New ‘Ring Speed Champ: McLaren P1 LM Hybrid

McLaren Automotive Ltd. says it set a new lap record at Germany’s Nurburgring Nordschleife course with its XP1 LM prototype hybrid-electric car.

McLaren’s time of 6 minutes and 43 seconds around the 12.9-mile circuit bested the previous record, set less than a month ago by NextEV Inc.’s Nioo EP9 all-electric car, by 2 seconds. Kenny Brack, who won the 1998 Indy Racing League championship and 1999 Indianapolis 500, piloted the McLaren XP1 to the record.

The prototype car uses the same hybrid drivetrain as the P1 LM hypercar. Teaming a twin-turbo 3.9-liter V-8 with an electric motor, the system produces a combined 1,013 hp and 774 lb-ft of torque.

Noting that the prototype is a street-legal vehicle, McLaren says it drove the vehicle 420 miles back to the company’s manufacturing plant in Surrey, England, after setting the Nurburgring record.

The production P1 LM is based on the track-only McLaren P1 GTR. McLaren partnered with Lanzante Motorsport, a British aftermarket tuner, on the P1 LM and the record-setting prototype variant. The LM is 132 lbs. lighter than the GTR, thanks to eliminating various racing parts and other non-essential components. McLaren/Lanzante built five P1 LM racers, which sold for about $4 million apiece.