Ferrari LaFerrari vs Mclaren P1 vs Porsche 918

Was that your 918? Seems the 918 really pulls away after each corner, then the LaF slowly catches back and fares better on braking.

Really enjoyed watching the video. Manu is a very clean driver.

 

Doom,
Great driving, considering this was your first time at SPA! Since we don't have any footage inside the 918, can you tell us about the traction from the MPSC2 in the wet? In the LaF, it seems like it was struggling for grip in the slow corners, as the driver was constantly catching the backend from sliding!

 

Will you go back and do dry run?

That was impressive driving from both drivers.

How fast did the 918 get on kemmel straight?

Laf got to 290km/h according to the onboard video. Crazy considering it was damp.

 

With the 918.

 

Didn't anyone notice the beautiful Patek Phillipe Manu's passenger is wearing in the LaFerrari? What is that? A 5270G??

 

Mate - how is it compared to your first love? The Carrera GT????
(and I don't mean performance of course, I mean involvement and feel and satisfaction?)

 

Yes!
The 918 sound is the most spectacular of the three!!

 

great to see owners actually driving these cars on tracks instead of just bragging about how great they are. i have a strange question. do you know why manu painted his thumb nail red at 5:51?

 

I am so glad to see Wtdoom received his 918, he is a true gentleman and a great driver!
It seems after only a couple of months from arriving of his gorgeous 918 Weissach it is show time! a real show time!!
Go WtDoom go!
We appreciate you very much!!

 

Thank you Doom! This thread is about to get very exciting! I for one, and as a CGT owner, cannot wait to hear your impressions of these cars! Glad to have you here contributing!

 

Can't agree with much of this. Nobody showed up after the fact. Evo took a customer car that they were testing to Anglesey for a quick spin and it happened to be faster than the 918 and the P1. Nothing more nothing less.

As for the Auto Sport article it's pretty brief. Auto Zeitung did a more detailed 918 vs Laferrari comparison and they seemed to pick the Laferrari.

And as for your Top Gear/British journo conspiracy, you may well be correct. Or they may just have actually preferred the Laferrari.

 

That is one amazing video and driving from both owners, with two amazing cars !

Can't go wrong with any.

Thanks for the video and as always drive safe.

Mbn

 

What does showing up after the fact means here? It's bs. Especially since the car that showed up after the fact was a customer car, completely unprepared..

If Ferrari spa had sent a car expressely for an Anglesey lap time, then maybe after the fact would mean something.

 

Exactly, if Ferrari had sent a factory car with full support CarMaven would have accused them of sending a ringer. A customer car turns up without any factory support or indeed permission and this is some how also unfair.

Porsche have definitely covered themselves in glory with their transparent approach and have put Ferrari and Mclaren to shame. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that the 918 is quicker than the Laferrari. It may well be, but we don't know for sure at the moment. At somewhere like Spa the P1 might be the quickest.

 

I had already addressed this previously, and my comments were self explanatory (we know it was a customer car/willing owner, etc., duh)!! LOL

You guys know what I meant.

No drama.

Nonetheless, congrats to the owner and the LaFe that day.

Love to see them all together the same day, track and driver (if we ever get that).

Meanwhile, Doom's video looks interesting the little I saw of it.

 

If that is you congrats! Awesome driving.

The 918 is unbeatable out of the bends

 

Good eye! But is a 5970G!

 

Hahaha! Coming from another PP owner, that's a GREAT piece!
I want the 5970 in Platinum!

 

The 918 seems to have the advantage in and out of corners . Braking was impossible to compare as the track was incredibly treacherous at times and you can see we were braking very very early . The la ferrari is faster top end but the main issue I had was lack of time in the car ( was 3/4 days after collection and first time on track in it ) and the traffic . bookatrack rules stipulate "you must overtake with consent" so its difficult to take advantage of a lead once you come up to traffic. As you can see towards the end my times got much slower as my tyres went off , they had only been adjusted once .

fyi i drove in race mode with all driver aids turned off . I had at least 8 spins bye the way !

The La Ferrari driver was a true gent , kind , polite , down to earth and a very skilled pilot . I very much enjoyed our time together .

Im sorry to disappoint you but it was not my first time at spa , It was the first time in the 918 on any track . I drove with all aids off and the tyres were pretty average if I'm honest , not bad but certainly not good in those conditions on track . fine for daily use in those conditions though . I can only say it was very cold and greasy but a great time was had by all .

I hit over 170 on kemmel and thats with a very slow into Eu Rouge . I fully expect the La Ferrari to hit higher speeds at that point though . Its top end is SAVAGE

I will only go to further trackdays in the 918 if there is something like a p1 or la ferrari there . otherwise its boring , they are too fast . you drive around at your own pace and can't interact with others . The other cars become mobile chicanes !

The undisputed winner of the La Ferrari , P1 and 918 is the Carrera GT !

You are very kind , I hope one day I can repay you for your kind words . Thank you

Thank you too sir .

These cars are all absolutely astounding . We should revel in their creation and the 3 manufacturers involved need to be saluted . When a car can elate like these , the petty arguments we have ALL ( myself included ) been involved in become irrelevant .

Couldn't agree more , can't go wrong with any . P1 included .

The 918 was unbelievable out of corners , oh for a session with less traffic .
Id have loved an opportunity to try the braking system i was told about . Apparently the 918 can brake extremely hard into corners and shoot out the other end , something i couldn't do due to the wet braking zones . The la ferrari couldn't use its tremendous power in those conditions .
I think results will be track dependant .

 

The undisputed winner of the La Ferrari , P1 and 918 is the Carrera GT !

Un bias opinion from an owner/enthusiast/gentleman. At the end of the day its all about the feeling or connectivity the car provides you. You are my hero Doom! Can't wait to hear more about your time on the track.

 

Here you go kind sir , my observations on a fantastic spa trip .

The 918 and la ferrari were very evenly matched . In short , which ones faster depends on the track . It was wet in places and a real challenge .Perhaps stupidly I drove with all driving aids switched off .The car is very very knife edged to drive like this . I span at least 8 times , I don't mean a wee slide here and there I mean full blown 360 and more . The torque and power is savage .
Then we went out together with the la ferrari . The 918 destroys it out of corners , I wasn't able to capitalise on this as I would soon get stuck in traffic allowing the LF to catch up again . I couldn't bully may way past either side like on an RMA day and a lot of the traffic was far too inconsistent to risk anything . The car is stable if driven with care and respect but does not suffer fools gladly ( in the freezing cold and wet on cups at least ...). I couldn't use full acceleration and the 918s biggest advantage ( HARD braking into the apex, to then be fired out by hotlap mode ) yet still managed to hold position. My tyres started to go off and Unfortunately I had an incident going into Eu rouge that put me well off . I braked hard and the car slid forward , 350 miles into the cars life and first ever trackday , I don't mind telling you it was a rush but it was scary and that bought things to an end. I believe the la ferrari is noticeably faster at the top end . 918 better into , around and out of corners . In the dry it would be very interesting . Unfortunately we didn't go out again . Id love to track it against a p1 , anyone know an owner ?

Then The Colonel arrived in the Carrera gt and in the pouring rain , I took out the carrera gt and immediately remembered what true love is . Yes they ( 918 , p1 , la ferrari) are so much faster , so much more comfortable and in the case of the 918 so better looking and better built but nothing compares to the fury of a Carrera GT . The car was so violent so sideways, the scream bought everyone to the pit wall and her antics on track had the marshals clapping( imagine that in the uk) . Its such a raw , violent , undiluted driving experience .

The real issue was that once the la ferrari went home I was all alone . Then the 918 was too fast , too capable , too exciting . The track became an obstacle course of mobile chicanes and a road car with 900 hp and over 1000torques , with no race suit , fire extinguisher , roll cage , tank bag and with road tyres and aero meant that for the first time in my life I though "if I crash now they will find bits of me in Bermuda". Its shatteringly fast . In short you can't interact with other cars in these new hypercars , they are so much faster than supercars that you drive around alone , at your own pace . The carrera gt has been caught up by cars and still represents a challenge .

The carrera GT did all the driving on day 2 against a gaggle of allegedly faster cars ( GT2/RS/12C/Cup cars, aston race cars ,radicals , ultimas, you name it) . Everyone that experienced its fury from the passenger seat was blown away , she is the love of my life , a challenge that rewards like no other , a katana in a world of fire arms , a more elegant way of doing violence . The Dragon howled round the racetrack with another yellow yellow Carrera GT , a truly life affirming experience . I will never forget the howling , it still rings hauntingly in my ears now days later .

In short for my purpose the 918 is the supreme hypercer . A superfast , really exiting road car that can tour , drag race and track day with the best of them . Yet the comfort is shocking , you can genuinely tour europe ( one tank from spa to home in the uk with 70 miles to go in the tank) , the phone , sat nav , sound system electric seats are unsurpassed . I can take the roof off . I imagine racing a classic at Spa and driving the 918 over in the sun with the roofs off , enjoying the back roads with Bach pouring like liquid gold from the Burmester sound system . HEAVEN ON EARTH . The supreme do it all car for Porsche lovers and a fitting addition to the Carrera GT , not a replacement an addition . Im sure the La ferarri and P1 are the same to their owners .

The Carrera GT is the lost Le mans Race Car , betrayed by rule changes and banished into the dark . A warrior without a war . An anachronism , able to exult and elate the devoted yet brutally , mercilessly , punish the unbeliever . It becomes part of you, she talks to you , threatens and whispers to you , urges you to acts of valour and rewards with elation and exultation almost beyond belief .

99 per cent of the time one would choose the 918 spyder , la ferrari or p1 over the Carrera GT but on that one drive , the no holds barred purely for fun , knife edged drive , when a stereo is an insult , Bach a heretic and comfort a thing undreamed of the Carrera GT shines . It howls at you and challenges you to take its key .
Its such a special machine that machine doesn't do it justice , I swear its a living sentient being with her own lusts and furies .

So for me the winner of the La Ferrari vs the 918 vs the P1 is the Carrera GT , some of the time .

 

You caught me before I deleted my reply because I knew I should review the article again, I just skimmed it. I would still rather have a P1 than the other two.

 

Doom,

This has got to be the most worthy post I have ever read on any car forum. Not only because I am a huge fan of the Carrera GT but because you actually come close to describing the emotions the car evokes. I am a fan of ALL 3 of the latest hypercars and the quantum leap in performance that is now a reality. I have driven the 918 and I know what you mean by you are out there all alone. Without a LaF or P1, there's not a lot of fun to be had with 'normal' cars on the track. Speed is a measurement of performance but excitement is something that the Carrera GT is unparalleled in. It has no peers. "Nothing compares to the fury of the Carrera GT". I can imagine there aren't too many people that have really danced with the V-10 supercar. It is more than a machine. She is a vixen that lures you in. It's an eternal bond that you never lose sight of. A feeling you can never have enough of. Thank you for sharing your experience on what I can only imagine must have been one of the best automotive days ever.

 

You describe the Carrera GT perfectly. There is nothing quite like it i have to say.
I really need to get tires on mine, any recommendations doom?
Best post I've read since a long time. Please keep the comparisons coming

 

Thank you for a wonderful read.

Have you ever driven a Lexus LFA? Sounds like it might be your kind of car.