McLaren W1 Spider could be maker’s first Ultimate drop-top

The brand-new McLaren W1 – the successor to the F1 and P1 – has just been revealed, along with confirmation that just 399 will be built and all are accounted for. Those with the necessary £2 million-plus needn’t be disappointed, however, as more models might be on the way.

To date, McLaren hasn’t entertained the idea of a drop-top version of any of its limited-run Ultimate Series cars. However, during a private launch event for the W1, we were keen to find out whether the car might spawn McLaren’s first Spider-bodied Ultimate model.

Recognising the fact the car’s top-hinged Anhedral doors would need tweaking to allow for a folding roof mechanism, we asked principal designer Alex Alexiev whether the team was considering a W1 Spider: “Yes, the hinges would need moving,” he told us. “But we’re here today to talk about the coupe.”

Keen to dig a little deeper, we also caught up with Heather Fitch, product manager for the McLaren W1. We asked if there was any significance in the 399-car cap, to which she responded: “We did 375 for P1, and we know there is more demand for this kind of car” – suggesting further variants of the hybrid hypercar aren’t out of the question.

No confirmation has been made, and even if such a model does come to fruition, we don’t expect any news for some time. McLaren often leaves space between the launch of its coupe models and the open-roofed variants, so a W1 Spider could still be several years away. 

Development costs would be significant, though the car’s Aerocell carbon-fibre monocoque and 1,258bhp hybrid V8 should mean minimal compromises when it comes to the driving experience. McLaren says the standard W1 is “determined by real supercar attributes” and we’d expect the Spider to be no different.