The man always carries a small sketch book and a pen with him.
As to why that's so, he said: “I am constantly looking out for inspiration and they can be anywhere.
“Design is ever more critical in selling cars, but it is also more about creating a unique design or image to identify themselves,” said Stephenson, who was in Malaysia for the opening of McLaren Kuala Lumpur’s first showroom in Mutiara Damansara in October.
The American automotive designer has an illustrious career in the automotive industry, having penned many well known vehicles, from the current MINI hatchback and BMW X5, to the Maserati MC12, Ferrari F430, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and McLaren MP4-12C, to name a few.
His latest design is the McLaren P1, arguably one of the fastest hybrid sports cars in the world.
Hailed as the successor to the McLaren F1, the P1 gets 903bhp from its twin turbo 3.8-litre V8 petrol engine and lightweight electric motor combination.
It can accelerate from 0-100kph in 2.8 seconds and has an electronically-limited top speed of 350kph.
The McLaren F1 supercar
Meanwhile, the unique three-seater F1 was introduced in 1992 and uses a 6.1-litre V12 BMW engine that puts out 627bhp at 7,400rpm and 651Nm of torque at 5,600rpm.
The driver sits in the centre flanked by a passenger seat on either side.
It was the fastest car of its time and has a top speed in the region of 390kph and a 0-100kph time of just 3.2 seconds.
Stephenson said the P1 managed to capture the spirit of the F1, but not so much of the design influence.
“There were some very good things on the F1 because it was just so unique and so purposeful, you didn’t care so much about what it was going to cost.
“If you look at a car like the F1, the best place to take in air for the engine that is otherwise undisturbed is at the roof via a snorkel, and not a lot of cars do that. So that principle is on the P1 because it works, not because it came from the F1,” he said.
To Stephenson, the difference between the F1 and P1 was simple, “The F1 was considered to be an intelligent supercar and it was a representation of its era then, whereas the P1 is a representation of the current era.
“The P1 isn’t even considered a next generation. In fact, the F1 is considered a great-great grandfather within McLaren’s model lineup,” he said.
Stephenson also revealed the occasional nightmares faced by designers when sketching a car from scratch.
“It’s a tug-of-war between a designer’s creativity and the boundaries of physics,” he said.
The real challenge, Stephenson said, is finding an equilibrium.
“McLaren engineers go above and beyond to find a way to make things happen based on the designer’s concept,” he said.
Asked how was still able to produce such a beautiful looking P1, Stephenson responded, “We didn’t even try. It was all about making it functional and that’s how it ended up looking.” Stephenson also said the original P1 design had to be modified to suit the car’s exhaust system; otherwise the engine could overheat.
“Don’t forget, there’s a battery for the hybrid system in there as well and that’s also producing heat.
“We had to cut a semi-circle into the sub-frame at the rear, allowing the exhaust system to properly fit. The main concern was that the cut would affect the structural rigidity of the car, but thankfully it was uninterrupted.”
Stephenson doing an impromptu sketch during the official opening of McLaren Kuala Lumpur in Mutiara Damansara.
Asked about what he felt was the most interesting feature of the P1, Stephenson replied, “The car itself. Purely
because of the P1’s innovation in terms of its shape, looks, suspension, aerodynamics, visibility, materials, and
the amount of technology that went into building the car.”
He also said the P1 did not adopt the F1’s centre-seating driver configuration for the driver’s convenience.
“With the existence of toll booths and having to pay for parking when exiting carparks, many might find it too much of a hassle.
“But with the P1’s current configuration, and its doors that open slightly outward and then upwards, it just made better sense.”
Stephenson also said the next McLaren supercar after the P1 would be better looking.
“The design language of the P1 will be taken even further, with cutting edge technology and it will also be a return to beautiful yet futuristic cars.
“We need to attract more women customers so we don’t want our cars to be over-aggressive in looks. We need to find a balance, but in terms of performance, they are going to be even better,” he said.
Aside from the MP4-12C Coupe and Spider variants which are priced from RM2.036mil, McLaren Kuala Lumpur is also taking orders for the P1 which comes with a starting price of RM4mil.
The P1 is bound to be a rare sight as only 375 will be built.
