I’ve often wondered what a 2014 McLaren P1 owner would do once he takes delivery of one of the most powerful cars in the world. Will he stow in the garage to collect dust? Will he lay waste to it any opportune chance he gets? Will he try to sell it at a premium in the second-hand car market? Businessman and philanthropist Miles Nadal has done none of these things, at least not yet. Instead, he decided that the best way to showcase his P1 was to send it over to McLaren Special Operations and have McLaren’s->ke284 personalization department give it an extra layer of uniqueness. The result is this beauty you see right before your eyes.

As the CEO of MDC Partners, the 8th largest advertising holdings company in the world, Nadal has a pretty deep set of pockets. That much we know. That’s also a big reason why he can afford to buy a McLaren P1 and then have it go through the jazzy hands of MSO's finest.

Once there, Nadal apparently had one simple request: he wanted his P1 to be dressed in the same two-tone, blue-and-orange colors of Gulf Racing; one of the most famous racing teams in history.

It takes a particularly skilful set of hands to pull something like this of. Fortunately, MSO is full of engineers and designers who have this kind of unique qualification, and as you can see from the final product, these fine men and women put their respective expertise to good use.

Click past the jump to read more about the McLaren P1 Miles Nadal Edition By MSO.

2015 McLaren P1 Miles Nadal Edition by MSO

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2015 McLaren P1 Miles Nadal Edition by MSO
  • Engine/Motor: V8
  • Horsepower: 903
  • Torque: 1100
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

Work on Miles Nadal’s McLaren P1 was limited to aesthetic enhancements, but the glorious Gulf-inspired livery is obviously a direct hat tip to the bygone days of the racing team’s history. Even though the car itself isn’t technically labeled as a Gulf P1, we know exactly why Nadal selected these colors.

In addition to the Gulf livery, MSO also added orange brake calipers and some fancy orange piping on the front splitter, side skirts, and rear diffuser to complete the look.

Interior

Most of MSO’s work on this P1 occurred in the cabin, and this is where we get to see the full scope of McLaren’s expertise in vehicle personalization. The bespoke seats are a sight to behold, as is the blue-and-orange piping on the Alcantara steering wheel and the same blue-and-orange combination used on the P1’s center console.

The result of the interior enhancements are nothing short of impressive, proving one more time that if there’s personalized work done on a McLaren, we all know who we have to call.

Drivetrain

The absence of any performance enhancements on this one-off P1 is expected given that the hybrid supercar already has a walloping powertrain made up of a 3.8-liter, twin-turbo, V-8 engine and an electric motor. When combined, the two can produce as much as 903 horsepower and 1,100 pound-feet of torque. It's beyond ridiculous how powerful this machine is and it can do all that and still have a fuel efficiency rating of 34 mpg and CO2 emissions of 194 g/km. That makes the P1 friendlier to the planet than a lot of less-heralded models in the market today.

Power is routed to the two rear wheels via a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission. All together, the P1 is capable of sprinting from 0 to 62 mph in just 2.8 seconds to go with a top speed of 217 mph.

Prices

Since all 375 units of the McLaren P1 are already accounted for, there’s really no sense in asking how much one is going to cost if you’re thinking of buying one for yourself. In the interest of full disclosure, the P1 costs $1.15 million, and the MSO touch likely added a healthy sum to the bottom line.

Competition

Porsche 918 Spyder Martini Racing Prototype

It’s only obvious, isn’t it? When you see a McLaren P1 dressed up in Gulf colors, it's fitting to line it up against one of its direct competitors sporting a similar iconic graphic on its body. The 918 Spyder Martini Racing Prototype is just that.

By itself, the 918 Spyder is as hellacious as the P1. While the P1 is limited to just 375 units, Porsche sold 918 units of the 918 Spyder, which means that there are more Porsche hypercars around. Exclusivity aside, the 918 Spyder is a spitfire of power and technology, thanks to its own hybrid powertrain that combines to produce 887 horsepower and 940 pound-feet of torque. Unlike the P1, the 918 Spyder gets the most out of its four wheels as the all-wheel drive system receives all the power courtesy of a seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission.

Taken together, the 918 Spyder is capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds with the Weissach package to go with a top speed of 211 mph.

Conclusion

It's arguably the most beautiful McLaren P1 I've ever seen. Who am I kidding, though; the P1 is a gorgeous car in general, but you have to give credit to Miles Nadal for creatively fusing the hybrid supercar's extraordinary design and dressing it up with one of the most iconic racing colors in motorsports history. The result, as you can see, is nothing short of incredible.