458 Italia vs McLaren MP4 Blighty - The UK press decides

Yep, we have not had fun in a while. Onwards and upwards.

 

There's a saying in the sales business: "know your audience". When you're trying to sell something , it's often best to know who you're talking to.

 

Who says i am trying to sell anything? Maybe it is me who's getting something?

 

Prapaganda is the art of selling ideas and attitudes.

I think most wouldn't think it's best to try to sell Pepsi at a Coca Cola factory.

 

As a California owner I have developed the proverbial thick skin related to my fantastic car and choice. Some of you could stand to do the same. Seems to me the 458 is just about perfect. Do any of you owners really care about these comparisons? Meaningless.

 

Part of the problem is 'early adopters' - many of those who've had their 458s a while are also on the McLaren list so the comparisons affect their trade-in for whatever they have to have after the McLaren

 

Couldn't agree more. I don't give a damn what anyone says or thinks about the 458. I like a lot of car all the way from my buddies Carrera GT and my other buddies Porsche Turbo. They're all great and wouldn't mine having one of each, including the McClaren in my garage. That being said, my first choice by a mile is Ferrari and the 458. I can't even begin to descibe the way I feel about this car.

God oh mighty, can it really get any better???

 

Many of you may be deniers when you say "do owners really care?" or its "meaningless". Thats a load of crap, there are plenty of owners who DO care. People expect the very BEST when purchasing Ferrari. There have been many who have expressed dissatisfaction with the 458 numbers. It almost seems some of the Ferrari numbers are creatively overstated. The fact is the 458 is a much better looking + better sounding car vs the McLaren. But its subjective which is the better car. McLaren clearly dominates performance wise.

 

Of course it can!

Think back to 2006 and there is LDM announcing the new 599. The journalists want to know if Ferrari will offer a 599 'sport' version . Ferrari says it's already perfect; no sport version necessary. Fast forward to 2011 and the arrival of a 'GTO' version...
CH

 

Meant to be tounge and cheek Remember, I had a 430 and thought the same thing, let alone my first sports car, a 1968 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.

 

I saw the MP4 in Montreal in the flesh, and it's no more interesting or better looking in person then it is in pictures. It still looks like a fish mouth from the front and totally generic from the side. It could run 0-100 in 1 second and lap the ring 1 minute faster the the 458 with its looks, only a handful of dealers and virtually no name recognition in the states I'm not buying one. All I heard from the Hamilton fanboys is how the Mclaren is going to trounce the 458 in the magazine comparisons. Well guess what the comparisons are starting to come in and 458 is WINNING!

 

Double Amen

Greetz,


Joseph

 

I was right, you are 14.

 

Good detective work. I am 14.

 

You can only wish.....

 

The MC is a wonderful car. I am a Ferrari nut, but there is no use "hatin" on the MC.

 

Totally agree. I don't like everything on the Mac (I don't like everything about the 458 either) but there is no denying it's a great car.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

I love the MC,I love Porsche,I love Audi,I love Lambo. I just ordered a 458 why? because I like the 458,lets face it none of us will ever use the maximum performance that any of these cars have to offer so it really is a mute point.

 

Are any of those reviews available online? If so can you post links?

Thanks.

 

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Very interesting and well written comparison on autocar. Also, they put the 12C on the scale and it weighs 1465kg, that's only 20kg off the 458 ... That seems like a big disappointment in what was supposed to be a key comparable.

 

It is a bit disappointing since McLAren-quoted weight is 1434 kg. So, it is off by 30 kg. However, the quoted weight of 1485 for Italia is utter fantasy. The lightest independently weighed US car was 1585 kg and that's with the lightest equipment possible.

 

I'm also a bit disappointed with that figure as well. But I suspect they're saving the extra weight-cutting measures for the "MP4-12C Scuderia" variant.

Have to credit Porsche, though: without using too much CF (at least, not to the extent of having a CF monocoque) they managed to get the GT3 RS 4.0L to 1370 kg.

 

Well yeah, but RS cars are track-focused. Little in the way of sound insulation, harsh suspension and all that jazz. McLaren will pretend to be a limo, when you are not trashing it on the track. Plus 30kg extra can be easily accounted for by the electrical seats: they are around 50 lbs over the standard ones according to my dealer.

 

Yawn....

Can we get back to why these guys liked the Italia better now or do we have to argue how much better saving 20 grams of weight by not painting the plastic grills make a better track car.