ON-BOARD. McLaren P1 LM destroys production lap record at Nürburgring

‘Quickest, rarest and last of the P1 variants’ – the McLaren P1 LM – sets a new production lap record at the Nürburgring

Another day, another Nürburgring video (hey, until you tell us you’re getting bored of them, we’re going to keep posting them), and having seen Lamborghini, Porsche and, ahem, Honda put together their best efforts, McLaren has now thrown it carbon-fibre helmet into the arena with the P1 LM.

Upon its debut at last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, the limited edition 1000bhp McLaren P1 LM smashed Goodwood’s existing hillclimb record at the hands of former Indy 500 winner and professional badass Kenny Brack (if you don’t believe us, check out the cajones required to do THIS with a classic Ford GT40). Seems only fitting that the Swede has stepped back into the bucket seat to set another record run with the P1 LM, this time at the Nürburgring. The McLaren’s 6m 43.2s run is 9s faster than the previous production car record holder – the Lamborghini Huracán Performante – and, for added context, is 2s faster than the all-electric NextEV Nio EP9, and a lunatic 14s faster than the Porsche 918 Spyder. To add just a dash more salt to those gaping wounds, and to emphasise its road-legal nature, the P1 LM was then driven from the circuit back to McLaren’s home base in Woking, UK.

Built by UK-based team Lanzante – a team with which McLaren has officially collaborated since its Le Mans victory in 1995 – the P1 LM is claimed to be the quickest, rarest and last of the P1 variants, with only five set for production. Surprise surprise, all five have been sold with at least one of them due to land in the United Arab Emirates.

At the base of the P1 LM lies essentially the same twin-turbo V8 as the ‘standard’ P1, although the capacity has now been boosted from 3798cc to 3994cc, additional engine software updates and hybrid power upping power and torque to 1000bhp and 1050Nm (774lb ft) respectively. Top speed is knuckle-whitening, and in excess of 345kph.

The P1 LM is not just down to pure grunt though. Weight-saving measures, including Inconel exhaust headers and catalytic convertor pipes and lightweight seats from the F1 GTR, mean the LM is 60kg lighter than the already svelte P1 GTR. Fully exposed carbon fibre has been used across the roof and door panels, and is matched on the inside via the dashboard, instrument cowl, seat backs, the centre console and even the floor mats. Add orange brake calipers for a dash more bling.

It’s not just the looks though: a modified rear spoiler, front splitter and revised aerodynamics mean downforce over the P1 GTR has been increased by an incredible 40 percent, while bespoke performance tyres have also been developed by Pirelli.

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