McLaren in October revealed a successor to its P1 hypercar in the form of the W1.
The new hypercar is similar to the P1 in that it features a plug-in hybrid powertrain built around a twin-turbocharged V-8 engine, but in other areas it is completely different, especially when it comes to chassis design.
One area where the W1 stands out is the use of 3D printing to manufacture lightweight but strong suspension parts. The list includes the front upper wishbones, the aerodynamically shaped lower wishbones, and the front uprights.
To develop the parts, McLaren teamed up with America's Divergent Technologies, a company that specializes in 3D printing of complex parts, including for sectors outside of automotive. Divergent's founder, Kevin Czinger, also founded the hypercar brand Czinger, which is developing cars that use 3D-printed parts throughout.
McLaren W1 suspension
The 3D printing process involves metal in powder form being deposited layer by layer and fused into place using lasers. Completed parts then head to a heat treatment furnace to bake and eliminate residual stress. Specialized software is used to design the parts with the bare minimum of material, which results in the somewhat organic shapes the parts sometimes take.
On the W1, the front suspension parts, which also include pushrods with inboard dampers, torsion bars, and heave dampers, are mounted directly to the car's central carbon-fiber tub, eliminating the need for a front subframe. This helps to save further weight while enabling the optimization of air flow under the car.
McLaren W1 suspension
McLaren and Czinger aren't the only manufacturer sin the hypercar space using 3D printing for suspension parts. Ferrari also uses 3D printing for suspension parts for its rival F80 hypercar. Bugatti has also been using 3D printing for its hypercars for years, including for suspension parts on the latest Tourbillon hypercar.
The W1 is scheduled to start deliveries in 2026. Pricing starts at $2.1 million but all of the 399 examples destined to built have already been claimed, according to McLaren.
