The Goodwood Festival of Speed sets the stage for McLaren’s next release, the 788HS, which is promoted as the final iteration of a mid-engine V8 supercar line that began with the 720S in 2017 and has since included the 765LT and 750S. The 4.0-liter twin turbo V8 delivers 777 horsepower, a 37-horsepower improvement from the 750S. Not that it counts, but the torque remains at 590 pound-feet, and the engine continues to spin at 8500 rpm.

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.