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About
W1 ‘One Vision’ Episode 1
McLaren Aerocell
Stories of innovation
‘How on earth are we going to deliver this?’
The ‘One Vision’ series brings to life the personal stories from the people who developed the McLaren W1. Stories about personal achievement, of a high point in many careers – and how the engineers and designers who worked on the W1 are themselves blown away by their own creation. Episode 1 features Andy Sylvester-Thorne, Head of Body Structures at McLaren Automotive, whose team developed the ultra-light, bespoke McLaren Aerocell - the most advanced carbon fibre monocoque we have ever produced.
Achieving the impossible
Andy has been with McLaren for over 20 years, helping to develop the original carbon Monocell for the 12C and going on to work on iconic supercars like the McLaren P1™, Senna and Speedtail. “One of the reasons I've been with McLaren for so long is the challenge – the almost impossible nature of what the business set for us,” Andy explains. The latest of these “impossible” challenges was to make the W1 faster, more powerful and more aerodynamic than any previous McLaren road car.
Andy Sylvester-Thorne
Head of Body Structures
Every Millimetre Counts
Ambitious targets led to the Aerocell having fixed seats, which brought crucial advantages in packaging and weight-saving. A conventional sliding seat also means a range of driver positions must be taken into account when defining the headroom, A-pillar visibility and mirror positions. By fixing the driver (and moving the pedal box instead) the whole Aerocell interior became more compact, and the structure was made shorter and lighter – whilst enhancing the perception of space and comfort to create a truly engaging experience for both driver and passenger.
Ultra-lightweight
Often reserved only for low-volume motorsport applications, W1’s new Aerocell is distinguished by a time-consuming and highly specialised manufacturing technique, directly inspired by Formula 1™. Andy and his team advocated for an approach that involves hand-laying ultra-lightweight carbon sheets, pre-impregnated with resin (known as ‘pre-preg’). This bespoke lightweighting approach allows for precise tailoring of the carbon fibre layers, resulting in W1’s superior strength-to-weight characteristics and enhanced performance.
Inspiring the future
A ‘clean sheet’ approach meant Andy’s team could go further than ever in integrating new functions into the Aerocell. An example is the W1’s Formula 1™-inspired front suspension, which is bolted directly into the carbon cell – another first for McLaren Automotive. This innovation makes the W1 body structure stronger yet lighter, contributing to the lightest supercar monocoque we have ever produced.
Our Mindset
The engineers and designers who appear in One Vision all agree that the new W1 pushes the envelope in almost every aspect. It’s the same McLaren mindset that led to our Artura, 750S and GTS supercars – a relentless drive for performance, born out of our racing DNA. The W1 captures this ethos perfectly as Andy and his team asked themselves, “How on earth are we going to deliver this?”, and then pushed beyond the limits to achieve the extraordinary.
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