It’s the McLaren P1 match-up we’ve been waiting for! No, not LaFerrari: the McLaren F1
It might seem a touch unfair to compare cars built 20 years apart, but we’d reckon many people would give up an appendage to see how McLaren’s modern hypercar, the P1 stacks up to a legend in the sports car world, the McLaren F1.
After much wrangling, the gentlemen over at Evo were fortunate enough to encounter an enthusiast who happened to own both. The pairing couldn’t have been better between the two cars either, as owners of the F1 were given the chance to get the P1 in the same chassis number as their F1. They’re both even in the same color.
The F1 comes packed with a BMW-sourced 6.1-liter V12 engine. This naturally aspirated power plant sends 627 horsepower to the rear wheels by way of a wonderfully analog six-speed manual gearbox. All this power in the lightest package McLaren could put together resulted in a car that is still on record as the fastest naturally aspirated production car ever to have been built. In fact, topping off at 243 mph, it held the claim as fastest production car period until the title was passed to the Bugatti Veyron.
Meanwhile, the modern era has ushered forth the McLaren P1, a car that would’ve been incomprehensible to anyone involved with the production of the F1. The use of carbon fiber and LED lights, not to mention active aerodynamics, would have the engineers of old salivating. Of course, its hybrid powertrain of a twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 married to an electric motor would’ve been beyond their wildest dreams as well.
The P1 is electronically limited to 217 mph, however, which is still under the 231 mph the F1 was originally restricted to. Still, the electronic engineering and sophistication make the P1’s 903 horsepower much easier to manage than the F1.
While a couple decades of mechanical and electrical engineering separate the two vehicles, it’s interesting to see how similar the two cars end up being when all is said and done. Both are paragon examples of supercars in their respective eras, achieving the pinnacle performance design and technology will allow. Both even sport a similar overall look, if you look carefully. Driving both seems like where most of the differences lie, but that’s to be expected. It seems, though, that each have the ability to keep drivers on the edge and a smile on their face.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.