McLaren 650S

Merc's, Bimmers and Dodge's?

"Everything from a lowly Honda Fit all the way up to the McLaren 650S have that ugly matte black plastic with a cross-hatched wire texture up front."

Cars With Awful Fake Air Intakes

 

Please, PLEASE quit posting worthless Jalopnik links and pictures in a feeble attempt to derail a very good thread.

I owned a 12C and at present own a 12C spider. The 650S IMHO is a mix of 12C practicality and P1 driver's interaction/twitchiness. Its definetly more exciting but I am not sure it matches the ethos of McLaren.

IMHO the best of both worlds is a 12C/650S spider and a Speciale.

 

Not to prove you wrong but you saying McLaren organized a track event n milddel east summer heat?

I never heard such activities during summer either by McLaren or Ferrari there.

I know what you mean I actually tested drove cars in middles east many times including McLarens and other exotics under extemem heat and with no issues.

you need to be responsible when it's 45C+ you can't abuse the engine,car nor tiers to the extreme they not build to drive like an SUV.

To me honestly it goes to the driver technics and logic, assuming it's 45C+ summer afternoon can you imagine the asphalt tempreture who will track his car is beyond me or even trying to drive it to its limits on public roads (big mistake)

Even hot summer track days if weather is hot and humid no car will preforme as expected nor its fun.

Some guys needs to be responsible really.

Mbn

 

As the owner of 3 ferraris and now a mclaren I too am impressed. Totally disagree about making it through a track day. The mclaren is built for the track and very well built. I've tracked mine twice now with zero problems ...

 

I owned a 2009 Scuderia yellow. Great car but in my opinion inferior to the Mclaren 12c and 650s in almost every way. Now, the 458S is a different story...

 

I had a 12C and now have a 650 plus my 458. Luckily both my 458 and both Macs have been bullet proof.

I almost sold the 458 and I am glad I did not. I like the smoothness and shifting of the 458 better. I like the raw power of the Mac.

Not sure which I would pick-- except neither are as much fun as my two Ford GTs
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Beautiful collection you have! See you post up on the FGT forum. I must say I LOVE your Heritage GT. Post up some pics. Always loved that car! Enjoy all your beauties!!

 

Great photo as always! How does the 650 compare to your 12C, and if I may ask, was the 12C a Coupe or a Spider?

 

Awesome collection and every guys dream garage!! is that a GT2 in the centre?

 

Thanks! 991 GT3.

 

+1 for some pics of the P1....


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How would you compare the driving experience of the 991 GT3 to the 458? Which of the two transmissions do you like better?

 

Nice collection Enjoy

 

My impressions are all based on road use, not track.

The Ferrari has the nicer gearbox. The paddles on the Porsche aren't as pleasant to use. They feel like my wife's Boxster's only heavier - nothing bad about them but just not as good as the Ferrari. The Speciale's gear changes in Race are incredibly quick - much faster than my old Italia.

Compared to the Speciale, the GT3 feels very solid on the road with a firmer ride, more natural feeling steering, better seats and driving position, but less power and torque and a nondescript exhaust sound at low revs. The Porsche's performance is noticeably less on the road.

The McLaren has the best driving position of any car I've driven (with optional P1 style seats), the most torque and power, the best gearbox in Auto mode, the best ride, and a great stereo. The performance is shattering under full throttle and it feels faster everywhere than the Speciale and in a different league to the Porsche. And it's a convertible. It's a very comfortable tourer too - quiet and smooth. It feels smaller on the road that either the Porsche or the Ferrari.

The Speciale has the best high rev sound (not special at low revs though), the best brakes (though all are good), the best gearbox in Manual mode, the best high speed stability (better aero than Italia) and feels the most thrilling when pushed. It also looks the best IMO.

 

Thanks!

 

Excellent write up, thank you.

 

Great review - Enjoy in good health

 

That's not true.

I tracked my 650S Spider on Sunday and it was absolutely GLORIOUS. I just loved it. Best track day experience I've ever had. I've never tracked my 458 Spider but I tracked the Italia I had before it and I did a Ferrari Corsa Pilota event at COTA last year. The 458 is a great track car and much fun to drive on road and track but I think the 650S is better. Absolutely zero issues and it was just as lovely to drive to and from the track (65 miles each way on a beautiful open top day) as it was to drive it around the track all day. I usually don't stay for the final session of the day but the 650S was so much fun I couldn't resist that one last run

Things I love about the 650S are the amazing brakes (best I've ever experienced), the rock-solid chassis, the amazing suspension, the massive thrust of the engine and the just incredible feedback it gives you through the steering, brakes and seat. Loved the new P-Zero Corsa tires (my prior 12Cs had regular P-Zeros). Grip was wonderful the whole day. They never came close to limits of pressure or temperature despite it being a pretty warm day and being out on the track at speed for 45-60 minutes at a time. I was driving it hard but I still didn't have to do any tire pressure management. I'd be at 3-4 pounds of extra pressure at the end of session but a few minutes later it would right back down to standard levels. That surprised me as I've found I've had to manage pressure in both previous Ferrari and McLarens that had regular P-Zeros. I guess the Corsas are better suited for this kind of use.

 

McLaren rear wing in action! http://youtu.be/cWACxePoR08

 

I love that, they installed that on my 12C with the 13.0 update and it is just so cool.

 

I haven't received my Mclaren back yet from dealer. Looking forward to the updated software from P13. Getting some carbon fiber goodies put on as well! The active aero is super cool.

 

Interesting comments.

Having driven both, (in anger), I would suggest:

The McLaren needs to be driven in track mode on the road as in sport (and even worse in Normal) the car pumps on its front suspension in high speed turns when the road is not ultra-smooth. Not an issue but not what you want at 200 km/h. The other much more disturbing issue is that unless you are in track mode the ABS is WAYWAY too sensitive. The car does not sit properly on its four wheels (due certainly to the lack of a traditional diff).

The engine has a lot of power which comes on strongly thanks to the turbos. It lacks emotion though. The gear change is, well, like my kids Xbox..

The Speciale is the complete opposite. No need to talk about gearboxes as this is where Ferrari are masters. I don't know if the engine is "faster" but it feels that way and is full of wonderful things that put a smile on your face.

As to handling, well I am completely bluffed. The car has such poise and you can do things with it that you would not dare to do with the 650S. The brakes are equally as good but there is no sudden ABS in the more comfortable modes of driving. The SSC is completely fantastic and allows you to really throw this car around at amazingly high speeds.

I did also drive the Speciale on a track and it is the closest I have come to experiencing a GT3 in road clothing.

As far as i am concerned, the rest is subjective.

Oh yes, the fit and finish on the McLaren is nowhere as good as in the 458 and neither are the quality of the materials used.

 

Do you own both? I think if you spend more time with both cars you would feel differently.

1. I disagree with fit and finish- my mclaren is superior in almost every way compared to my ferraris with respect to fit and finish.

2. The Mclaren brakes are amazing but too sensitive at low speed stops-agree

3. I think the Mclaren has plenty of soul and emotion but it's harder to extract than the Ferrari

4. I agree the Ferrari gearbox is better (not by much), although not necessarily faster.

5. mclaren feels much more solid and planted both on and off the track with almost no body roll.

6. The acceleration of the Mclaren is much more impressive than either the 458 or 458S in my opinion . I am comparing the Ferrari to my 12C Mclaren not even a 650S which is considerably faster...

 

I would strongly disagree with this. Comparing a very highly optioned 458 to a very highly optioned 650S, the fit and finish on the McLaren is distinctly superior. They have very different ethos and feel to begin with, so it's not necessarily a useful comparison. The Ferrari's interior is a special and desirable place in its own ways, but the McLaren's cabin is a level above. If you throw in the P1-based racing seats (and assuming you fit in them), it's even more special.

As for the sound, I do agree that the McLaren cannot hold a candle to the Ferrari's wail, but that's just one aspect. The Ferrari can sound special at all speeds, including when dawdling around town--assuming you have the exhaust valves open. In contrast, the McLaren can sound subdued and "normal" until you push it, and then it becomes mean and ferocious. It still will sound different from the Ferrari, and I don't see why that's bad per se: they are different cars and offer different experiences. If you have them both, you will find that you can derive plenty of enjoyment from both, and that a lot of the enjoyment is non-overlapping.

 

I own neither. I have an F150 which is - for me a Speciale with about 1000 bhp... I have owned a 458, I raced a 458 Challenge, 458 GT3 and 458 GT2, so I feel that I have a fair judgement on the 458.

I have driven both the MP4 12C and 650 S in a spirited manner and my comments are objective.

The McLaren is a twin turbo so the acceleration is less linear hence the impression of performance. In reality there is nothing between them other than the soul aspect.

A car that pumps on its suspension in high speed corners cannot be described as solid and planted. As to the brakes, I cannot comment on what you say as I have never driven the car at low speeds...

The quality of the materials (plastics, alcantara and carpets) on the 650S are not as good as on the 458.

As a driver's car, I prefer the MP4 12C as it is meaner and demands more from the driver. The 650S is, well, too easy. The whole suspension / brakes issue is proof that the car has been given a little more power but softened up to be more pleasing to the buyer.

Let's hope that it is more reliable than the first one!