Turning up the heat on P1 supercar

Published Sep 6, 2013

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The test programme for the McLaren P1 supercar has accelerated during the northern summer months, with the first deliveries of customers' cars scheduled before the end of September as part of McLaren's 50th anniversary celebrations.

A crucial test of any pre-production vehicle - and especially a high-performance car - is to run it long and hard in very high temperatures - and in this video you see the McLaren development team pushing the P1 mule to its limits across North America, in some of the hottest and most arid conditions on the planet.

UNDISGUISED ON THE ROAD FOR THE FIRST TIME

The all-black P1 mule was shot working through final durability tests before the first of the limited run of 375 cars is delivered, in temperatures that reached 52 degrees in Arizona, California and Nevada, as the western coast of America experienced some of the hottest temperatures on record.

McLaren says the P1 is the culmination of 50 years of race-winning technology and expertise, describing it as "everything the company has ever done". From the outset, the goal for the McLaren P1 was clear: to be the best driver's car on road and track.

PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

Which is why high-temperature testing wasn't done only on the road, as we see the team pushing the limits of all the car's systems and components on track in blistering heat.

And that has meant working closely with component suppliers throughout the test programme to develop special parts for a car that challenges anything they've done before - especially Akebono, which designed a special braking system for this car, and Pirelli, which produced custom-made tyres for the P1.

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