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This is what it's like to drive McLaren's unbridled P1 GTR

McLaren is used to making the most of what it's allowed to do within certain limits. Those limits may be set by government regulators who determine what is and what is not acceptable for use on public roads, or by motorsport governing bodies like the FIA and ACO who determine what's fair to race on the track. But the P1 GTR is another beast entirely. Like the Aston Martin Vulcan or Ferrari FXX K, the McLaren P1 GTR represents the very best of what Woking can do without any restrictions beyond the engineers' own capabilities. Which is all well and fine in theory or sitting still on a show stand, but given the nearly $3 million price of entry, most of us will never find out what it's like to actually drive on a track like it's meant to. Fortunately the blokes over at Autocar had just such a chance to take Britain's finest out on the track at the Losail circuit in Qatar, and were good enough to bring a GoPro camera or two along for the ride. The video is only about five minutes long, and half of it is taken up by preparations and explanations from McLaren's affable factory test driver Chris Goodwin, but it represents our best look yet at what it's like to drive this gentleman racer's plaything flat out. Related Gallery McLaren P1 GTR View 18 Photos News Source: Autocar via YouTube McLaren Coupe Special and Limited Editions Supercars Videos mclaren p1 mclaren p1 gtr

Chris Harris pits Aston GT12 vs 911 GT3 RS vs McLaren 650S

The Geneva Motor Show is never lacking in exciting performance machinery. And this year was no exception. Our eyes, like those of Chris Harris, were drawn by two hardcore, track-focused versions of existing sports cars. Both wore the name GT3, and now Harris has brought them together for a supercar shootout. And he's thrown one more in for good measure. Those natural rivals are the Aston Martin Vantage GT12 and Porsche 911 GT3 RS, the latter manufacturer having pressed the former to drop the GT3 name to which it claims exclusive domain. There's a great deal that separates them, of course: one's got a V12 up front, the other a flat-six way in the back. But what binds them together is a common approach of taking an existing model, stripping it down, and tightening everything up to make it more of a weapon than a grand tourer. What that means in the Aston's case is a rather high price tag, much higher than that of the Porsche. But scarce demand and speculation on the open market have left British customers, at least, paying as much for the GT3 RS as for the limited-edition Aston. And that takes both into proper supercar territory. So to show what else that kind of money can get you, Monkey has brought along a McLaren. Not the similarly track-focused 675LT, but the standard 650S... Spider, no less, and with worn hard rubber. So which one performs best on the road? Which clocks the fastest lap time on the track? And which gets Harris' vote? You'll have to watch the video for yourself to find out, but it's well worth the 25 minutes of your lunch break. News Source: Chris Harris on Cars via YouTube Aston Martin McLaren Porsche Videos porsche 911 gt3 chris harris mclaren 650s

McLaren P1 GTR looks ready to hit the track [w/video]

McLaren may be first and foremost a racing constructor, but it's been known to make a few road-going supercars now and then. This, though, is something in between. It's the new McLaren P1 GTR, and it's just made its live debut on the floor of the Geneva Motor Show. In case you missed our earlier coverage upon its release, or the subsequent video of it hitting the track, allow us to reiterate: It's based on the P1 – McLaren's million-dollar hybrid hypercar – but it's tuned specifically for the track. Not for racing and not for driving on public roads – like the Ferrari FXX K or the Aston Martin Vulcan we'll be bringing you shortly as well, the P1 GTR was made specifically so that wealthy enthusiasts would have a toy to play with on closed circuits. To prep it for track duty, the engineers in Woking upped the output from the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 hybrid powertrain from 903 horsepower (as if that wasn't enough) to 986. They ditched 110 pound of excess weight. They fitted racing slicks, dropped the suspension and tweaked the aero package. The result, as you can see from the live images in the slideshow above and the video below, is pretty badass – even if you don't dig the throwback Harrods yellow and green livery. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. McLAREN P1™ GTR TO SHOW ITS LIMITED PRODUCTION FORM IN GENEVA - Makes the transition from concept to production with track tested modifications - Tuning in development results in 10 percent more downforce than the McLaren P1™ road car - Lightweight components and motorsport technologies trim a further 50kg - McLaren P1™ GTR Driver Programme confirms first locations - Geneva Show car livery inspired by iconic McLaren F1 GTR, chassis #06R - McLaren P1™ GTR will premiere alongside the recently announced McLaren 675LT on Stand 1240, Hall 1 at 12.15 CET (11.15 GMT) on Tuesday, 3 March The track-dedicated 1000PS McLaren P1™ GTR will debut at the 85th International Geneva Motor Show in limited production form with only minor modifications to the Design Concept presented just six months ago. The most noticeable change is the livery that the Geneva show car will be sporting. It is one which will be available to the fortunate few who will be joining the McLaren P1™ GTR Driver Programme that kicks off at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain later this year.