An exotic automaker needs a signature color. For Ferrari, it’s red. For Lamborghini, probably yellow. For McLaren, it’s undoubtedly orange. It’s the color that Bruce McLaren painted his racing cars back in the day, and the carmaker that bears his name today offers several shades. That includes Volcano Orange, the color in which this P1’s carbon was tinted. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to look. But out of direct sunlight, it looks rather brown.
Now we know what the true fanboys might be thinking right now: didn’t McLaren showcase a P1 with a color-shifting chameleon finish at Pebble Beach this year? Yes, it did, and that’s also where this example is pictured. But this is not the same example. (It doesn’t have “MK Edition” emblazoned across the bottom of the rear spoiler, for one thing. And several trim pieces are left in contrasting black carbon, for another.)
So now that we’ve established that the orange-tinted carbon fiber on this McLaren P1 isn’t designed to change color with the changing of the light, the question is whether it looks good in chocolate brown in the shade. It’s not the first supercar we’ve seen in brown – Audi showcased the original R8 Spyder in that color, and Ferrari has been known to cook up a few in tribute to Steve McQueen’s 250 GT Lusso – but some of us have never quite been able to get on board.
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