While the MP4-12C proved that McLaren had the ability to compete with Ferrari and Porsche, if McLaren wanted to keep pace with them into the future, they needed to produce a car that would be able to take the fight to the new hybrid hypercars from Maranello and Stuttgart, showcasing similar, if not more impressive, levels of technology and performance.

Enter the P1. Looking to build the ultimate driver’s platform utilizing a hybrid powertrain, McLaren started out with a carbon fiber monocoque chassis, tipping the scales at just 90 kg. Carbon fiber was further utilized for the car’s body panels to create a perfect harmony of weight savings and strength. McLaren’s fanatical attention to detail can be shown in its weight-saving efforts. The interior carpet was deemed a luxury too costly in terms of weight and was deleted entirely. McLaren even chose to leave the carbon fiber in the cockpit non-lacquered, saving a further 1.5 kg. Even the windscreen glass was redesigned to be only 3.2 mm thick. Reinforcing the windscreen with a thick plastic interlayer allowed McLaren to save 3.5 kg over the windscreen in the MP4-12C. In total, the P1 weighs in at a dry weight of just 1,395 kg.

At the P1’s heart is a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V-8 mated to an electric motor that is intended to fill the natural gaps in performance left in a conventional gasoline engine. This gives the car a total output of 903 bhp (727 bhp from the V-8 and 176 bhp from the electric engine). Thanks to the car’s monstrous power output and unique aerodynamics, including adjustable front and rear wings providing as much as 600 kg of downforce at 160 mph, performance is nothing short of electrifying. The sprint to 100 km/h takes 2.8 seconds, leading to 200 km/h in 6.8 seconds, onwards to 300 km/h in 16.5 seconds (a full five seconds faster than the McLaren F1), and should the driver be brave enough, a top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph). Perhaps even more impressive is the P1’s average fuel consumption when taking this performance into consideration: 34 mpg.

Helping to manage all this performance is the car’s exceptional braking system. Developed in conjunction with Akebono, the P1’s carbon fiber brake discs are infused with silicon-carbide, which helps to dissipate head and absorbed energy. Furthermore, the car utilizes Brake Steer, which was a technology developed by the company for the 1997 Formula 1 season prior to being banned in competition. During cornering, the system applies the brakes to the car’s inside rear wheel at high speeds, helping to bring the P1’s nose closer to the apex of the corner.

Those familiar with both modern supercars and social media will be aware of @mwvmnw on Instagram, a sizeable private collection regularly showcasing many of the finest supercars and race cars, all of which are privately owned, and most impressively all regularly driven by the owner. This particular P1 was purchased new by him and remains in his ownership today.

Already one of the most eye-catching automobiles built thus far into the 21st century, this McLaren P1 brings its visual panache to a whole new level by employing MSO’s Liquid Silver paintwork. As confirmed by McLaren, only two P1s would be finished as such, and both cars were built for @mwvmnw; one in European specification and the example offered here, built to U.S. specification. Truly brilliant in the flesh, MSO’s Liquid Silver is normally reserved for Formula 1 cars and was utilized by McLaren for the Formula 1 car driven by Lewis Hamilton in his championship winning season. The car also boasts factory wheels with a ball-polished finish, unique to this car, along with contrasting McLaren Red brake calipers and detailing along the front and rear splitters. Inside, the interior is trimmed with grey Alcantara, and the racing seats boast seat belts for both road and track use.

In his ownership, the car has been driven just 2,200 miles from new and remains in brilliant condition both inside and out, having been fully serviced and maintained by McLaren its whole life. Taking the entire production run of the McLaren P1 into consideration, it would be difficult to imagine a more desirable car than this, one of only two examples offered in MSO Liquid Silver and offered from a world-class collection of supercars. For the hypercar aficionado, this P1 simply cannot be missed.