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Making 'the best driver's car in the world': A closer look at McLaren's P1 hypercar
McLaren's base of operations for both car development and production lies a few minutes outside of Woking, an unassuming mid-sized town in the middle of the UK. The low-rise, stylish facilities appear from nowhere, and as I sit inside a company car, waiting to get waved through one of many security checkpoints, it dawns on me that the entire complex looks like a work of science fiction. The combination of keycards, white anonymous corridors and multiple lifts that follow add to the top-secret atmosphere. Imagine somewhere between Portal and Men In Black and you're about there. There's a "no cameras inside" rule, as development for future cars, not to mention continuous improvements to its F1 race cars, are progressing in rooms nearby. Following a protracted series of teasers, leaks and its eventual official reveal last year, it's the company's P1 that I'm here to take a closer look at (with or without a camera). McLaren is pitching its "hypercar" as a step above your typical supercar, with an unprecedented focus on engineering, design, materials and black carbon-fiber paneling so tight you could see the car's veins, if it had any. When you see the vehicle in real life, those black accents on the doors and bumper are made even more eye-catching by the signature McLaren yellow that surrounds them. That muscular body also encases the company's new petrol-electric V8 engine, one that's capable of running on charge alone. The P1 is one of several high-end, high-performance supercars that are going hybrid, and its electric motor is integrated to the primary motor to augment the overall driving performance. It should drive better because it's a hybrid, not despite it. If you factor in the tech drip-down from McLaren's Formula One arm, encompassing the car's structure, design, brakes and engine, you start to see exactly what McLaren's offering for that $1.3 million price tag.
HP's 12c calculator hits middle age, copes by releasing Anniversary edition (video)
HP's tablet ship may have sailed, but at least you can still count on the outfit for your next reverse Polish notation calculator. That's right, HP's 12c just hit the big three-oh. The classic calculator is celebrating its mid life crisis 30th year in production with a special limited edition number cruncher, featuring an etched faceplate declaring its pedigree. If 1981's coolest calculator isn't your style, don't fret -- HP is also releasing a limited edition run of 1982's HP 15c, boasting a hundred-fold improvement in performance over its predecessor. Retro calculation can be yours for $80 and $100, respectively. Hit the break to see HP toot its own horn in the 12c's official 30th anniversary "Then & Now" video.
