This is probably your only chance to drive a McLaren W1

McLaren’s most powerful road car is heading to the virtual world, with the new W1 joining Forza Horizon 6 on September 10.

The hybrid supercar will arrive as part of the racing title’s British Automotive Series update. It will be available exclusively to players who own the Car Pass downloadable content pack and will be added directly to their in-game garages.

The W1 becomes one of 13 McLaren models available to drive, own and customise in Forza Horizon 6. It joins the McLaren F1 and P1 as a ‘Legendary’ level vehicle, along with the Artura hybrid supercar from McLaren’s current range.

The P1 has its own history with the franchise, having appeared on the cover of Forza Motorsport 5 when that game launched in 2013.

What is the McLaren W1?

Revealed in 2024, the W1 is the latest member of McLaren’s exclusive ‘1’ lineage. It follows the seminal F1 of the 1990s and the petrol-electric P1, which arrived as part of the so-called ‘Holy Trinity’ of hybrid hypercars alongside the Porsche 918 Spyder and Ferrari LaFerrari.

The W1 takes the hybrid concept considerably further. Its all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 works with an electric motor to produce a combined 938kW and 1340Nm.

Unlike many modern hypercars, which use electric motors to drive the front wheels, the W1 sends everything to the rear axle. Power is delivered through an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, which also uses its electric motor to provide reverse.

McLaren claims the W1 can hit 100km/h from rest in 2.7 seconds, reach 200km/h in 5.8 seconds and pass 300km/h after 12.7 seconds. Its top speed is electronically limited to 350km/h.

Those figures make it the fastest-accelerating road-legal McLaren yet. However, the W1 is about more than simply adding power.

Its Aerocell carbon-fibre monocoque was designed to minimise weight and improve the driving position, while the seats are incorporated into the chassis. Instead of sliding the seat backwards and forwards, drivers adjust the pedals and steering wheel to suit.

The W1 has a lightest dry weight of 1399kg, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 670kW per tonne. That is partly achieved through an electric drive system McLaren says weighs 40kg less than the hybrid components fitted to the P1.

Active aerodynamics are another important part of the package. Selecting Race mode lowers the suspension and changes the car’s aerodynamic configuration, while its McLaren Active Long Tail rear wing can extend rearwards by as much as 300mm.

Working with the front wing, floor and diffuser, the system can generate up to 1000kg of downforce. McLaren says this allows the W1 to deliver substantially more cornering performance without relying on an oversized fixed rear wing.

Production is limited to 399 individually specified examples. Predictably, the entire run was allocated before customers had the opportunity to try the finished car.

That makes Forza Horizon 6 a considerably more accessible way to experience McLaren’s latest flagship, even if the virtual version cannot fully replicate the effect of 938kW arriving through two rear tyres.

The McLaren W1 will be added to Forza Horizon 6 on September 10 for players with the Car Pass DLC.