Wild thing

Even more extreme than the mighty P1 road car, McLaren’s P1 GTR was only ever intended to be driven on track. But now some owners are converting them for road use. We try one

- Jethro Bovingdon

THERE’S A LITTLE GAP IN THE TRAFFIC. Enough to pin the accelerator and hold it there all the way to the limiter in third. We’re heading home,day nearly done. Photographer Gus Gregory is checking the interior driving shots he’s just finished on the back of his Canon, but he hasn’t yet experienced the P1 GTR. No lag, the power comes in hard and without hesitation. I’ve caught Gus’s attention. At about 4500rpm the rear tyres light up for maybe a second before the traction control tempers the delivery just enough to restore traction. Then the fury ramps up again. Gus – a veteran of Veyrons and the like – is grabbing at fresh air, trying to restore his own grip on reality. ‘Oh my god… Oh my GOD… JETHRO!’ Then the familiar cackling as I flick into fourth and hit the brakes. ‘I’ve never felt anything like that,’ he says. ‘It shouldn’t be on the road. It just shouldn’t.’

He’s right, of course. Well, half right. The P1 GTR was never intended to be a road car.Designed for track use only, the P1 GTR cost £1.98million – more than twice the price of a ‘regular’ P1 – has even more extreme aero (660kg at 150mph) and more power. The 3.8-litre twin-turbo charged V8 produces 789bhp and the electric motor contributes a further 197bhp for a total of 986bhp (or 1000 PS), as compared with the P1’s 903bhp. The GTR is wider, lower, 50kg lighter and more extreme in every way. McLaren Special Operations created just 45 P1 GTRs and, perhaps unsurprisingly, many of the owners liked the idea of popping to the shops in their new baby. Step forward Lanzante, a company with a rich history with McLaren that includes winning LeMans with an F1 GTR in 1995. Clearly not a company to shy away from a challenge, Lanzante is now flat-out converting GTRs to road spec.