McLaren is resurrecting the GTR name for its track-only P1

To highlight how dedicated the company is to building the world's best track car, its upcoming special edition hypercar will carry the GTR badge.

In 1995 those three letters passed into automotive history when the McLaren F1 GTR won at Le Mans. Twenty years on, to highlight how serious the company is about how good its latest track car is going to be, it is daring to call it the P1 GTR.

McLaren has made no secret of its desire to build a track-only version of its latest road-legal hypercar, the incredible P1. But until now, actual details about what lucky future owners can expect have been very hard to come by.

That is until now. As well as unveiling the car's name, McLaren on Friday confirmed that in terms of horsepower, the car will pump out 986bhp (that's 1000PS) making it the most powerful car offered for sale in the company's history.

The last McLaren to carry the GTR badge won Le Mans in 1995 so the P1 GTR has some big shoes to fill. Photo:AFP

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The last McLaren to carry the GTR badge won Le Mans in 1995 so the P1 GTR has some big shoes to fill. Photo:AFP

But that's just the start. The car will sit on race-proven slick tires, will feature an exterior styling overhaul and a widened track all to boost handling, performance, aerodynamics, downforce and, crucially, grip. You wouldn't want a car that is going to cost £1.98 million to go flying off the track on its maiden corner and crash into a wall.

Each example will be the racing car equivalent of an exquisitely cut bespoke Savile Row suit: each owner will be invited to McLaren to help co-develop his or her car and to make sure it is a perfect fit with driving style and capabilities. This co-development program will include exclusive consultations with the McLaren driver fitness team and the company's design director and access to a state-of-the-art driving simulator where changes and additions can be tested virtually before being applied to the actual car.

And, to top it all off, once the car is finished, the purchase price includes an invitation to participate in a minimum of six dedicated races that are scheduled to be held on some of the world's most famous Formula 1 circuits.

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