The fixed plane within the active front wing assembly of the new McLaren W1 is a McLaren ART carbon fibre structure manufactured using this new technique; the latest expression of McLaren’s unmatched capabilities in this area.

With over 60 years as a leader in innovative technologies developed in Formula 1, McLaren is advantageously placed to deliver breakthrough automotive technologies that set the standards in lightweight supercar engineering. . Lightweight, strong, and rigid, McLaren is now approaching half a century as a world leader in this highly technical area of materials science and continues to push the boundaries of what is possible.

It is a technology firmly rooted in McLaren’s Formula 1 heritage, and is a core part of the McLaren DNA:

MP4/1 (1981)

The MP4/1 revolutionised Formula 1 as the first race car to use a full carbon fibre monocoque chassis. Its lightweight, rigid structure significantly improved both safety and performance. Designed by John Barnard, this pioneering chassis led to widespread carbon fibre adoption in motorsport, changing F1 car design forever.

McLaren F1 (1993)

Of the many groundbreaking design features of the McLaren F1, the utilisation of a carbon fibre monocoque chassis and a full carbon fibre body, emphasizing minimal weight and maximum structural rigidity, were among the most important. Pioneering the use of carbon fibre in road cars, the F1 boasted unmatched performance because of its light weight of only 1,140kg and its immense power of 627PS from its 6.1-litre V12 engine. The carbon fibre monocoque – engineered using at the time cutting-edge computer aided design and analysis - allowed the F1 to achieve a significant power-to-weight ratio previously unheard of in road cars, becoming an icon of supercar engineering.

McLaren 12C (2011)

The McLaren 12C, the first road car to be produced by McLaren Automotive at the state-of-the-art McLaren Production Centre, introduced the MonoCell; a single-piece carbon fibre tub that provided unprecedented stiffness and lightness in a road car at the time. The development of the chassis took the McLaren carbon fibre story into the 21st century. MonoCell was the backbone of the world’s first truly mass-produced full carbon fibre tub supercar range, delivering the benefits of this type of chassis construction on a scale never seen in the automotive industry before.

McLaren P1™ (2013)

Only two years on from launching the 12C, McLaren would once again revolutionise carbon fibre supercar technology with the launch of the McLaren P1™ in 2013. The entire structure weighed only 90kgs – a masterpiece in supercar engineering and packaging that proved to the world that electrification needn’t mean compromises on overall vehicle weight and can play an integral role in delivering performance in a true lightweight Ultimate supercar.

McLaren 720S (2017)

The 720S introduced the Monocage II carbon fibre structure that is still employed by the McLaren 750S today, further enhancing rigidity and reducing weight compared to its predecessor, the MonoCell. This significant step forward in carbon monocoque technology in series production supercars delivered not only multiple-award winning performance and dynamics, but vastly improved ergonomics, visibility and design.

And like the advantages introduced by MonoCell, the Spider version of 720S and subsequently 750S features a bespoke upper rear structure in carbon fibre, without the need for additional strengthening or reinforcement to go with it, ensuring thrilling dynamics and minimal weight increase.

McLaren Artura (2021)

The McLaren Artura introduced the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA), designed specifically to integrate a new generation of high-performance hybrid powertrains. Lighter and stronger than previous chassis, the MCLA supports the Artura's hybrid V6 powertrain, while continuing to optimise and develop further the structural advantages of using a carbon fibre monocoque.

McLaren W1 (2024)

The McLaren W1 continues McLaren’s lightweight carbon fibre DNA evolution with the arrival of the Aerocell, our most radical and technologically advanced carbon fibre tub ever designed for a road car.