The Nurburgring has a new ruler. It comes in the form of the McLaren P1 LM hybrid hypercar, but, while street-legal, this self-appointed overlord isn’t any normal McLaren.
The P1 LM actually started life as the nightmare-inducing P1 GTR — a car that can only be driven on the track. British aftermarket tuning firm Lanzante Motorsport took the GTR, modified it to be street legal and this was the result. The last time the company let this P1 LM loose, it annihilated the Goodwood Hillclimb record, beating out purpose-built hillclimb racers.
But what about the Nurburgring time? 6:43.2 since you asked. That’s quick. Mind-numbingly quick when you consider the previous record-holder was a 6:52 set by the Lamborghini Huracan Performante — and that was only back in March. A very short monarchy.
Kenny Brack set the ‘Ring lap time, the same Indy 500 winner that threaded the car up the Goodwood Hillclimb. Perhaps 2017 Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato will get the chance to drive it, or maybe McLaren F1 driver and Indy 500 rookie Fernando Alonso. He’d probably be happy to know there’s no Honda engine mounted amidship.
Speaking of the engine, Lanzante has spared no expense with the P1 LM. The twin-turbo V8 spits out 986 horsepower with a little bit of hybrid help for some extra gusto. Lazante also replaced the windows with plastic, installed a new exhaust, and put the Macca on a 130 lb diet. There’s even a giant wing on the back to keep it in check.
In a nod to the legendary McLaren F1, gold lines the engine bay. Lanzante Motorsport has only made five and each one costs almost $4 million. Don’t rush to get your wallet out though, as Lanzante has already sold all five.
Perhaps you’d be interested in something slightly cheaper, better for the environment and almost as fast. The NIO EP9 is an all-electric car from NextEV. Its electric motors produce the equivalent of 1,340 hp and it can hold 2.4 g in the corners.
The EP9 set a lap time around the ‘Ring of 6:45.9, some two seconds slower than the P1 LM. But at least you might be able to buy an EP9. NextEV is planning on making 10 examples, each going for $1.5 million each. Looking at the costs of both cars and their respective lap times, that’s almost $2 million per second.
The Lanzante-modified P1 LM is more of a tamed racer than a modified street car, making its time a little out of the ordinary. It’s barely street-legal and you could hardly do your weekly shop with it. However, the short amount of time it took to traverse 13 miles of the Green Hell is something to behold.
When the aforementioned Huracan Performante set its lap of the Nurburgring only a couple of months ago, few expected it’d be beaten so quickly. It’s clear to see that there’s a new lord of the land. The king is dead, long live the king.
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