"Gpivovarov" (Gpivovarov)
02/20/2014 at 12:47 • Filed to: McLaren P1
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"Gpivovarov" (Gpivovarov)
02/20/2014 at 12:47 • Filed to: McLaren P1 | 1
| 43 |
Yesterday /Drive released Chris Harris' !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and obviously it was amazing, because it's Chris Harris...with a P1...sideways. The car he was drove was the last test car, the XP7, meaning it was a little beat up, but still a damn beast. However, because it was a test car, it wasn't as obsessively detailed; It was louder, there were interior panels missing, and a bunch of wires were sticking out.
There. The wires. Remember that, I'll come back to that later.
The other recent P1 review is, of course, the Top Gear test a couple weeks ago. To be honest I really liked that bit, it was well scripted, shot, and produced, as Top Gear often is. So I have no complaints with the review, but my beef lies with the car. Midway through the segment, as Jeremy's raving about the McLaren's stupid awesome technology, there's a close-up shot of that crazy spoiler rising, and something caught my eye.
That. Right there. See that? On a million dollar hypercar that's hailed as the epitome of technology with a psychotic attention to detail- there's some exposed wiring on the spoiler? Held on by a couple wire clamps? What? Why? What is this, amateur hour?
This had been really confusing/annoying me for the last week since I saw Top Gear. I mean, it's one of the most advanced car companies on the planet, and they really couldn't figure out how to hide those wires? But, the Chris Harris review offered me some salvation. When you pay attention, you can see the XP7 also has a bunch of exposed wiring underneath some of the panels, including the wires on the spoiler. So the question arises - was Clarkson also driving the XP7, or does every P1 come with this irking, annoying tiny little flaw?
The answer, I'm afraid, is yes, they do. With a good eye and a speedy click of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! pause button, one can take a peek and see that Top Gear's black McLaren P1 is not, in fact, the XP7. Exposed spoiler wires on every single one of 'em.
So, with the addition of the infamous carbon fiber rear "windows", this brings the P1's flaw count up to a whopping 2. And you know what? As much as I'd like to punch McLaren in the face for those wires, I'd still have one over anything. Including the 918. And my left leg.
Brian Silvestro
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 12:48 |
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Not sure if serious
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Gpivovarov
> Brian Silvestro
02/20/2014 at 12:49 |
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Why not serious? Am I missing something?
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Brian Silvestro
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 12:52 |
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Just at the end with the carbon mirror, which is something that makes the window line look better. I thought Raphael was also not being serious.
Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 12:52 |
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Exposed wires because it is the best solution for flexibility and servicing, where else would you put the wires? Inside the cylinders? Nope, can't do that.
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Gpivovarov
> Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/20/2014 at 12:55 |
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Why not? Seriously, It's a car from a company that prides itself with being neat and clean and organized, and a couple unsightly exposed wires don't really fit that bill
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Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 12:57 |
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Because there is air/hydraulic fluid with a piston that moves around in them.
Ravey Mayvey Slurpee Surprise
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 12:58 |
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Takuro, did you change your Jalop handle?
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Gpivovarov
> Brian Silvestro
02/20/2014 at 12:58 |
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No no I understand the aesthetic merit of it, it absolutely completely the window line and makes it look and feel more like a road car than a spaceship. But it also seems to be a controversial aesthetics issue with the car, so I brought it up!
ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 12:59 |
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One of the absolute greatest cars of all time, and you're complaining about exposed wiring on the spoiler?
Sigh...
It's a "Porch-uh"
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 12:59 |
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I see what you're getting at, but engineers need to balance some of those choices with cost and feasibility. With all the movement of the wing, the wiring needs to be flexible, so adding a hidden solution would add more weight and unnecessary complexity.
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Gpivovarov
> ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
02/20/2014 at 13:00 |
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Yeah! Because the greatest car of all time has such deep attention to detail everywhere, so why not here? I understand the functionality of it, but why not make it look sleek and elegant too, like the rest of the car?
briannutter1
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 13:00 |
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They mentioned several time that its a test mule that had telemetry and sensors out the wazoo. Testing is ongoing, so they arent going to tear rhe harnesses out of it just for Chris.
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Gpivovarov
> It's a "Porch-uh"
02/20/2014 at 13:02 |
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Yes but again, they're the best engineers in the world. Listen it's a dream car, its the best of not only both worlds, but all worlds. Its amazing on the track, the road, it's functional, its aerodynamic, but it's also damn good looking. And it excels at all those things, so why can't it be absolutely perfect in the looks department as well?
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Gpivovarov
> briannutter1
02/20/2014 at 13:03 |
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Yeah yeah, that's fine, but the one Clarkson drove wasn't a test mule, it was a customer car, and it still had this flaw.
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Brian Silvestro
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 13:04 |
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I expect you're going to get a lot of mixed reactions, you might even get FP'd.
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ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 13:05 |
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Since the attention to detail is so obsessive throughout the car, perhaps the wiring on the spoiler is there on purpose?
Do you honestly think they got to that point and said, "Ah, Fuck it. I'm going home."?
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Gpivovarov
> Brian Silvestro
02/20/2014 at 13:05 |
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Oh yeah, mixed reactions is absolutely expected, but it's my opinion up in hurr.
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Gpivovarov
> ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
02/20/2014 at 13:10 |
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No no no I'm sure there's an engineering reason for them, but my concern is that it's not complaint with the rest of the aesthetics of the car
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briannutter1
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 13:11 |
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Doesnt bother me i guess. Wires are wires and need to articulate with the range of motion of pneumatics of the wing. They might be able to route them through the billet brackets a bit better, but at the end of the day it's a mechanical device and can be appreciated for being just that.
americanvainglory
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 13:15 |
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If it were a Ferrari it would have leftover adhesive all over the car and oozing out from behind random trim and weatherstrippings along with some of the worst factory paintwork in...the...world.
I would happily take the exposed wires thank you.
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ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 13:16 |
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I perceive the aesthetics of the P1 as "a perfect blend of form and function." If that means they needed to have an exposed wire on the spoiler, a part that moves, then I can live with that.
I bet that if you looked around you'd find even more exposed wires in the engine bay too.
Taking your argument further, shouldn't they have hidden everything? I mean, really who wants to see exposed brakes? Or wheels? Tires are so ugly. Hide them as well. Why not just not build anything if people are going to complain about niggling, inconsequential details?
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It's a "Porch-uh"
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 13:20 |
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I know it's a $1M+ car, but they still have cost and time constraints. Not everything can be the most "perfectly engineered" solution.
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Gpivovarov
> ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
02/20/2014 at 13:22 |
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Listen I'm not saying this ruins the car, far from it, I appreciate the seeing the mechanics of it but you have to admit this particular wire looks pretty shotty. It's literally just sorta clipped on with wire clamps. I wouldn't have a problem with it if the car didn't have a constant aesthetic, but it does, and this doesn't follow it.
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ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 13:26 |
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No, actually, it looks exactly like they mounted it where they intended to, attached with only the barest of materials to save weight not impede the function of the spoiler.
McLarry
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 13:30 |
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The P1 exists in the funky tradespace between 'balls-out racecar' and 'luxury hypercar'... Exposed carbon fiber, metal, wires, etc are part of the trade. Personally, I don't really see any problem with those...looks pretty cool to me :P
Cynical
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 13:32 |
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Wat.
Chteelers
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 13:35 |
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Reminds me of this EVO article.
Also, I google searched the P1 spoiler, and it looks like the production version wiring is a tad cleaner than what you show in your picture. My guess is that your picture is the tubing on the pre-production test mule.
Casper
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 13:38 |
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Wait, how else should they have run the wires to meet weight reduction and serviceability goals? It looks like they did a very good job planning the paths, wrapping everything, and color matching parts. Especially for a part that is normally closed while not doing a blistering speed.
Jayhawk Jake
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 13:39 |
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It's not a flaw. The wire has to get there somehow, leaving it exposed like that is better than building a bulky fairing around the entire spoiler support.
bartlettab
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 13:45 |
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I have to agree and disagree... the Duke is absolutely right. How are you supposed to hide the wire in a hydraulic piston. That said, I'll agree that it shouldn't be where it is, but I bet if you were to ask one of McLaren's engineers, they would cringe. They must have had second thoughts about leaving that wire exposed, but as you said, they're the best engineers in the world and I'm sure it was the best option they had. Also it seems they were a bit busy with their F1 car (their top priority) as that seems to have come out quite well in spite of this year's changes. Also, I can't for the life of me decide what that wire is for... there's no brake light on the back of the airbrake/spoiler and I doubt there's a pressure sensor or any similar trinket in there, and all of the hydraulic controls should be tucked away in the body of the car, so my mystery isn't why they left it there, but what it's there for in the first place!
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Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
> bartlettab
02/20/2014 at 13:54 |
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The wing is a multi piece part, something has to control the upper surface.
Dusty Ventures
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 14:01 |
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I'm totally ok with the wires. Feels more racecar
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Gpivovarov
> Chteelers
02/20/2014 at 14:02 |
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its straight out of the Top Gear segment, so it's whatever car they had. I'm guessing pre-production too
shpuker
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 14:04 |
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LOL What?
DeltawingGothamDeserves
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 14:04 |
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Why? The greatest hypercar on earth, and people are worried about some dumb non-window and exposed wiring. Sigh.
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Gpivovarov
> shpuker
02/20/2014 at 14:27 |
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You misunderstand. The exposed mechanical look would be awesome if it were constant along the entire body, but it's not. The rest of the car is smooth and elegant and beautifully designed, this part isn't.
Simplify, then add beer
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 17:19 |
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Just because it's not the XP7, doesn't mean its a full production model.
Clarkson did that test about 2-3 months ago, so it was probably one of the other test models.
Here's what the production model spoiler looks like:
gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
> Gpivovarov
02/20/2014 at 22:49 |
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This it the million dollar version of exposed fasteners!
d3v
> Gpivovarov
02/23/2014 at 13:34 |
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Considering that all P1s are already spoken for, this is most likely yet another production mule.
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d3v
> Gpivovarov
02/23/2014 at 13:57 |
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Are we even sure it was a customer car? For all we know it's yet another test mule.
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d3v
> Gpivovarov
02/23/2014 at 13:59 |
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Next thing you know, you'll be bitching about exposed fasterners.
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d3v
> Gpivovarov
02/24/2014 at 06:21 |
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If you've watched the EVO video, the car that McLaren technical director Paul Mackenzie was showing off at the Yas Marina Circuit was the same car that Clarkson drove (P1 00V). During Chris Harris' test of the car (using the XP6 test mule) Chris Goodwin shows him another test mule (PP3?) in the same garage. While we don't see the license plate, that's probably P1 00V (considering that it was also in the Yas Marina Circuit).
Porschephile
> Chteelers
04/13/2014 at 18:36 |
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That's the first thing I thought of!
Didn't he fix it on his own F1, or is that his car, I can't remember?