Don’t expect an electric McLaren anytime soon. The British supercar maker has launched an all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine in its W1 hypercar and it looks set to power the next-generation of its supercars.
Up until the launch of the new V6-powered Artura, McLaren had been relying on its original V8 engine, which had powered the majority of its models, starting with the 12C which launched back in 2011.
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For the W1 project, McLaren worked with engine partner Ricardo to develop a new twin-turbo V8 to dismiss any fears the brand would downsize to the V6 entirely or even go all-electric. As evident in the W1, the new V8 is compatible with a hybrid system, and W1 Project Manager Heather Fitch said this new powertrain will underpin the next wave of McLaren supercars.
“We’ve previously confirmed that you know, the new V8 will certainly be looked to be powering some of our future vehicles. And hybrids as well, we see a continued role for hybrid system setups for years to come. So there will be opportunities into the future for components like this,” Fitch told Torquecafe.
But the W1 has done more than just develop a new engine to help future McLaren models. As Fitch explained, the development of the new hypercar led to the design and engineering team creating new, more creative ways to craft new models.
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“What I’d also say is just the methodology of how we’ve created the W1 [will influence future models],” she said. “So I mentioned the VR [virtual reality] headsets. We use lots of other analysis techniques. For example, we borrowed some sort of analysis styles and techniques from Formula 1 around aero analysis. Which means that we’ve got more advanced software from that perspective.
“We’ve just installed a brand new driving simulator in our building which again, all of these things we’ve invested in gives us this really great foundation to kind of use that and bring that into the rest of our product range. And that might be tuning them up or it might be creating something brand new.
“So the learnings that we’ve had on W1 from the tech, the tools, the things that we brought into the business, we can absolutely use that into the future.”
The 750S is the brand’s hero model using the current V8 engine. It has been on sale since 2023 in its current guise, but actually dates back to 2017 when it replaced the 12C. That means it is likely due for replacement in the short-term, with the new V8 hybrid set to power McLaren into the future.
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