Drove the Mac 12c: so what's it like vs 458?

I drove the Mac yesterday with a group of Fchatters at Exotic Racing in Las Vegas. Now, in full disclosure -- sometimes Exotic racing isn't the best judge of the cars. You only get a few laps (I had 7), the tires can be worn, they keep it on "sport", and it's difficult to judge the condition of the car. Also, they run "plain jane" versions to save cost. And, of course... you're wearing a helmet so that takes away some of the experience.

However, some interesting things I found both positive and negative.

Overall look

First impression having it sit next to a 458 was that the Mac looks smaller-- which is a good thing. It looks more lean and simple in a good way.

Second impression was: Wow, the paint is terrible. The car came with the McLaren Orange (which is a metallic) and the application of the metal flake over the rear was all over the place. It looked "wavy". I was really surprised as I did not expect this. If it were my car, I would be upset.


Getting in:

I had a real tough time getting in and out of the car. I cannot see how you can do it gracefully. Maybe over time but I think most wives and girlfriends would find it rather bizarre and uncomfortable to travel in it or get out of one in front of a fancy restaurant. Others observing you might use the word "dork".

The interior: Very nice with one exception -- the carpeting on the inside sills looks really matted and cheap to me. Maybe they have an upgrade for it but it did not speak of $250 grand sportscar to me.

The interior also looks smaller than the 458. It's not bad, it's just not as airy. The steering wheel is smaller and the paddles TINY. Of course, the paddles move with the wheel and the good thing is that this arrangement never bothered me driving it and actually works well. I think they have the better mousetrap on this one.

This car has stalks behind the paddles which at first glance, looked like they would get in the way. But, they never did and I had no issues with them.

I did not like the TFT display graphics. Looks like a student project all in White Helvetica Bold type. Rather uninspiring. And, I did not like that the gear selector indicator was in the upper right corner instead of right in front of you. I have no idea why they did this aside from just being different.

Driving

First, the gearbox -- and something I really hated. The gearbox creeps like an old slush box torque converter. And, it creeps rather fast (or at least mine did). Then, the first shift (from low speeds) was really slow. Later, when driving aggressively, the gearbox seemed excellent but did not deliver any "kick in the pants" -- just smooth delivery. But my first impression was "wow, the 458 box is much better".

Second, the steering: At low speeds, it's actually a bit heavier than I expected and certainly heavier than the 458. But, overall, the steering was excellent.

Third, the brakes: They use steel (actually, Exotic racing use steel on the 458 and Scuds too) and they are excellent. No fade and I got into the ABS a couple of times. The pedal kicks back when you disengage the parking brake which gave me a feeling of "what's wrong with the brakes!" before we started. It felt like a bad master cylinder feels when the pedal moves on it's own. The 458 does not do this.

Fourth: overall handling: This car is quite remarkable at high speed turns. It's just flat everywhere. The ride is smooth as silk on the track --- it's like you are playing a video game. I would view it as excellent. William H drove it and said the same but also said the tires were "terrible". I don't know the brand or condition. To me, they were fine.

Fifth: Acceleration. This part surprised me a bit. I was expecting some turbo lag or a turbo rush. But, I felt neither. There is no question that if you have the car in too high a gear, the car lacks torque at low RPM from the 458. But, when driving it aggressively, you just get this seamless rush of power that seems remarkably linear. I was not expecting this. It does make the car easier to drive on the track.

Sixth: Ambiance. The weakest part of the car is the exhaust note which does not put a chill up your spine. It's hard to describe but it never seems to be "crazy" or outrageous. I expected more "urgency". The interior -- although nice and well laid out -- does not shout "exotic". It does however shout good design.


Overall impression: When I got out of the car the instructor asked me what I felt. I said, the car is really fast but it lacks emotion. It's a little too good. He agreed and told me something interesting. What he said is that when people drive the 458 and then the Mp4, their impression was that they were driving faster in the 458 when in fact, they were driving slower.

I spent about 5 minutes with the instructor afterwards talking about the differences and he said the Mac were more reliable than the 458.

Conclusion: This is one really fine machine. It's fast, seems to be reliable, and is an excellent machine to drive. But, it has a problem that the 458 also suffers from: A lack of "drama". However, the 458 makes up for some of it with the exhaust note and flashier interior/steering wheel.

But, I cannot see how you cannot enjoy this car greatly whether driving it on a track or street. It's a terrific piece of engineering.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Ah interesting. The one I drove was metalflake if that helps.

 

I did ask the instructor who works on the Macs and he said they transport them all the way from Vegas to the Newport beach dealer. They weren't sure if the cars would be back in time for me to drive them.

I noticed the check engine light was on in my car.

 

The panel gaps on the 458 aren't anything to shout home about either.