F8 Spider Vs. 720s Spider

I'm lucky enough to own both of these cars right now, so I thought some may be interested in my initial thoughts. I've had the F8 spider for almost a year now and the 720s spider only for a few weeks. So, incredibly limited time and I am NO Clarkson when it comes to reviews.

I got both cars new.

I think the overall summary for me is that the F8 feels way more like a GT car (a VERY sporty one) and the 720s feels way more like a true sports car.

I truly like both. Not sure I'll keep both and I haven't a clue which I'd get rid of if I decide to keep only one.

The F8 feels a lot bigger (I have no idea if it is...it just feels like it is). The F8 also has a lot of scuttle shake (which I do not love). The 720s feels much smaller, more nimble and is very stiff...but WITHOUT compromising ride comfort when wanted (obviously this is due to aluminum vs. carbon tub). It's much more like a go kart.

The F8 feels faster (which I was surprised at...given all the reviews that talk about how mind numbingly fast the 720s is.)

As for styling - I think the F8 wins here. There's simply nothing as beautiful as a Ferrari.

Steering - I think the 720s wins. It's VERY different and I prefer McLaren's take on this.

Build quality - so far, about a wash..but I think Ferrari has them beat here.

Interior etc. - I think the F8 wins here.

Stock exhaust note - No clear winner here, but I think I prefer the F8. They both are lacking.

To me, there is no clear winner at all. Either one is epic. I think the F8 is the more "all around car" doing duty as a sports car, a GT, a luxury car, a piece of art etc....but I think you could make a solid case for the 720 on all of those points as well. The Ferrari just does it a tiny bit better except for the true sports car role.\\

Anyway - hope this was a little helpful to someone.

 

Thanks for the write up!

 

Nice commentary. Clarkson wouldn't have been as impartial...

I too love them both, TBH. Lucky you...

 

When I was getting ready to order my F8 spider I had gotten an extended test drive in a 720s Spider to compare them. I personally love the styling of the mclaren, though the F8 styling is great as well. Where I had problems was the comfort over a long period of time was not there. I enjoy long multi hour drives in my cars, and after 3-4 hours my back was asking for a break in the 720, whereas in the F8 it’s fine. I don’t notice the scuttle as much as others do I guess as well.

All your other points are accurate to my experience though. Glad I picked the F8 spider at the end of the day.

 

at the end of the day the f8 is the winner

 

Only on FChat.

 

Congrats on owning both. I would certainly add a McLaren to the stable but would never chose one over the Ferrari.

 

I’ve owned 488, Pista, 720 coupe and 765 spider. Currently only have the 765 Spider. I think the review is fairly spot on but for me, I prefer the drive of the mclarens over the Ferraris. No real loser here. All brilliant cars in their own right but the stiffness of the carbon tub puts mclaren over the top for me.

Im looking forward to driving the 296 and seeing how it sizes up as I’ve heard great things about it but more than likely my next car is another Mclaren over a Ferrari but we shall see what the future holds.

 

Amazing, as I read the comparisons… exactly my own impressions from owning lesser models. I have 570S and a 488 coupes, and the driving characteristics the OP describes echo my thoughts. More of a power gap, in my case, and the 570S can exhibit a little turbo lag. Exhaust (base version) on the McLaren also suffers compared to the 488.

I love the design and paint quality of the 570S, and it’s an absolute joy to drive in the twisties. The interior comfort of the 488 (with race seats) is better, and being 6’4 280 lb I really appreciate every inch.

I owned the McLaren first, and kinda thought I might sell it after buying my 488… but after more than a year of driving I plan on keeping both. Perhaps for a long time

 

I can only compare F430 vs McLaren 650S and then my F8 vs a little bit of 720S— and for me, both Ferraris just murder the 650S in every way … also have a little time in a 720S and from that amount of time, the F8 (which I’ve also only had a little time in so far)feels and looks like a completely different league to me— I really like McLaren; they are a lot of car- but to me, they don’t hold a candle to Ferrari. Just cos it’s almost or as fast, doesn’t make them comparable overall. I’m not a car lover just because of speed or even overall performance - for me, it’s about more things to even bother listing.


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Im not a fan of the 650 (nor the 570) too much turbo lag for my taste. When I bought my 488, I was contemplating a 650 vs the 488. 488 was the clear winner and blew the doors off the 488. But I preferred my 720 to the 488 and 765 to them all.

At the end of the day- all great cars- minor semantics and differences. I just appreciate that there is true competition which pushes everyone to do better. I dont beleive we would have had a 1000 hp SF90 if Mclaren didnt push Ferrari so hard.

 

Completely agree that McLaren pushed (and might still push) Ferrari to step up their game... just the introduction of twin turbos in the 488 came from McLaren pushing.... (F40 doesn't count)... I think McLaren has pushed and challenged Ferrari more in just 10 years than Lamborghini ever has.

 

TOTALLY agree with that!

 

People might prefer the looks of an F8 over a 720 and vise versa. Or they might like the sound of one over the other. There are many different reasons why a person might pick one car over the other and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you want straight facts, a 720 is

1. Cheaper price by far.
2. Faster in a straight line, around a track, doesn’t matter the situation. For example a 720 is 3 seconds faster around Laguna Seca then the fastest F8 time. Shoot a 720 is just as fast as a P1 and 918 around tracks.
3. Has a full carbon tub.
4. Full active aero.
5. Proactive chassis hydraulic “magic” suspension.
6. Significantly lighter car than an F8.
7. Has just shy of 691 wheel horsepower, which translates to 770 HP at the crank, stock. Much more than the F8.

I could go on and on about the 720. But in this exact comparison that the OP made between a 720 and a F8, hands down no questions asked, the 720 wins. I’ve heard countless people say (and I agree with them) that the 720 might be the best bang for buck supercar of all time. Now I’m not trying to sound like some huge Mclaren fanboy, love Ferrari and have an SF90 on the way. But in this comparison, the 720 is by far the king. Now if you want to do a comparison simply based on pricing, F8s are must closer in price to 765LT coupes now. And a 765 vs an F8 isn’t really a comparison at all haha. 765 is in a different galaxy. 765LT ran a 1:27 which is a full 5 seconds faster around Laguna Seca than the best F8 time of 1:32. Also the 765 can do the 1/4 mile in 9.3 seconds, completely stock. It’s hypercar performance. Here’s my Tokyo Cyan 765.

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I think you can absolutely make a case for that statement.

I don't really disagree with anything you've said. I think it's more of an emotional decision between these two.

One other downside I didn't speak of is that you just never know if you're going to wake up and McLaren are out of business. That may be a little bit of an exaggeration, but not much.

Also - I do, totally agree, that the 720 would be faster on a track or in a straight line drag race or something. However, seat of the pants...normal street driving....it didn't feel as quick as the F8. Maybe it's just that slightly more noticeable turbo lag...not sure. And, certainly, my seat of the pants feel is totally subjective.

Anyway - good stuff.

 

Highly disagree, but a discussion for another day.

 

That drove me crazy when I first picked up my F8. My previous 488gtb had zero shake or rattle. I have zero tolerance for any kind of noise not supposed to be there.

I spent a month trying to figure out where they came from, a crap ton of frustration. 1st one was from gague cluster area, which I took top portion off and added some foams to prevent rubbing. That did not fix it, turned out noise was from lower right gauge cluster where it meets leather, such a tough one to find, I squeezed a tiny piece of foam in between and fixed it (thickness of a business card). Second one was behind the seats around firewall, it would vibrate at certain rpms, turned out to be one of metal clip, I wrap it with some foam and now zero rattle or sake, car feels so rock solid. It is not just a Ferrari problem, even my 22 NSX type S has one I yet to figure out and Taycan Turbo S multiple including door.

I also recommend Sprint Booster V3, it makes the car so lighting respondsive in any rpm and especially off the line. PS4S or cup 2 tires if you not already running these. I switched from PZ4 to PS4S and it made worlds of difference for me.

 

Thanks for all of the suggestions and your experience!

I think for me, it's not so much the squeaks and rattles (of which there are many, especially when the roof is closed)...it's the physical rigidity of the chassis. You can feel it flexing or shaking when going over a bump or imperfections etc. Even with bumpy road mode on. I won't say that it impacts handling overall but it's there. Of course, you could say that if I were concerned about that...I should've gotten a coupe. That's fair. However, with the carbon tub of the 720s, you can have it all...spider AND rigidity.

 

Obviously the Ferrari is a better Road car, far better looking than a Mclaren devoid of the kit car construction. Cmon man what's next a write up about Jaguar

 

Lotus esprit was a great car until you owned it

 

This is a delusional take

 

i

Mclaren are such garbage that's why they devalue so quickly. The car literally turns to graphite as you drive it .

It was tough enough to move to a Ferrari from a gt3 rs but build quality of Mclaren are putrid

 

You could not pay me to own a Mclaren 765

The car should have an expiration date on it, like Milk best driven in next 14 days!

 

In all seriousness your car is a gorgeous kit car