After five laps, the P1 has finally warmed up its Pirelli tires, whisked the fluids to working temperature, and awakened the brake pads. All a keen driver needs to do now is hit and hold two traditional controls in the correct sequence -- and then brace for the ultimate acceleration experience that follows. Here we go: left foot on the brake, right foot on the throttle all the way to the firewall, neck muscles tense just in case. Now step off the brake and refocus, because the horizon approaches faster than in one's wildest dreams. Upshifts are automatic, coming well before the 8300-rpm redline. Why? Because peak E-power, maximum grunt, and full overboost are available at about 5000 rpm. With traction and stability control working overtime, the rear-wheel-drive P1 whips us through the gears in a raucous, time-warp, wham-bang sequence. I could swear that one single full-throttle pass was all it took to clear the remaining fall foliage from the tall trackside trees. Sure, the McLaren's ability to sprint to 62 mph in only 2.8 seconds is truly remarkable, but when you're strapped in beneath that glass-and-carbon-fiber double-bubble canopy, an even bigger eye-opener is the 62-to-124-mph acceleration, which takes an unreal 4.0 seconds. Although we never saw 186 mph, McLaren claims that such velocity is attainable in only 16.5 seconds. The Porsche 918 Spyder would need an extra 3.4 seconds for the same job, but LaFerrari is 1.5 seconds faster. To prepare the P1 for true high-speed capers, you first need to coax it into race mode, a procedure accompanied by no small amount of brouhaha. The system requires about forty seconds to whir the front and rear air dams into position, to lower the ride height by two inches with an exhaust hiss, and to alert all those bits and bytes. The whole transformation can be followed real-time and in full color via the onboard monitor. With race mode engaged, the dampers seem like they're inflexible, the springs are stiffer by a factor of three, the steering suddenly goes almost syrupy-stiff and, at the same time, Yessir! quick. Stability control casts its safety net creepily late, and full-throttle upshifts threaten to inflict bodily harm. The acoustic background changes, too; new audio tracks include chassis rumble, deceleration hiss, tire scrub, rev-limiter protest, and air-brake rustle. So, is there anything about this new McLaren that disappoints? Well, the ergonomics are not quite as up-to-date as the rest of the car, visibility is largely a guessing game, and the ride can only be described as uncompromising, even when all systems operate with pursed lips. On a more personal level, I would like to make reference to that constant ebb tide in my bank account and to the zero likelihood of gaining access to a long-term test car. Worldwide allocations have sold out, although there's a waiting list in case anyone backs out. At $1.15 million, the P1 is even more expensive than the 918 and about on par with LaFerrari, but if the value trajectory of the McLaren F1 is anything to go by, the P1 supercar could still be a lucrative investment. Reason enough, then, to empty the retirement account.