McLaren has taken the wraps off its P1, the company’s all-new 'ultimate supercar' ahead of its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show. The P1 is a design study with one simple goal in mind – to be the best driver’s car in the world, on road and track.

Sources close to the company have revealed that the new model is likely to produce around 960bhp with the help of a Formula 1-style Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). The P1 is not designed to outrun a Bugatti Veyron, say insiders; it is more about exceptional lap times.

The P1 will have a limited production run of 500 models, and it may be sold out to existing McLaren clients and high-profile collectors without going on general public sale. The final production version of the P1 will be shown next year, but it is expected to look almost identical to the car pictured here. Its arrival will coincide with the 50th anniversary of McLaren.

The P1 is described as taking much of its “technological and spiritual inspiration from the company’s racing division”. McLaren Automotive executive chairman Ron Dennis says, “The P1 will be the result of 50 years of racing and road car heritage. Twenty years ago, we raised the supercar performance bar with the McLaren F1 and our goal with P1 is to redefine it once again.”

Ahead of the public unveiling, McLaren is refusing to give any more details about the car. However, Autocar has managed to uncover some of the P1’s secrets. Despite the car’s dramatic exterior, it has a very similar footprint to the MP4-12C. McLaren sources say the P1 retains the “everyday usability” of the MP4-12C, with the same deep windscreen, narrow A-pillars and relatively slim width. In fact, the P1 is shorter than a current Porsche 911. The interior will be different from the 12C’s, with bespoke switchgear, but it is unclear whether the basic architecture of the cabin will remain unchanged.