• The very first Customer P1 registered confirmed by a personal letter from Frank Stephenson to its first owner in the accompanying history file
• UK-delivered, finished in Volcano Yellow with a black leather interior and Alcantara dashboard
• 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 with a lightweight electric motor. Combined output 903bhp and 664lb.ft
• 0-100kph (62mph) in 2.8 seconds, 0-200kph (124mph) in 6.8 seconds, 0-300kph (186mph) in 16.5 seconds
• 3,666 miles from new. Last service by McLaren Birmingham in September 2020
• New Hybrid battery by McLaren Ascot in 2018. Just two owners (same family) from new
• This very car is the very first registered example of the 375 that were built
• The P1 was a game changer. A simply incredible piece of British Automotive history

With the MP4-12C, McLaren returned to the world stage as a road car manufacturer. It was logical that the company, famed for its Formula 1 success, would produce a flagship model to compete with the latest generation of hypercars from Ferrari and Porsche and the result was the extraordinary McLaren P1, the long-awaited successor to the F1.

Looking to build the ultimate driver’s platform utilising a hybrid powertrain, McLaren started out with a carbon fibre monocoque chassis, tipping the scales at just 90 kg. Carbon fibre was utilised for the body panels, creating the perfect harmony of weight savings and strength. McLaren’s fanatical attention to detail shines through with its weight-saving efforts; even the interior carpet was deemed needlessly excessive and removed entirely. Furthermore, McLaren chose to leave the carbon fibre in the cockpit unlacquered, saving another 1.5kg and the windscreen glass was redesigned to be only 3.2-mm thick and reinforced with a thick plastic interlayer that allowed McLaren to save 3.5kg over the same item fitted to the MP4-12C. In total, the P1 tips the scales at a dry weight of just 1,395kg.

The P1 is powered by a 3.8-litre, twin-turbocharged V-8 mated to an electric motor intended to fill the gaps in performance from the conventional petrol engine. This gives the McLaren a total output of 903 bhp (727bhp from the V-8 and 176bhp from the electric engine). Thanks to the car’s monstrous power output and unique aerodynamics, including adjustable front and rear wings providing as much as 600kg of downforce at 160 mph, performance is nothing short of electrifying. 100kph takes just 2.8 seconds, followed by 200kph in 6.8 seconds, onwards to 300kph in 16.5 seconds (five full seconds faster than the venerable F1) and a top speed of 217mph (347kph).

A high-density, lithium-ion battery pack powers the electric motor, which can be left to deploy automatically or selected by the driver, who thus has the options of using the petrol engine on its own, the electric motor on its own, or the two in combination. The battery can be charged by the engine or from the mains, with a full charge taking around two hours. As one would expect from a manufacturer that has been a mainstay of Formula 1 for the last 50 years, McLaren endowed the P1 with a number of competition-derived technologies in the form of IPAS (Instant Power Assist System), DRS (Drag Reduction System) and KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System).

An original personal letter, dated 9th October 2013, in the accompanying history file from Frank Stephenson, the McLaren P1 designer, to this P1’s first owner states that “It was with great pleasure that I was there with our team to witness you driving our very first baby out into the big wide world”. Finished in Volcano Yellow with a black leather interior and Alcantara dash, this very special UK-delivered P1 has covered 3,666 miles from new in the hands of its two UK owners, who are from the same family.

As you would expect, this special car has been exclusively looked after by McLaren main dealers with a variety of invoices on file detailing the expenditure the P1 has enjoyed over the years. The most recent service was carried out by McLaren Birmingham in 2020 and it’s worth noting that the car had a replacement Hybrid battery in 2018. Also accompanying the car is a small-scale P1 car model, UK V5C, handbook, original Bill of Sale and various impressive McLaren literature books that accompanied these cars when delivered new.

The P1 was a breath of fresh air, an instant icon and one of the most technically complex cars ever created. Indeed, Jeremy Clarkson described the P1 as “A game changer, a genuinely new chapter in the history of motoring”. This very car is the first registered P1 of the 375 that were built, making it a must have in any collection of significant motor cars. Silverstone Auctions are extremely proud to offer such a special car to the open market and we welcome and encourage any inspection of this simply incredible piece of British automotive history.