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Watch a McLaren P1 get tormented by a BAC Mono at Silverstone

Could there be anything more infuriating than making a million-plus-dollar investment in a vehicle like the McLaren P1, only to take it to a track and find you're unable to outrun a car that costs, without options, about 96,000 pounds ($159,000 at today's rates)? One P1 driver experienced that sort of frustration while running Silverstone, when he tangled with a very persistent BAC Mono driver. Now, the P1 absolutely decimates the single-seat, closed-wheel track toy on the straights, while losing a lot of ground in the bends. Even on a high-speed track like Silverstone, the McLaren doesn't boast enough of an advantage to keep the Mono at bay. As the intelligent YouTube commenters (yes, we're surprised by this too) point out, though, there could be a number of reasons why the Mono is so able to hassle and pass the P1. First, it's quite clear that the BAC driver knows the circuit far better than the McLaren pilot, as evidenced by his lines, particularly through Stowe and the Club/Vale complex (this could be chalked up, as one commenter says, to the lead car driving with his mirrors). The BAC is probably running a more aggressive tire than the P1, which in turn appears to be handicapping itself by not running its most aggressive aero setup. Finally, remember that the McLaren is a fully street-legal vehicle, full of safety gear and crash-worthiness as required by law. Still, the fact that this relatively affordable track toy is able to hound and pass one of the world's premier performance machines is a particularly impressive feat. Take a look at the video to see what we mean. Related Gallery BAC Mono View 15 Photos Related Gallery McLaren P1 News Source: Oliver Webb via YouTube Motorsports McLaren Convertible Coupe Racing Vehicles Performance Videos mclaren p1 silverstone bac mono bac

What McLaren's new boss has to say about the F1 team he just took over

You might have read recently that American Zak Brown will take over the reins of McLaren from Ron Dennis. That means Brown, a former pro racer with long-time ties to Formula 1, will also run the road-car business. But while that's important, his passion and more immediate focus is the F1 team, which has had some trouble taking on Mercedes-AMG Petronas recently. If you follow F1 and are keen to know what Brown plans to do to take the fight to Mercedes, you're in luck. Our friend and veteran motorsport journalist Marshall Pruett got Brown for a one-on-one interview, and it's insightful if you're a big McLaren fan, perhaps inspirational. Take a listen below, and if you like what you hear you can find more of Pruett's podcasts right here. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Video: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Motorsports McLaren Racing Vehicles

Weekly Recap: Toyota wants cars to be your 'close friends' around 2020

Toyota confirmed plans this week to launch autonomous technology in its production cars around 2020. The automaker's version is called Highway Teammate, and it's one element of a broader mobility strategy that includes vehicles communicating with each other and the grid. "Toyota believes that interactions between drivers and cars should mirror those between close friends who share a common purpose, sometimes watching over each other and sometimes helping each other out," the company said in a statement. That sounds utopian, and perhaps a bit cheesy, but it's an acknowledgment that autonomous driving requires more than technology developed in a vacuum. Toyota is looking at its research in a broader context, and dubs its overall strategy the Mobility Teammate Concept. Highway Teammate is the first step. Its test vehicle is a modified Lexus GS, which uses road-mapping data and external sensors to merge or exit highways, change lanes, and maintain safe distances during driving. It's operated on the Shuto Expressway in Tokyo. Toyota has been working on autonomous tech since the 1990s, with the goal of providing mobility for older people and the disabled, as well as lowering the frequency of traffic accidents. Toyota's push comes as an early adopter, Nissan, is hedging on its own deadline to implement the autonomous tech by 2020 due to a lack of firm laws governing self-driving cars around the world. Conversely, Volvo took the landmark step of being the first automaker to accept liability for when its cars will operate in autonomous mode, and urged the US government to set federal guidelines to regulate the technology. OTHER NEWS & NOTES 2016 BMW M4 GTS: Your water-injected, turbo-boosted demon BMW is unleashing its most powerful M4 ever, a 493-horsepower special edition that's road legal yet bred for the track. The company is making 700 copies for sale around the world, and 300 of them will come to the United States. The twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder revs to 7,600 rpm and uses a water-injection technology to cool the intake air and lower the compression temperature. BMW says this allows it to wring more power out of the inline six. The car also uses carbon-fiber reinforced plastic for the roof, hood, engine compartment strut brace, drive shaft, and rear spoiler to reduce weight. The M4 features BMW's organic light-emitting diode taillights, which are said to be an industry first.