McLaren confirms P1 performance figures as deliveries begin

When McLaren unveiled the P1 prototype at the Paris motorshow in 2012 it promised that the hybrid carbon fiber car would be fast, but it has taken over a year of testing and refinement to reveal exactly how fast. Now as the first lucky owner collects his hand-built supercar at the company's Woking, UK headquarters, official statistics have been published.

The twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8, which is mated to an ancillary electric motor for increased fuel efficiency and to boost power up to 916 PS (903 bhp), is capable of catapulting the production version of the P1 from 0-100 km/h (62mph) in 2.8 seconds, from 0-200 km/h (124 mph) in 6.8 seconds, and from standstill to 300 km/h (186 mph) in just 16.5 seconds on its way to an electronically limited top speed of 350km/h (217mph).

All of which makes the P1 the fastest accelerating road-going car the company has ever built. The legendary McLaren F1, which until the Bugatti Veyron turned up was the fastest production car in the world, needs a whole 22 seconds to get from 0-300km/h.

With speeds like that, serious brakes are needed and the specially developed package on the P1 can take the car from 100km/h back to zero in just 30.2 meters. However, thanks to McLaren engineers' ability to squeeze so much power from such a small V8, plus the addition of the electric motor, the P1 can actually return 34.0 mpg (8.3 l/100km) on the EU combined cycle, which is incredible when one considers that the latest Audi A6 TDI, a finalist in November's Green Car of the Year Awards, boasts a fuel efficiency of 38mpg (7.4 liters per 100 km) and it uses a clean-burning diesel engine.

The official figures have been announced in the same month that the first of the hand-built cars rolls off the production line. Finished in Volcano Yellow, it was collected by its UK-based owner from McLaren's space-age UK headquarters earlier this month.

McLaren's team of 82 technicians will build just 375 examples of the £866,000 ($1.15 million) P1. Each car takes 17 days to finish, seven of which are taken up solely by testing and quality assurance.

How the McLaren shapes up

With a (limited) top speed of 350km/h (217mph), the P1 still has some way to go if it wants to challenge the current world record holder. At a Guinness Book of Records-confirmed 267 mph (429km/h), the Bugatti Veyron Supersport is still head and shoulders above the competition; however, McLaren's official figures do see the P1 join the top 10, albeit in 10th place.

The 10 fastest road-legal cars currently in production
1. Bugatti Veyron Supersport - 267mph (429.69 km/h)
2. Hennessey Venom - 265mph (426.47 km/h)
3. Koenigsegg Agera R - 260mph (418.42 km/h)
4. SSC Ultimate Aero - 256mph (412 km/h)
5 Pagani Huayra - 235mph (378 km/h)
6. Zenvo ST1 - 233mph (375 km/h)
7. Noble M600 - 225mph (362km/h)
8. Lamborghini Veneno - 220mph (354km/h)
9. Lamborghini Aventador - 219mph (352km/h)
10 McLaren P1 - 213mph (350 km/h)

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