458 vs McLaren MP4-12C--- Your thoughts?

OK, I'm with you now.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

I'm actually getting quite warmed up to its looks now.

 

Aside from the pedigree there is another factor that isn't being considered here: there is a good chance mclaren is going to blow all competitors out of the water in terms of sports car performance. It could very well be the fastest, best handling, most engaging sports car on the market for a while. We don't know this yet but reviews will start popping up next week after the embargo ends.

If that is the case then it won't be a question of brand and looks anymore, it will be a question of buying the best driver's car money can buy at that price range.

 

That's all.

 

I still think Ferrari is botching the aesthetics of their newest models though, which swings things in the favour of McLaren. I actually like the exterior aesthetics of the McLaren more than the 458, so I'm in a bit of a minority. From a conceptual point of view, the only thing I don't really like about the MP4-12C (other than the name) is that they hid the engine under loads of plastic so that it could not really be seen when lifting the hood.

I'll be interesting to see what happens in McLaren's future... and what the added competition will do to prompt a more determined response out of Ferrari.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Trust me, few people care that it's faster aside from a few hard core people. Few people will care that it's a better driving experience. Most do not buy a Supercar for that. They buy it because it's a dream. It's a fantasy. It's beautiful. It goes fast and it sounds cool. It's a passion.

Sorry but the Mc12 is not raising these factors to new heights.

 

Ferrari does have that mystique that drives compulsive and subejctive passion - and I have 2, so I can see the passion. But a modern Ferrari needs to have the go with the show. If it does not, I would actually be embarrased to drive one. Like the Emperor with No Clothes, I'd have overpaid for less performance; I care not about club events and hob-nobbing with fellow unknowing nudists. While the McLaren is not super-interesting to me right now, it does look like it will eclipse the 458 in performance. That said, Ferrari will up its game just like it did when it was faced with aging 360s confronted by the then-new Gallardo.

 

Whatever any of us thinks about each car, the head-to-heads we're going to be seeing in the coming months are going to be supercar fan heaven.

 

Given that this is the first time the 458 will have had proper competition from a proper F1 outfits car, it has to be taken seriously. McLaren and Ferrari are the top 2 teams in F1 with the longest and most illustrious histories. The fact that they now join battle on the streets is great for us road car fans. I welcome them both - and hope this kick starts a new 'arms race' in the price/category segment.

 

A word or two about passion. And yes, this will be highly subjective, but it seems that is the way we are headed.

To me, the Ferrari brand is starting to look a little used up. It's been used and abused recently like a two-dollar.. well you know. And I grew up idolizing everything about the brand, so yeah, it's a little sad.

People love to throw around words like "pedigree" and "mystique", but if you don't think that is Kool-Aid of the most sugary, syrupy kind, then I'm afraid your taste buds may be shot. C'mon guys, the mystique faded years ago - now we have theme parks, roller coasters and Ferrari-branded trinkets of every imaginable permutation. Damn, the trinkets! - I've accumulated so many through gifts and event choskis that I'm honestly queasy at the sight of them. And I will rarely wear any Ferrari paraphernalia (even a nice wristwatch) outside my house because it feels like I am trying to out-bling the teeny bopper chicks draped head to toe in "designer" Louis Vitton junk.

Don't get me wrong, thankfully the cars are still great. But, I'm serious, that's how the brand is starting to look to me. If you think all the new millionaires in Asia are buying "heritage" and "mystique", well, keep sipping the syrup. Truth is, most of them are buying automotive jewelry to boost their image and status, just like everybody else. Of course Ferrari knows this and they are selling out the logo to the fullest extent, with Monty leading the charge. The man astounds me the way he can come up with new ways to use the word "passion" in a sentence.

Now, you may say that McLaren will end up exactly the same if they are successful. So be it, but to me it would infinitely more rewarding to be a customer at the beginning of that journey, when dignity is still an implied value. Dare I say it, even Lamborghini strikes a connotation of purity that is long gone at Ferrari.

Passion. Ugh.

 

Bloody good accomplishment plus with all the problems SCUD owners are having with their CCBs in the 360/430 section, I'd reckon standard brakes would be a plus.

 

You're right - it's a Maserati.

I suggest calling it the '12C' if you don't want to be bothered with the full name. That's what most people are doing.

>8^)
ER

 

My apologies. But, nothing is changed. It still ain't no F1 just like the 458 ain't no Enzo.

 

Well, we certainly touched a bit of a nerve here. Getting a little heated is it?

Thank heavens McLaren doesn't make "trinkets". By the way, how do your McLaren shoes fit? Lewis seems to be enjoying them...

https://www.mclarenshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/topcategory_10001_10551_-1_22170_22170_Y?zanpid=1470461518721062912
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That's a very good point. I was asking myself why I can't get very excited about Italia, while I can't wait for the McLaren, and apart from performance, I have to admit I am getting a bit tired of the Ferrari "mystique". Too many people intent only on staring at their cars instead of driving them. There is definitely something to it.

 

Like I said, McLaren will surely attempt to emulate Ferrari's success. Not denying it. My point is that everybody claiming that Ferrari has that certain "mystique" sound silly.