Almost 13 years after the P1 redefined what a road car could do, McLaren has spent the last five years developing its replacement. The W1 continues the same mantra, but with modifications gleaned from decades of track time. Production begins next year, with all 399 sold out before the first wheel rotates. They cost roughly $2.1 million each and offer to combine everyday usage with lap times that would embarrass Senna. Recent testing in Arizona’s scorching sun has pushed these prototypes to their limits to say the least.

This tough Arctic test was a key part of developing the McLaren W1, done in the super-cold Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi, Finland, on a frozen lake and handling tracks where temperatures dropped to -35°C (-31°F). This freezing setting was picked to test the car’s systems to their max in extreme cold, very different from its usual conditions.

Successor to the P1, the McLaren W1 boasts a new hybrid V8 powertrain making 1,257 hp and 988 lb-ft of torque, mated to a new 8-speed transmission with E-reverse. This makes it McLaren’s most powerful production supercar yet, all in a 3,084 pound package.