F8 owner who is curious about 296 but…..

Mine used to until it had a software update.

 

A GT3 is very efficient, but seriously underpowered compatred to a 296 or 750S.
Besides, if the plan is not to keep the car, the 296 is a good option since potential issues regarding reliability (real or supposed) are not expected to be critical in the first years.

 

1- The sound is better because of the hot tube system. These are tubes that pull the sound from the engine before any mufflers/OPF and channel it directly behind your head in the cabin. I'm not sure if the F8 had that.

2- You can ask @Jo_Sta7 for an extensive comparison with the Mclaren.

For me, I went from a 720S to a 296GTB , then swapped with my friend's 750S for a week. I did NOT enjoy that car at all. It's good at the limit, you can trust the brakes and the accuracy of the steering. However, below the limit, the experience is unrefined. The softest suspension setting is harsher than the GTB's harshest setting. The turbo lag is very noticeable. And just other little things like the whole car shaking when idling give a sense of crudeness. Not what I'm looking for when buying a cutting edge supercar.

3- In my view, supercar performance has plateaued in the last couple of years. The differentiating factor has now become bandwidth. With the 296, I can go all out on track and achieve a respectable time, take it out for a late drive around the city and have tons of fun, go to dinner with my wife in total comfort, or use it for a quick grocery trip in complete silence and with enough space to fit my purchases. That's what I really loved about the 296.

 

My McLaren experience is 765 not 750. Which is similar in some respects but different. 765 is intense. I love it. For me, it’s the GOAT under $1mm car. I’ll never part with mine, I think it’s really the high water mark.

the 296 is a great counterpart to the 765 because of the breadth of its character. It can be very calm, comfortable, quiet, efficient. It’s also hilariously quick. It doesn’t have the outright scary punch of the 765 but it builds more linearly and sensually and it’s quicker at higher speeds. I also like the sound above 5k
RPM. But the whip crack of the 765 when downshifting 4-3 is spine tingling.

296 vs 765 below


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I’m not sure if the only reason the 296 sounds “good” is the hot tubes in the cab, although the piped in sound is louder inside than non-piped sound. When I am driving with the top down in a covered garage, it sounds really good to me. With the top down, not nearly so loud, but the character of the sound is still good. Personally, Loud engines - even if the sound characteristic is good - get on my nerves after a while. I can see liking it really loud for short periods of time or when racing. Apparently, I am getting old and cranky, but too much of it gets on my nerves if every day driving.

 

To me GT3 is fine as a track day only car. It's terrible in other everyday use cases. I was also cross shopping the 296 and 750s. After I bought the 296, I went to a mclaren track day and drove 750s hard for a day. My thoughts upsetted a few folks on mclaren forum...
750s felt underwhelming in performance because 296 spoiled me with instant response at any rpm. 750s, unlike the 765lt, is also quite refined and quiet, so it wasn't that good at the opposite of the spectrum of being an exciting raw race car. So it's kind of neither here nor there. If you're going for refined/good for everything kind of car, then as others have said above, 296 is quite a bit better.
Everyone talks about 750s being 500lbs lighter. Yes you can feel the difference in lateral momentum for sure, but 296 does a great job dealing with the weight I guess with a combination of suspension, traction control, and low center of gravity.

 

I had a GT3 manual (992) sold it for a healthy profit. Didn’t like it. I feel these Porsches are so overrated. Slow, loud, I hated the manual (I don’t want to do all that work), seats sucked, ride sucked. It was 50% more uncomfortable than the 765 with 50% less capability on the street. But I made like $100k on it so I guess it was worth it.

 

You will never go broke making a profit!

 

A 992 GT3 will feel slow after having owned the F8, and driven a 296. Doesn't mean the Porsche is a bad car, per se, just stating facts and something to be aware of.

A 720 (or 750) will be a better track car, it'll feel faster and will handle better (given its stiffer carbon monocoque and lighter overall weight and a more pure steering feel), but for every other use, the 296 outshines it. For one, unless you're on the wick all the time (which is no problem during a hot lap), the Mclarens suffer from turbo lag, and feels empty below ~4k RPM, whereas the 296, given its hybrid powertrain setup, snaps off from a stop like a jockey whipping his horse from the starting gate at the Derby.

Honestly if the choice was between a 720/750 and a 296, the correct but the most inappropriate answer for questions like this is "both".

Good luck and enjoy the search.