IOL Motoring Staff
McLaren has decided to whet our automotive appetites with a collection of new imagery of its manic P1 supercar as it takes a blast around the Bahrain International Circuit.
Billed as the quickest and most technologically advanced car ever to hail from Britain, the P1 allegedly screams from 0-100km/h in under three seconds and reaches a top speed of 350km/h.
Its hybrid powertrain, with system outputs of 674kW and 900Nm, mates a mid-mounted 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 to a lightweight electric motor. Its urge is sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
Control your urges, however, and the P1 should be capable of doing 20km on electric power alone - however, you will have to plug it into a wall socket for two hours prior and limit your speed to 48km/h.
The P1's MonoCage is one of the lightest carbon fibre full-body structures ever used in a road car while its slippery lines produce more downforce than any other road car in the world.
Only 375 P1s will be built, each commanding a price tag of £866 000 (R11.5-million) in the UK.