488GTB vs 911GT3 vs Huracan Performante

This little gem just popped-back-up on my FB feed.
Last year I went out and drove these cars back-to-back at my local racetrrack. Now a caveat; they weren't prepared for me to give it the whip; hey made me stay 3' off of the curbs, for instance. But when I told them I was an instructor for PCA, they DID at least let me take them out of automatic mode. :eye-roll:
Another piece of context; I was not yet an owner at the time, and was in fact firmly in the "I hope someday" phase, that I vacillated in and out of for a decade. So this day was a little bit of a 'hit' or a 'fix' for an addiction I hadn't yet satisfied.
So when the day was over, I wrote this following description. I did this mostly because I enjoy writing, but also because, perhaps like some others here, I have many friends who live somewhat vicariously through my racetrack escapades, and I needed to share this.

Some of you might also enjoy it.

Here it is:
My wife bought me a package with "#XTREMEXPERIENCE" at my local racetrack (UMC). This is their first time here in Utah, but my daughter drove with them in Vegas, and had a blast.

So the package my wife bought was for 3 cars; Lamborghini Huracan, Porsche 911 GT3, and the Ferrari 488GTB.

I'm not sure it was worth the 4-figures she paid for it; they made me stay 3-feet from the curbing, and didn't allow any of the nannies to be turned-off. But it WAS a ton of fun to drive those cars back to back and be able to identify and compare the differences between them.

The Lambo was first for me. It's nasty. It seems that there's a cam on the throttle that makes about 75% of it come-in in the first inch of travel. After that you can modulate more easily, but that initial squeeze onto the throttle probably gets a LOT of people in trouble. The thing goes around corners as you'd expect it to: planted and solid, with perhaps just a little "light-feeling" in the front on a particularly-fun series of corners where getting the front to bite and the rear to rotate is the real ticket. It's squirrely on the brakes. I was surprised. At turn one, hauling down from around 120mph, it weaves-n-bobs just a bit. Feels just like the front casters on a shopping cart, haha. But the moment you transition back to the throttle, you forget all that, because the brutal-ness of the throttle-tip-in is trying to bite you. As far as comforts? The gap between the (very-wide) door sill and the roof-line is smaller than any of the others. it was tough getting in with a helmet on, and I frankly did the old-man "dive" to get out.... head first, palms on the asphalt, pulled myself out. Without a helmet it would've been more easily done.

The Ferrari was next. I expected to love this car (even though it was silver with black interior), because, well, I'm ferraristi. This car could, once inside, fool you into thinking you could make it a daily-driver. It's very refined. The exhaust barks on start-up, but not so loud that you think it'd piss off the neighbors. Getting in and out was simple. Yes, you sit low, but lots of room to lean back, with visibility remaining very high. It was as I expected it would be, because I've driven many Ferraris before. It's very confident under braking, holds its line perfectly, gives impressive feedback from the front end, encourages you to do "more". The throttle and brakes were both easily modulated, and smooth. What this car does better than ALL of them, is the visceral experience when downshifting. The way it does the rev-matching for you is reminiscent of how I would do it myself... blip-up slightly over where you need to be, then slip the gear in as the revs come back down. And the noise it makes while doing that is just glorious.

The Porsche. Honestly, I didn't expect much from the Porsche. As I've mentioned here before, I'm not really a "Porsche-Phile". I have to walk to the back and look at the badge to tell the difference between a 911 and a cayman. (ok, I'm exaggerating) But truthfully: that Porsche did everything perfectly. The entry was easier. the seating position was more comfortable. the throttle was smooth and easy, the brakes were linear and impressive, the car rotated when the front dug-in for me... basically, the car was, in all respects, flawless. It even sounded good. I was surprised. Maybe even a bit humbled, that I've been so wrong for so long.

So the verdict:
3. For me, of the three cars, the LAST one I'd pick is the Lamborghini, for any purpose I'd be interested in. It's a switchblade. What do I think the Lambo is best suited for? "Showing-off". Truly. That's not to say it isn't fast and capable, but at a high-rate of speed, you'd better know what you're doing and be on your A-game, or it'll hurt you very quickly. It comes in the most heinous colors, and everything about the car screams "Look at (or listen-to) Me!" That's not my thing. But if I were 22 yrs old and wanting to pick-up loose women on Hollywood Blvd, that'd be the ticket.

2. If I wanted to go FAST, QUICKLY at the racetrack, the Porsche is the scalpel to do it with. I think that I, as a moderate-to-decent driver, could get in that car and be VERY FAST, with a relatively short learning curve. It's confidence-inspiring, stable, "planted", and incredibly willing to do more and more and more. I'm somewhat reminded, though, of when I moved from Ducati superbikes to Honda; Yes, my laptimes improved dramatically.... but it was so much less satisfying. Much less FUN. It frequently felt like the bike was doing it, rather than me. I think the Porsche may suffer from this same "detractor", if one can really call it that.

1. If I were given the choice to take one of these three cars home, the decision for me is an easy one: The Ferrari, hands-down. And I'll be honest about that: the SOUND is responsible for about 75% of that decision.
The car also made me feel like I was important to the equation.

In other words, when I got on the throttle and modulated right to the point of tires singing.... the Ferrari patted me on the head and said "Molto Bene! that was fun! Andiamo! Let's do some more of that!", where the Porsche said "Did you see what I just did there? Ich habe das für dich getan." and the Lambo said "F*** you; Try that again and I'll put you on your ear!"

All-in, it was a Fun day.
(thank you, Baby!)

 

Interesting. I have also spent time driving all 3 of these cars. I have been able to spend several hours in each, more time than an “extreme experience” session, and my ranking is the same as yours. I found the Lamborghini to be the least engaging. I am a huge Porsche fan, and while I think the GT3 is a fun car, it really isn’t fair to compare it to the 488.
Of the 3 cars, the 488 is the clear winner...just an unbelievable car to drive. Now, a more fair comparison would likely be the Gt2rs. I haven’t driven that yet, but suspect it might make the decision more difficult.

 

thanks for the write up good read

 

Sounds like we're on the same page mostly.
We've a gal at my local track with a gt2rs, which she drives very, very well. It literally HOWLS as she goes by me. That's a TON of car. I need to drive one.

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ive done similar back to backs with comparable exotics and ferrari always comes out on top and lambo on bottom. others in the middle

 

Very enjoyable write up, thanks for posting

 

I had the same experience with the same cars in las vegas a year or two back. I put the fastest lap times down in the gt3rs. But I don't think that I would ever buy one. I spend most of my driving time at 65mph in 3rd gear trying to feel like a driver...

 

a few years ago I got to take a huracan and 991.1 GT3 on track. unfortunately their 458 was down due to gearbox issues. This was at Dream Racing in Las Vegas

The huracan had a lot of brute force, sounded great.. but the understeer at the limit was a bit off putting. It absolutely hauled down the main straight of the track though.

The GT3 had a bit less drama. But felt like everything was put together very well... I really couldn't find anything to complain about. It didn't have the outright punch of the H but still very enjoyable taking it to 9k rpm.

I still ended up buying a 458 because RWD > AWD and the gt3 did not have a manual option for even more engagement at that time. Just sold my 458 last month and am looking for a manual .2 GT3 to replace it with.

 

488 is my choice!

 

Should have tried the 996 GT3 mk1/2

 

Excellent article! I have been a Porsche fan since my first 34 years ago. I still have my first naturally aspirated 911 track car and the mechanical sounds are glorious and unique. I have had several Porsches since then. Just rode in a new Turbo S with Akropovic and most of these turbos sound the same as my daily driver E63. For me if it doesn't have the sound, I wouldn't own it. I also have a Jag. XKRS that sounds straight piped and an LC 500 naturally aspirated with a performance exhaust. I have driven Lambos, ridden in McLarens, etc., etc. With that said I took delivery of my first Ferrari two weeks ago. An F12 that trumps anything I have ever driven. The engine and trans. are on another level. An exhilarating experience every time start it. I think the steering and brakes are perfect. Parts of the whole packge. I am testing it in the Lake/farm country of northern Michigan on my favorite two lanes for the next couple of months. Will post pics. when I get a chance.

 

GT2RS is a track car. Not a daily driver. Plus it's a coupe. I choose the Ferrari.

 

2021 Porsche 911 Review
https://www.youtubemovieclips.com/2020/08/2021-porsche-911-review.html

 

Great write up, thank you. Have thought about doing one of these XTREMEEXPERIENCES but figured I would get tossed out after a couple laps for not following the rules. 3' from the curb??? That puts you way off the proper line and just adds to the chance of something bad happening at exit - silly. I have about 30 years now as both an instructor for PCA, BMW and others as well as have raced a lot. New to Ferrari having recently picked up a California T (which is no 488 but wife wants a convertible and not another track weapon) which has not arrived yet - in another couple weeks. Looking forward to pushing it a bit and seeing how it feels. Would love to get some seat time in a 488 at some point but guys usually don't toss you the keys to them at track days. Now, the GT3 crowd seems to toss me the keys frequently )

Have owned a Lamborghini 570/4 Superleggera for many years now and both on the street and on track, that car is fabulous. Have driven a Huracan on track and agree with you that it does not feel balanced at all, very nervous under heavy braking. Did not notice the engine response you mention but I have not driven a Performanta so, maybe in their tune. The Superleggera is very balanced with superb turn in and really rewards smooth driving. I am always shocked at the lap times I can turn in the Superleggera - far faster than majority of the cars I have raced. If you ever get a chance to wring out a 2011 Superleggera, would love to hear your thoughts on that Lamborghini as it seems to have been developed more for drivers then the gold chain crowd. Think just like all companies, some models are fantastic on track on some are more tailored to those wanting to show off - which I will admit is the correct stereo type for many Lambo drivers.

Have driven many GT3's and they are fabulous cars on track. You are spot on though that the car seems to be doing everything for you and they do get rather boring quickly to me. The GT4 is one of the most fun track toys I have driven in recent years --- much more of a true drivers car with excellent feedback. Lots of folks don't think of it in these leagues as "its only a Cayman" but it is a pure drivers car. My current track toy of choice is a Lotus 2-11 ---- yes, that is a pure race car and insanely rewarding to drive as intended. Consumables are cheap as well with the light weight Lotus ---- talk someone into letting you take a turn if you run into one at a PCA event while instructing.

 

I had a GT2RS and I let it go. Perhaps I'm just too junior to speed racing but it felt out of control on the track and the car has no use elsewhere. Will stick to Ferrari for now.

 

Also went to Dream Racing and tried out a Huracan. Tried out the RWD, LP580-2. They said the RWD model is actually faster round the track then the AWD model, I guess because it's a tight track. Didn't find it squirelly under hard breaking. Not too communicative and didn't give as much confidence as Scuderia.

I'm by no means an expert driver or anything, but did a best lap of 1.05 in the LP580-2 compared to a 1.02 in the 430 Scuderia.

I did rent a LP580-2 Spyder and it makes for a lovely road car. That na V10 is to die for. Was so impressed by the spyder ended up putting an EVO RWD Spyder on order. Will make a nice compliment to the F430

 

I think this statement sums it up rather nicely......

 

Good read and for someone who has owned all those cars I think you are right on point

A lot of Lamborghini owners are looking for that look at me many are younger and have just made some real money and head to get the car they have dreamed of all their life only to be told sorry there are no new Ferrari’s Available

They storm out of the dealership and go to Lamborghini where they are more then happy to take their money.

I settled on Ferrari in 2008 with a 430 Scuderia and today I have it a 812 Superfast ,F8, 488 Pista the cars are all different and will hold your attention every minute you drive them.
Then there is the Ferrari Family you will dinner with , attend race events, track days, car Reveals, and more I never had that will Porsche, BMW , Aston, Mercedes and corvettes

If you want the time of your life attend a Ferrari Track weekend and drive a Pista ,812,and the SF90 you will be Coached series winner Ferrari Drivers that are Incredible

See ya


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Where would I find this opportunity? 'Cuz I'd enjoy every SECOND of that!


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I will get you some info and a video tonight or tomorrow

 

Here is a link to the first day getting to know the track and your car before you go nuts

Call Tony Palmer Ferrari Tampa Bay Fl 727-784-3377 let him know Michael Lentini gave you his number and you are looking to see when Ferrari is hosting the next weekend, I been driving Ferrari's since 2008 had 3 challenge cars and ran 8 years with different groups, but this weekend made me feel like i wasted a lot of time. You will have tons of track time, lunch both days, a dinner Saturday night like only Italians can do with all the personally you worked with all day, very cool and interesting conversations. IT's A BLAST

 

Awesome! So they move around the country to different tracks?

I'll ping Michael sometime in the next several days.

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yes both coast

 

why did you feel like you wasted a lot of time that weekend?