FORMULA One great McLaren had its road car division appear at its first international motor show—Paris—to preview its next-generation ultimate supercar. Called the McLaren P1, the car promises to take much from the racing company’s technological and spiritual inspiration.

McLaren put it bluntly: The P1 has one simple goal—to be the best driver’s car in the world on road and on track.

Shown as a design study, the P1’s production version is aimed to go on sale within 12 months.

“The McLaren P1 will be the result of 50 years of racing and road car heritage,” said McLaren Automotive Executive Chairman Ron Dennis. “Twenty years ago we raised the supercar performance bar with the McLaren F1, and our goal with the P1 is to redefine it once again.”

The P1 was designed from the outset to prioritize aerodynamics, and had spent many hours in a wind tunnel, as well as having received computational fluid dynamics aerodynamic modeling—just like a Formula One car. The result is a much higher level of downforce than any present road car; 600 kilograms well below maximum speed, or about five times more than what McLaren’s current supercar, the MP4-12C, can generate. The car also features advances in weight reduction, packaging, high-speed performance, materials (especially carbon-fiber) and powertrain.

Speaking of which, McLaren is to date mum on what will propel its new hyper-performing car. FAST TIMES