latter option, it takes two hours; the combustion engine can do it in just ten minutes in charging mode. The six battery modules store a total of 4.7 kWh. It is not yet known what data the replacement battery can then come up with.,
Conclusion
The McLaren P1 has been in production for seven years. A performance upgrade will certainly please existing customers all the more. With the new battery, the hybrid drive of the super sports car is said to be more powerful, and the new part also saves 55 kilos in weight. However, the new part including installation is not a bargain at around 150,000 euros.
