The McLaren W1 ‘Active Long Tail’ rear wing in action is absolutely mind-blowing
- The McLaren W1’s ‘Active Long Tail’ looks amazing in action
- It smoothly extends when the car is switched to ‘Race Mode’
- Check it out in the clip below
Published on Oct 13, 2024 at 4:00 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Oct 11, 2024 at 6:02 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
The new McLaren W1 has an ‘Active Long Tail’ rear wing that extends out when the car switches into ‘Race Mode’.
McLaren unveiled its latest supercar – a successor to the F1 and P1 – on October 6.
The date was specially chosen as it was exactly 50 years after Emerson Fittipaldi won McLaren’s first F1 World Championship.
The stunning supercar has an all-new V8 hybrid powertrain that pushes out a staggering 1,275 horsepower.
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The McLaren W1 boasts ‘Formula 1-dervied’ aerodynamics
The ground-breaking W1’s beefed-up engine has the highest output of any McLaren engine and can go from 0-200km/h (0-124mph) in just 5.8 seconds.
But it’s the car’s ‘Formula 1-derived’ aerodynamics that really set it apart.
The W1 has the purpose-built McLaren Aerocell – its most advanced carbon fiber monocoque ever with a deliberately narrowed front section, a raised footbox, and an integrated seat that allows the wheelbase to be reduced – all of which means superior airflow.
If that isn’t enough to impress you, then take a look at the McLaren Active Long Tail that is able to extend backward 300mm when the car is switched from Road Mode to Race Mode – you can see it in action in the clip above.
Not only does the shape-shifting feature transform the look of the car, it also boosts the working area of the diffuser.
It’s the fastest-lapping road legal McLaren
Switching to Race Mode also sees the W1’s ride height drop 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear, and a special heave system stiffens the suspension.
The elements above all combine to offer a whopping 1,000kg of downforce.
The W1 is the fastest-lapping road-legal McLaren ever created and outperformed the Speedtrail and a McLaren Senna during testing. It has an electronically limited speed of 350km/h (217mph).
“W1 is a supercar that embodies all of the fundamentals of performance, honed through decades of motorsport and supercar innovation,” said former F1 racer and McLaren’s head of attributes and performance Marcus Waite.
McLaren is keeping the W1 as exclusive as it is beautiful, by producing just 399 examples – all of which have already been snapped up by some very lucky buyers.
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
