1:14 McLaren P1 GTR RC Car Review

Rastar sent me a package few days ago and I literally had no idea what was inside. I opened it after finishing my lunch and I was delighted to see a 1:14 McLaren P1 GTR sitting inside the box. I had been waiting for this car for 2 years and it was just in front of me. I uncaged the monster carefully and was surprised because I had no idea that an R/C car could be that well made.

McLaren announced the P1 GTR to celebrate their legendary McLaren F1 GTR’s victory in the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. They increased the total power output from 903 BHP to 987. But it’s unclear whether they got the extra oomph from tuning the twin turbo-charged 3.8 liter V8 engine or from the batteries. The P1 GTR is more aerodynamic and it uses slick tires so it’s got more grip than the road car. Though it was a track-only car when it was announced, it can be converted for road use now.

It stunned me with its look. Attention to detail on this thing is mind-blowing. Rastar has always been on the top of the game of toy-grade RC cars because of their build quality. Their RC cars are always highly detailed and some of them are on par with some expensive die-casts. I may sound biased but if you’ve owned one these, you’ll agree with me too.

The exterior and the interior are awe-inspiring. If you look inside the cabin, you’ll think it’s all carbon fiber but it’s plastic. That’s how beguiling this car is. It’s got the steering wheel from the 2008 MP4-23 F1 car just like the real car has and it moves left-right too but the front wheels don’t if you steer with that. There’s no passenger seat, only the driver’s racing bucket one. You can find a fire extinguisher on the passenger’s side. Use it, in case this RC car ever wants to be a Ferrari and immolate itself (Just kidding). You can see a map of the Bahrain International Circuit on the center display. They could skip the speedometer part and all those little writings that make this car closer to the real thing but they didn’t. That’s how serious they are with their RC cars. You can find the sponsors all over its body. Chris Goodwin, McLaren’s test driver has got his name on this RC car too. And yes, it comes with slick tires.

I was expecting it to have USB charging option. Sadly, it doesn’t have that so you have to feed this RC car five 1.5V AA batteries and one 9V batteries for the remote.

So I tested the P1 GTR this afternoon. Used five non-rechargeable batteries and ran it for 15-20 mins. You can play with this RC for 40-50 minutes with non-rechargeable batteries. I have to say this thing is fast. Could’ve been faster on a smoother surface than the roof where I tested it. It brakes immediately. Even though I was careful while playing with it, I accidentally ran it into the wall and there was no damage. That explains this RC car’s build quality. But I tested my LaFerrari after I’d done some laps with the P1 GTR and I was quite surprised. My LaFerrari was faster than the P1 GTR on the roof even with used batteries. Maybe it’s because the P1 is heavier than the LaFerrari as it’s full of details and the surface was rough and I think the slick tires weren’t suitable for that. It has bigger turning circle than the LaFerrari too. But it’s ok. It’s fast enough as an RC car and fulfills your need. Your kids and we, petrolheads who are two kids in a trench-coat will surely love this thing. It looks awesome in sunlight or in any condition. When sunrays fall on its windshield you can see the rainbow effect. Yes, yellow is ok but it’ll be great if it comes in other colors too. It’s not extravagantly expensive like the die-cast models. It costs about 40-50 dollars. I’m not saying die-casts are bad but you can’t play die-casts with a remote control. Why would you need die-casts then?

It’s a gorgeous looking fun toy. You’ll be tempted to keep it on the shelf. I was too. But please, don’t. Have fun with it.