McLaren's Beastly Hypercar Successor To F1 And P1 Teased Ahead Of October 6 Debut

British automaker McLaren has teased a flagship that follows in the footsteps of the McLaren F1 and P1 supercars. Called the W1 (codenamed P18), the new car is set to launch next week. Beyond the name, the only thing known about the mystery vehicle is its powerplant: a bespoke 1000+ horsepower hybrid with a V8 that's lighter than anything seen previously.

McLaren has a penchant for creating cars that car enthusiasts salivate over and collectors, well, collect. Posters of Gordon Murray-penned F1 and 2012 P1 have and continue to adorn many a teenagers' walls (or phone wallpaper, for that matter). Somehow the attraction and drama, when it comes to McLaren supercars, is real.

Even with the upcoming W1, McLaren admits that its 1-series of cars are "all about theater," and that the new car will have to be the best-looking, best-sounding, best-performing out there. In the teaser video above, McLaren, based in Woking, England, amidst montages of the F1 and P1, mentioned that something new is coming, declaring that "it’s time the world gets to see what McLaren is gonna do next" with October 6, 13:00 BST as the apparent reveal/launch.

The car's expected reveal coincides with the 50th anniversary of McLaren's 1974 World Drivers' Championship (via the great Emerson "Emmo" Fittipaldi) and first Formula 1 Constructors World Championships. According to Michael Leiters, McLaren CEO, "the McLaren W1 is defined by real supercar principles and is the ultimate expression of a McLaren supercar," continuing that "Born of our rich racing history and World Championship mindset, W1 pushes the boundaries of performance and is worthy of the ‘1’ name. Like its predecessors the F1 and McLaren P1, W1 defines the rulebook of a real supercar."

At this point, no one knows what the W1 looks like; the McLaren skunkworks has been particularly successful at keeping the car away from prying eyes so far. But whatever it is, it needs to be extra special. According to some sources, the supercar will use a bespoke V8 hybrid system, completely redesigned and unrelated to other McLarens. The hybrid setup is said to be about 70 percent lighter than current systems used in their lineup, which would be absolutely bonkers if it provides equivalent performance.