The production McLaren P1 has now been spotted in the wild! It was spotted in Dubai hanging out next to the awesome Gemballa Mistrale Panamera. The production McLaren P1 is expected to make its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show 2013 which starts in less than two weeks time. We get a tantalizing glimpse of the car without its heavy window tint, yet still displaying almost exactly the same shape as the concept.
We’ve already seen a few odd photos of the interior, but nothing that really satisfies our thirst for more. Putting the entire package together will be the next step for McLaren’s PR department. The production McLaren P1 was probably in Dubai doing the rounds as a demonstrator for potential customers.
At Geneva we expect to find out more about the McLaren P1’s powerplant, as well as full details about performance and other aspects of the car. We suspect that McLaren will fit a variation of the current MP4-12C V8 power plant. The power to weight ratio will exceed 600hp per tonne, however, downforce and aerodynamic excellence will be key to package.
The P1 was designed from the outset to prioritise aerodynamic performance. As a result, the designers spent many hours in a wind tunnel and behind the computer with CFD (computational fluid dynamics) aerodynamic modelling. It produces a staggering 600kg of downforce from well below top speed, five times more than the McLaren MP4-12C. In fact, it’s closer to the GT3 racer than anything else.
