July 12, 2024

Meet The "MadMac," The McLaren P1 With The Heart Of A Mazda


This could be one of the wildest McLarens ever with an even crazier engine swap. Making its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the “MadMac” the latest project of Michael “Mad Mike” Whiddett. The MadMac is a McLaren P1 hypercar with its twin-turbo V8 ripped out for a 1,000-horsepower Mazda rotary engine. Also, it’s designed to go fast; sideways.

Mad Mike’s MadLabs called on Lanzante because of their extensive experience and expertise with the McLaren P1. The strong and versatile carbon fiber chassis (with an FIA-approved roll cage, of course) received a sculpted P1 GTR and Lanzante-developed P1 LM bodywork. This newly-formed shape was stretched in all directions, giving a much more aggressive rear stance, as well as wider front arches to accommodate the expected steering adjustments needed for Mike to perform his iconic drifting style.



From Lanzante’s workshop in the United Kingdom, the MadMac took a 10,000-mile journey to the MadLab in New Zealand where Mike and his team threw out the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 in favor of a three-rotor twin-turbo billet 2.0-liter 20B engine putting out 1,000 horsepower.

With the original transmission from the McLaren retained, ingenuity and engineering were then pushed to the limit again, as the team worked to design, create, and install a bespoke transfer case to connect the flame-spitting rotary engine with the factory-fit sequential gearbox.



Mike also installed custom uprights, a steering rack with more added rotation for drifting, bespoke wheels, and a custom Haltech ECU. The finishing touches include a GT3-style steering wheel with “gaming-style” gear shifters and a hydraulic handbrake.

A trip to Japan’s Rocket Bunny provided further enhancements to the MadMac’s lines thus completing its look.

The MadMac’s Goodwood outing is just the first. Mad Mike will tour it across the globe for the next two years.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Feel free to comment or share your views. Comments that are derogatory and/or spam will not be tolerated. We reserve the right to moderate and/or remove comments.