Parting is such sweet sorrow, especially when you have to say goodbye to one of the most advanced driver's cars that's ever existed. With its production run complete, and no plans to return to it at a later date, the McLaren P1 is officially passing into our rearview mirrors.
McLaren introduced the P1 in production form at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. It was the spiritual successor to the McLaren F1, the Gordon Murray-designed supercar that graced many a bedroom poster in the 1990s. Deliveries began that same year, and all 375 cars in the production run were spoken for by November. Only now is Macca getting around to finishing them.
Of course, for a car of this technical complication, you couldn't have expected the automaker to rush things. Built from a carbon fiber monocoque, the P1 sported a hybrid-electric setup, utilizing both a 727-horsepower, eight-cylinder engine and a 176-horsepower electric motor. In European testing, the P1 was capable of about 6 miles' worth of EV-only propulsion.
The P1 was part of McLaren's Ultimate Series, the part of its lineup that covered the best of the best. Thankfully, there is another car to carry on the Ultimate Series flame -- the P1 GTR, a track-only beast with additional power, additional downforce and a much smaller production run (35 models will be built).
The car's legacy lives on through other means, as well. It currently holds the production-car lap record at the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin, Texas. Rest assured, there will be another entry in the Ultimate Series, even if McLaren isn't entirely sure about the details. "The future is undecided at this stage, which is an exciting proposition," said Mike Flewitt, CEO of McLaren Automotive.