The carbon fiber aesthetic announces to the world an uncompromising philosophy of performance. Those who choose to leave these woven composites bare for all to admire are making a declaration of allegiance to the divine power-to-weight ratio, signing a bond to hold holy speed above all else. Either that, or they just think it looks cool.

We’re not totally sure which camp Manny Khoshbin belongs to, but either way, he announced on Instagram last Friday that McLaren->ke284 is now offering its outrageous P1->ke4608 hyper car in a glorious, clear-coated carbon fiber body. Interestingly, it was an option he first inquired about two years ago: “My first question was can I order it in full carbon body. Answer was no but possibly in the future. Well few weeks ago they called me and announced only 20 full Carbon body package will be made worldwide and I will finally get mine redone in carbon and still get to keep my MSO painted body panels which I have a separate project for,” Khoshbin stated in his post.

Pricing is expected to run well over six-figures for the new body. Pagani,->ke66 for example, charges $151,700 extra for its all-carbon Huayra.->ke3763 Of course, anyone in the market for a million dollar hyper car won’t shy from the chance to scoop up a limited edition version for the price of a brand new, optioned-out Porsche GT3->ke617 added to the bottom line. As such, all twenty carbon P1s are already sold out. According to GTspirit.com, only eight will make it stateside.

Click past the jump to read more about the McLaren P1.

Why it matters

Nowadays, you can find composites everywhere in the automotive world, not just adorning ultra-expensive sports cars. For better or worse, what was once a solution to save weight and increase strength has turned into a fashion statement. But we’re ok with that. Advancing the technology is undeniably a good thing, and increasing its visibility means regular folks (i.e. the kind of people who glaze at the mention of “octane ratings” and “downforce”) will hopefully come to see the importance of keeping mass low. And in the end, that’s what’s important. It should be remembered that weight is the enemy. Weight makes cars big, slow, and inefficient. So good job, McLaren. Keep it up.

McLaren P1

If you were to describe McLaren’s marvelous hybrid hypercar to some uniformed individual, they’d be forgiven for thinking you were using prodigious hyperbole. To any rational thinking person, the numbers surrounding it seem too colossal to exist in the real world, and yet, they do. For over a million dollars, McLaren is offering a two-seat sports car that’s made of materials like titanium, aluminum, and of course, carbon fiber. All this exotic stuff cuts total curb weight to a feathery 3,280 pounds, which is astonishing considering the drivetrain. The engine is a mid-mounted, twin-turbo 3.8-liter V-8, with an integrated electric motor that helps push total output to a figure just south of 1,000 horsepower at 903, with peak torque rated at 1,100 pound-feet. All of that is propelled through a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. Sixty is destroyed in 2.8 seconds, the quarter mile flies by under 10 seconds, and top speed is limited at 217 mph. The brakes are carbon ceramic, and incorporate Brake Steer technology, which apply force to the inner rear wheel for better corner entry. The suspension and aerodynamics are electronically active, constantly and rapidly adjusting to yield maximum stick, no matter the conditions. It’s all very spacey stuff, carried over from McLaren’s Formula 1 program and integrated in a road car you can actually drive around.