Number 375 has been produced and so it's time to wave goodbye to the McLaren P1 plug-in hybrid.
For the last P1, McLaren used a novel tinting process to give it a pearlescent orange finish. Its color was a nod to the 64th F1, the last of its line as well.
McLaren Special Operations, the company's team of customization specialist, blended "refinement" with "purposeful intent" inside of number 375's cabin, applying black gloss to highlight the contours of the switchgear and instrument bezels and air conditiong vents.
Th 375's other homages to the final F1 include lightweight carbon fiber-shelled seats, along with black and orange Alcantara upholstery that extended to the stitching on the steering wheel.
Since the concept was teased about three years ago, the P1 has accomplished much more than McLaren had ever expected. MCLaren Automotive's CEO Mike Flewitt said the McLaren P1 hybrid supercar has enhanced the company's brand.
"As the direct ancestor to the fabled McLaren F1 — and the first in a new breed of hybrid-powered supercars — it had big shoes to fill, and it has more than succeeded," Flewitt said.
The Ultimate Series supercar went into production in the summer of 2013. The first P1 was finished in September of 2013, but all 375 of the hybrid cars were already sold before that happened.
Owners of each of the cars all worked with McLaren Special Operations to customize their vehicles to ensure that no two P1 vehicles are alike. The cars each took 800 hours of production time to complete and were ready in about 17 days on average.
As a plug-in hybrid, testing and development for the McLaren P1 was described by Chief Test Driver Chris Goodwin as one of the "most rigorous and challenging" test programs. It was also one of the most rewarding programs, he said.
"We had learnt a lot through previous projects, and coupled with the unparalleled experience in motorsport, this program truly was the culmination of everything McLaren has ever achieved," Goodwin said.
