McLaren is having its fiftieth birthday in 2013, and instead of merely stuffing themselves with cake, they plan to celebrate by putting their brand new hypercar into production. The McLaren P1 premiered in Paris last September, and while we got quite a few details and a fantastic 360-degree view of its aerodynamic beauty, lots of tiny imperfections have to be sorted out before the team at Woking can call it ready.
It's now one step closer to reality with an exhaust that can simultaneously light and extinguish the candles on their birthday cake.
In preparation the team got cracking during winter, spending endless hours at the tracks and on the most challenging roads all over the globe with their camouflaged XP development cars. And just when you thought that the cover is just the usual black and white vinyl confusing the autofocus of our eyes (and cameras), it turns out that the P1 features "the outlines of famous circuits from across the world, each of which is significant in the history of the brand." It's all about the details, you know...
With the help of Akebono on the brakes, Pirelli on the tires and Mobil 1 on cooling, lubrication and hydraulic fluids next to McLaren's own experience from F1, this is one engineering team we wouldn't bet against. Also, the endless flames coming from the rear are simply mesmerizing.
The P1 could be one hell of a machine.