Where’d all the weight go?
The McLaren P1 super car is going to be an automobile that will rewrite the way automakers improve performance. The company has been an innovator in carbon fiber and other lightweight materials, and it will be showcased in every nook and cranny of the new P1. Before its debut at the 83rd International Motor Show in Geneva, McLaren was nice enough to give the automotive world a glimpse into the super car’s cockpit and it’s a thing of beauty.
The design and shape of the interior is modeled after a fighter jet and McLaren has done a superb job of enclosing driver and passenger in an aeronautical environment. A cocooning, efficiently packaged interior features a deep windshield and glass canopy to provide a unique atmosphere. Minimalism is one of the main principles here, where trim, sound deadening material, and even carpet (available as an option) is absent. The entire cockpit is focused specifically on the driver with the goal of making them feel as comfortable as possible in order to allow for the car to be pushed to its limits.
Carbon fiber is the name of the game in the interior, as the woven material is left bare throughout. The lightweight, high-strength material is used on the dashboard, floor, headliner, doors, rockers, and specially-formed central control unit. McLaren even went as far as to leave the carbon fiber devoid of a top layer of resin to save an additional 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs).
Both the driver and passenger will be treated to a racing bucket seat made from carbon fiber shells and using minimal foam while being mated to lightweight brackets and rollers. Each seat weighs in at just 10.5 kg (23.14 lbs), and can be adjusted from 28-degrees to 32-degrees with the height being custom-tailored at the McLaren workshop for both driver and passenger. For safety, a six-point race harness can be installed or inertia reel seat belts. The steering wheel will give the driver ultimate control of the P1 and was modeled after McLaren championship drivers’ grips and then constructed with carbon fiber inserts and a thin layer of alcantara for grip.
The McLaren P1 will be officially unveiled in production form at the 83rd International Motor Show in Geneva in March with the goal of becoming the best driver’s car on the road and race track.
[Source: McLaren]
What do you think of the minimalistic design of the McLaren P1’s interior? Leave a comment and let us know!
