Lanzante completes the third bespoke McLaren P1 HDK
Taking its name from the High Downforce Kit which was originally offered to McLaren F1 owners during the 1990s, the P1 HDK by Lanzante follows the same ethos. Originally it was an option which provided the best of both world – the GTR styling from the 1995 Le Mans-winning GTR, along with the creature comforts of the road car, including comfort seats, carpeting, electric windows and a stereo system.
The most recent P1 HDK commission completed, the third created by Lanzante, has been matched to McLaren F1, chassis #036. Externally, it is finished in Pale Blue Metallic, complimented inside the cabin by the blue Alcantara dashboard, carpet, and two-tone blue upholstery for the seats. The brake callipers, available in any colour, have been finished in satin gold with red lettering – in homage to the original F1 HDK – and sit behind bespoke light weight carbon fibre wheels.
To create this extreme road-going model, the Lanzante team strips the original donor car back to the bare carbon fibre MonoCage, and then the conversion starts. To handle the increased levels of downforce generated from the revised bodywork, the suspension has been upgraded with uprights from the P1 GTR, and bespoke centre-locking wheels.
Externally, the bodywork is heavily revised with all panels from the original car revised or replaced, retaining only the bonnet. The HDK model is wider than the standard roadcar, and is fitted with the larger wing and fixed carbon fibre pylons from the P1 GTR in place of the road car rear wing. Louvered front wings are used to balance the changes to the aerodynamic setup, and high-level wing mirrors, again from the GTR, are also fitted. Gold heat shielding is used In the engine bay, famously a feature on the era-defining F1, and a ceramic exhaust system is also installed. The heritage bonnet badge and P1 HDK rear badges complete the exterior differences.
The HDK interior features discreet and subtle details, such as gloss black switchgear throughout, carbon fibre air vents surrounds and dash binnacle, and bespoke designed pedals. Seats can be trimmed in a mixture of leather and Alcantara, tailored to suit the exact requirements of each customer, finished with logos in the headrests. ‘Daytona’-style seats, originally offered as part of the F1 HDK specification interiors are also available. The interior is finished off with a bespoke chassis plaque fitted to the driver’s door sill and the Lanzante logo replacing the infotainment IRIS button.
Further bespoke options fitted to P1 HDK #036 include weight saving carbon fibre wheels, and the 4.0-litre engine upgrade. This sees the standard 3.8-litre twin turbo V8 replaced with a bespoke unit, produced under the instruction to Cosworth Engineering. Producing close to 1,000bhp, this new powerplant has a more linear torque curve to provide a more instantaneous power delivery.
The car now heads to its home in the Middle East, scheduled to be publicly shown for the first time during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix activities.