Flagship supercars are rolling totems for mechanical exceptionalism. Unlike your garden variety six-figure, scissor-doored wedges — exotic by any standard — true range-toppers only come around once in a blue moon, packing bleeding-edge tech, eye-watering price tags and ultra-limited production.
The McLaren F1 debuted in 1992 as the motorsports brand’s first roadgoing offering, eventually achieving mythical status through its peerless engineering and timeless design. Two decades later, the F1’s spiritual successor debuted: the P1. The plug-in hybrid emerged alongside the Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder, a dynamic trio that would later become known as “the Holy Trinity of Supercars.”
Fast forward to present day, and the vast majority of enthusiasts and pundits still consider the F1 the GOAT to end all GOATs. So when I was invited to a private event at Jay Leno’s garage to preview McLaren Automotive’s next flagship, the W1, I assumed the talk show legend and avowed gearhead would be as fixated as I was with my personal white whale, the F1.
“I don’t really enjoy driving the F1 as much as I used to,” Leno revealed. Resisting the urge to scream bloody murder, I wondered out loud: “Why?”
“It’s less fun driving F1s considering how much they’re worth now,” he retorted. Fair. These ‘90s relics are now valued at upwards of $20 million.
Though heartachingly desirable, the F1’s performance will be decimated by McLaren’s forthcoming W1. When it enters production later this year, the new supercar will become the brand’s most powerful offering yet, boasting a combined 1,258 horsepower from an electromechanical symphony of a tiny 1.4-kWh battery powering a radial-flux motor and a twin-turbo V8 that spins to 9,200 rpm. Aimed at the horizon, this four-wheeled two-seater can go from a standstill to 124 mph in under six seconds.
But the menacing W1 is about more than brute force. It walks the tightrope between immense power, extreme lightweighting and prodigious downforce (the low-slung car hugs the earth with as much as 2,200 pounds of force at speed), and the W1’s carbon fiber structure departs from McLaren’s traditional dihedral doors (which open upward and outward) with an anhedral (gullwing) motion.
I don’t know how you make a car better than the P1. That’s why I had to buy [the W1]. I’m going to see just how much better it is.
– Jay Leno
Like the P1, there’s a lot going on visually. The predominantly linear design language of its nose and midsection incorporates countless aerodynamic rabbit holes where air is intended to enter, exit and hug the body. Things get more interesting at the rear section, where flared haunches recall a bit more of the P1’s curved muscularity.
The W1’s movable rear spoiler is a visual pièce de résistance. What McLaren dubs an “Active Long Tail” leverages four electric motors to extend nearly a foot and tilt according to split-second needs for reduced drag or downforce, acting as a body extension that can serve as an air brake as well. The polished hardware that articulates the wing is like jewelry, mesmerizing in its intricacy.
Jay Leno Equates Buying a Ferrari to a “Dominatrix,” Prefers Porsche and McLaren
It’s not about the cars, it’s about the customer serviceWhen asked about his relationship with McLaren, Leno said, “I like the fact that everything is completely functional. There’s nothing on here that’s not for a specific purpose. I like obsessive detail.”
His feelings about the F1 and P1 reveal a passionate and honest connection to the brand. Yes, he acknowledges the F1’s specialness, even if its preciousness gets in the way of him enjoying driving it as much as he used to. But the fact that the 627-horsepower V12 lacks driver aids also brings a certain level of stress.
“One time I was on the 210 freeway and nailed it,” he recalled. “I slid right across the highway and went hey, hey, hey. There’s no traction control, there’s nothing. You’re on your own. Truth be told, as much as I love my F1, I’m not going to kill myself in this one,” he added, pointing to the P1.
![The McLaren trifecta: the F1, W1 and P1 supercars [L-R]](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/mclaren-f1-p1-and-w1.jpg?w=1500&resize=1500%2C1000)
Perhaps the biggest indicator of Leno’s authentic appreciation for his P1 is the fact that his car, of which only 375 examples exist in total, has accumulated over 12,000 miles and counting. For a man who has 207 other cars to choose from in his series of hangars near the Burbank airport, that speaks volumes about his affection for the car.
“I take it up to [Angeles Crest Highway] almost every weekend,” he said. “I’m not even close to being able to reach its limits [but] it always scares me to death — and I enjoy it.”
After fawning over the P1, Leno pored over the $2.1 million W1 with Marcus Waite, McLaren’s head of attributes and performance, who offered an encyclopedic overview on the new flagship’s engineering party tricks. (For a full breakdown, check out the recent episode of Jay Leno’s Garage.) Despite having previously said that the P1 would be “the last supercar I buy,” Leno has placed his deposit on one of the 399 W1s to be built.
“I don’t know how you make a car better than the P1,” Leno said. “That’s why I had to buy this one. I’m going to see just how much better it is.”
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