The McLaren W1 is about to make the jump from one of the world’s most exclusive real-world supercars to the virtual roads of Forza Horizon 6. McLaren has confirmed that its latest flagship “1” car will arrive in the game on September 10 as part of the upcoming British Automotive Series.

There is a catch, though: the W1 will be available exclusively to players who own the Forza Horizon 6 Car Pass. McLaren says the car will be added directly to eligible players’ garages as part of the latest Car Pass vehicle release.

That makes the W1 one of the more notable additions to Forza Horizon 6 so far. It is the latest entry in McLaren’s “1” lineage, following the legendary McLaren F1 and McLaren P1, both of which are already represented in the Forza franchise. The P1 famously appeared as the cover car for Forza Motorsport 5 back in 2013.

The McLaren W1 will arrive alongside the British Automotive Series, which is the next major themed update for Forza Horizon 6. While McLaren’s announcement specifically confirms the W1 as a Car Pass vehicle, the broader series will also bring additional British cars to the game through its other content.

For McLaren fans, the W1 is particularly significant because it gives players a chance to drive the company’s newest “1” car in a game that already features some of its most important road cars.

McLaren says the W1 will be classified as a “Legendary” vehicle in-game, putting it alongside the F1 and P1. The company also notes that the addition brings its presence in the game to 13 McLaren vehicles, with the Artura representing one of its current production models alongside the W1.

The W1 should also be an interesting addition to the game’s hypercar roster. While Forza Horizon 6 is set in Japan and offers an enormous variety of vehicles, the W1’s combination of low weight, hybrid power and aggressive aerodynamics gives it a very different character from many of the cars already available.

The real McLaren W1 is hardly short on performance. Its 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 works with a high-performance hybrid system to produce 1,258 horsepower and 988 lb-ft of torque. McLaren quotes a 0-to-62-mph time of just 2.7 seconds and a top speed of 217 mph.

The W1 is also rear-wheel drive, paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. McLaren lists a minimum dry weight of 1,399 kilograms, helping give the car a power-to-weight ratio of 911 PS per tonne.

Then there is the aerodynamics. The W1 uses ground-effect technology and McLaren’s Active Long Tail, which can extend by 300mm in Race Mode. McLaren says the complete aerodynamic system can generate up to 1,000 kilograms of downforce.

Those specifications naturally make the W1 an intriguing fit for Forza Horizon 6. Playground Games can translate its enormous power, rear-wheel-drive layout and active aerodynamic systems into a car that should be particularly entertaining on fast roads and technical corners alike.

Of course, the in-game car won’t necessarily behave exactly like the real thing. Forza Horizon 6 has its own physics, tuning systems and performance classifications, so the virtual W1 will ultimately be judged by how it fits into the game’s wider car roster rather than simply by its real-world specifications.

The W1’s arrival also gives Forza Horizon 6 an interesting piece of McLaren history.

The original McLaren F1 established the “1” name as something reserved for the company’s ultimate road cars. The McLaren P1 later pushed the concept into the hybrid-hypercar era. Now, the W1 represents the next generation of that formula, combining a new V8 hybrid powertrain with an aggressively engineered carbon-fiber structure and active aerodynamics.

McLaren describes the W1 as the successor to both the F1 and P1 and says only 399 customer cars will be produced. All of those cars were already allocated following the W1’s original 2024 reveal, making the virtual version considerably easier to get behind the wheel of than the real thing.

For Forza Horizon 6 players, that is arguably the biggest appeal. Instead of needing access to one of 399 real W1s, Car Pass owners will soon be able to put the car in their virtual garage and take it across the game’s Japanese roads.

The McLaren W1 arrives in Forza Horizon 6 on September 10 as part of the British Automotive Series and will require the Car Pass. For anyone who has been waiting to see McLaren’s newest “1” car join the game, the wait is almost over.