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When it comes to unveiling all-new cars, there's the easy way—debuting the car in one go at an auto show—or the less-easy but more exposure-friendly way, which involves a long, drawn-out "preview" process. McLaren has decided to go with the latter, revealing the details of the 2014 P1 supercar piece by piece in the run-up to the 2013 Geneva auto show. The latest P1 details to filter out of Woking, England, reveal both what the car's interior will look like and how it will be equipped. McLaren's P1 show car, which debuted at last year's Paris auto show, was nearly production-ready but lacked an interior, or at least one the automaker felt like showing off. The production P1′s cabin isn't far off from that concept; while it's true that the P1′s "interior" fits the definition of a closed space, it does so in only the most minimum of terms. McLaren chalks the cabin's spartan finishings up to good ol' high performance—only the necessities for driving are provided, not a single ounce more. Well, McLaren does throw in a Meridian sound system, a climate-control system, and navigation, but that's it.
The floor, dashboard, and even the roof pillars and headliner are rendered in bare carbon fiber. Minor splashes of fabric wrap a few surfaces, and touches of metal trim adorn the buttons on the center stack, but otherwise the P1′s insides look like those of a gutted race car. The automaker even left the typical layer of clearcoat off of the cabin's carbon-fiber surfaces, a move it says saves a whopping three pounds. More weight savings are realized by the total absence of sound-deadening material. There's none of it, period. Optional carpeting for the floor does come with a thin, lightweight backing McLaren claims takes some of the edge off, but we're skeptical.
The seats feature carbon-fiber shells covered in the least amount of foam padding possible. The chairs come with a 62-degree backrest angle (they can be adjusted to 58 degrees to give helmeted passengers more headroom) and weigh just 23 pounds each. Though normal seat belts are provided, the P1 comes standard with built-in mounts for six-point racing harnesses. We're all for hardcore, purist design philosophy like the tack McLaren appears to be taking for the P1′s cabin, but we have to wonder how things will go with the car's potential customers. Those folks aren't going to be paying small potatoes for the P1, and might miss the scent of leather or a set of real seats. Look for more P1 info to seep out ahead of the Geneva show next month.
from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com | |||
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Tuesday, February 12, 2013
McLaren Continues P1 Supercar’s Striptease, Shows Production Interior [2013 Geneva Auto Show]
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