Single Owner, 161km from new
2015 McLaren P1 GTR by Lanzante
Registration no. HX17 LOF
Chassis no. SBM12ABB6FW100037
Engine no. 38/BAD120042

Nowadays, in these increasingly environmentally-conscious times, even supercar manufacturers are expected to make at least a cursory nod in the direction of better fuel economy and reduced emissions; hence the arrival of 'hybrid' technology in this previously exclusively fossil-fuels-only sector of the market. This has had the effect of endowing the modern supercar with some green credentials, while at the same time bringing with it a welcome performance boost in the shape of an additional (electric) motor.

McLaren's first offering in this expanding category was the P1, a limited-edition plug-in hybrid coupé that was first shown to the public in 2012 at the Paris Motor Show. Like its conventionally-powered 12C predecessor, the mid-engined P1 used a carbon-fibre combined body tub and roof structure - 'MonoCage' in factory parlance - while retaining the marque's signature dihedral doors that had been a featured of its first road-going supercar: the F1.

A development of the 12C's, the P1's hydro-pneumatic suspension achieved even greater control of the car's roll and ride height. Weight saving had been a major consideration in developing the P1, so there was little in the predominantly carbon fibre cabin that need not have been there. According to Autocar magazine, the seats "proved particularly comfortable for our testers, all of whom could find an excellent driving position. Customers can choose their preferred seat height at the factory, and the steering wheel (only ever fitted to the left of the cabin) is widely adjustable – manually, of course, like the seat runner, to reduce weight."

BMW and Mercedes-Benz respectively had supplied engines for the F1 and SLR, but for the 12C, McLaren decided to develop its own. The rights to an Indy Car V8 racing engine were acquired from Tom Walkinshaw Racing, and with assistance of Ricardo this was transformed into a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged unit suitable for a road car. Manufactured by Ricardo at its Shoreham-by-Sea factory, it was a modified and strengthened development of this M838T engine that was used for the P1, delivering its maximum power output of 727bhp and 531lb/ft of torque via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Add to that the 176bhp and 192lb/ft of the in-house-developed electric motor, and the P1 had no less than 903bhp and a whopping 723lb/ft of torque at its disposal. "Maintaining good driveability, given this level of specific output (and this engine... is remarkably docile), is one of McLaren's greatest achievements with this car," declared Autocar.

A high-density lithium-ion battery pack powered the electric motor, which could be left to deploy automatically or selected by the driver, who thus had the options of using the petrol engine on its own, the electric motor on its own, or the two in combination. The battery could be charged by the engine or from the mains supply, with full charge achieved in 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 high technologies in the form of IPAS (Instant Power Assist System), DRS (Drag Reduction System), and KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System). Tested by Autocar, the P1 accelerated to 60mph in 2.8 seconds on its way to a top speed (electronically limited) of 217mph (350km/h), with the standing mile dismissed in 18.2 seconds. Power reached the ground via bespoke Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres, while the carbon-ceramic brakes were claimed to stop the P1 from 186mph (300km/h) in an eyeball-popping 6.6 seconds. And if you wanted anything quicker, only the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport (30 cars built) could deliver.

McLaren unveiled the production version of the P1 at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, announcing that only 375 of these exclusive hypercars would be built. By the end of the year, the entire production run had sold out. The UK base price was £866,000, though as most customers chose to enhance their car's specification courtesy of McLaren Special Operations' extensive options catalogue, few would have been delivered for less than the equivalent of £1 million.

In 2015 McLaren announced that they would celebrate the 20th anniversary of their victory in the 1995 Le Mans 24-Hour Race (with the F1 GTR) by launching a track-only version of the P1: the P1 GTR. The concept car debuted at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August 2014 and the production version at the Geneva Motor Show the following year. The P1 GTR production model was officially unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show and initially was available only to existing P1 owners. At a cost of over £1.5 million.

The P1 GTR's hybrid engine was rated at 986 horsepower, an increase of 83 horsepower over the standard P1, while its weight was reduced by 50kg (110lb). Other notable features included race-prepared suspension, a fixed rear wing with DRS, slick tyres, and a special titanium/Inconel exhaust system. McLaren built only 45 P1 GTRs, many of which have since been converted for road use by marque specialists Lanzante, winners of the 1995 Le Mans with the McLaren F1 GTR. Lanzante began offering road conversions for the P1 GTR in 2015 at a cost of around £170,000 depending on the final specification; thus converted, the P1 GTR in road-legal trim has a (limited) top speed of 217mph and can accelerate from 0-60mph in a neck-snapping 2.4 seconds.

According to evo magazine: "Lanzante's road conversion for the P1 GTR is highly detailed, meticulously developed and infinitely adaptable to the owner's taste. Many of the changes are dictated by simple legislation: catalytic converters for the exhausts, a handbrake, changes to the headlights, road-legal wheels and tyres. Others are for practical purposes, for example the increase in ride height and the retuned suspension rates."

They found the performance pretty impressive too: "The 197bhp electric motor of the GTR might only be 20bhp stronger than the standard P1's but it seems much better equipped to perform the torque-fill function. Be it in third gear at 4500rpm or sixth gear at 1500rpm, the GTR delivers instant acceleration and then just keeps on pushing you into the seat-back. It's surreal, feeling the shot of electrical assistance helping even at low engine speeds in a higher gear. And if you downshift a couple of times and open the throttle the reaction is almost painfully brutal."

This Lanzante converted P1 GTR has had only one owner and comes with copies of the initial purchase invoice and that relating to the conversion, the latter confirming that this is the 25th car converted. It is believed that around 27 cars have now been converted by Lanzante, of a full production run of 38 P1 GTR's.

Even today, some ten years after its initial conception, the P1 remains a formidable proposition - even more so in GTR form - and an engineering tour de force of the highest order. One can only envy this P1 GTR's fortunate next owner.