The McLaren P1 was launched in 2015 and was one of the three members of the Holy Trinity together with the Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder. Almost seven years passed until Lanzante, a British service and restoration firm, decided the supercar from Woking needed to have an open-top version. The original announcement was made in the summer of 2022 and the vehicle is finally ready to be delivered to its new owner. But before that happens, Hagerty had one quick chance to test the car.
It is actually not that easy to understand what such a project requires. At a glance, this looks just like a regular P1 sans the roof – and this means the goal has been achieved. But under the skin, many components had to be refabricated, completely redesigned, or built from scratch, including carbon fiber buttresses incorporating newly developed air intakes and a removable roof cover. In fact, the front fenders, doors, and engine cover have all been discreetly modified to maintain the original design vibe. Yes, it does look like it came like that from the factory. And that’s a huge win.
That’s just a part of the puzzle, though. Many other smaller components also had to be redesigned or repositioned, such as the charging port, which now has a new location. The interior went through a complete reupholstering with something called SuperFabric, which is more resistant to weather and UV. That’s because Lanzante always wanted this to be a Spider rather than a conventional convertible meaning it will be driven with its top off most of the time. “There will be a roof. But it will be some sort of a temporary roof to get you out of trouble,” Dean Lanzante, the son of Lanzante’s founder Paul Lanzante, explains in the video.
In order to build a car that felt like something that came up from McLaren, Lanzante needed help. The firm received expertise from Paul Howse, the P1’s original designer, and Chris Goodwin, who tested the supercar during its original development by the Woking-based automaker. It’s no wonder then that it looks like it came from McLaren and not from an aftermarket company.