458 Clone from McLaren?

McLaren are doing a fine job keeping Ferrari honest

 

McLaren is a great brand and will only get better and become more serious competition to Ferrari et al.

The 488 directly matches the 650s in performance right now.

The P14 is rumored to come with 720hp....that along with a carbon tub and hydraulic suspension is very big advantage.

I wonder how Ferrari will respond...

 

With more random paint-job, err, sorry, limited edition...

I dont see any other way for them but to respond with a V8 paired to some electric motors. Quite frankly what should have been done with the 488.

 

I like it..

 

Does Ferrari need to respond though? The P14 will cause some people to defect but there are a large portion of Ferrari buyers who wouldn't even consider the McLaren regardless of how fast it is. That said, if Ferrari does try to increase volume it may get to the point that demand gets a little bit soft. Don't think Ferrari would put out a panic update in that case, Ferrari doesn't really do mid-cycle performance upgrades.

Maybe the P14 will make Ferrari go a little more aggressive with the 488 Speciale/GTO/Whatever. With the turbo engine power definitely won't be an issue.

 

Another poor effort from McLaren in my eyes, the 570S is great because it doesn't look like the 650S but now I see this replacement is going to look a lot like a 570S. I sometimes think McLaren are doing another Aston Martin and creating a range of cars which all lack definite identity.

 

I do like the move away from the 'big gaping maw' look of the previous cars.
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+1

 

Look closely and you can see lots of false disguising panelling. I am sure that the finished will be superb. What that business has done in just 5 years is incredible and under estimate them at peril !

Depreciation has been a challenge as the product roll out and enhancement has been too quick but a £185 12C that is 5 years old is £135 not too bad.

I drove my 458 SA on Wed after a period only driving the 675LT and was shocked at how bad the scuttle shake was and how slow it was.

 

Ferrari built its first car, the 125S (with the Ferrari badge) in 1947; McLaren's first since 2010 is the 12C 2012 model year. Regardless of one's feelings towards either brands, McLaren being a 6-year old manufacturer can produce the number of cars and design variants, let alone the technical achievements in F1, deserves respect and admiration. It's not an argument on historical achievements along the respective timelines of both car makers but rather an argument on the pace at which such achievements are made. The P1 did come before the laFerrari so it's not always clear who's chasing whom.

A McLaren is no Ferrari; that's obvious because it doesn't want to be. It does not appear that McLaren is in the market to create, as in Ferrari's case, or sustain the brand's mystique, the drama, hence desirability. IMHO, that's what causes the quick depreciation. Then again, no production cars are good financial investments but rather an investment in our self-indulging amusement, the 'depreciation' of which may well elude monetary measures.

Since we are in the 458/488 forum, we tend to forget that not all Ferrari cars have slow depreciation. The FF is a good example.

On a person note...it's refreshing to see a rear-mid engined car without a side vent!

 

I would gladly buy the 488 "Speciale" new but would not buy the p14 new as McLaren needs a few more years and a settling in period to alter the "tear up".

In addition as McLaren's spyders are so good (due to CF tub) definitely worth waiting for that

 

I'm not suggesting FS is less than completely competent. Just that I don't like many of his cars. Even the 430 that you mentioned (and I owned) was not as nice as the 360, in fact was rather a compromised design. The MC12 was outstanding though.

I'm only one view and his test will not be me, who has already moved to Ferrari after McLaren, but those who moved the other way. It will be interesting to see what they all think.

It should also be caveated that this is not a beautifully painted production car, displayed under showroom lights, so maybe the real car will be be better?

 

The P14 is supposed to be much higher in price, so beyond a 488 in performance and price. Fill the gap between 488 and hypercar.

Should mean LT prices hold.

 

If you've seen one Mac you've seen them all.

 

It ain't working.

 

The McLaren line up

2 seat sports car 3.8 L twin turbo 7 speed autobox
2 seat sports car 3.8 L twin turbo 7 speed autobox
2 seat sports car 3.8 L twin turbo 7 speed autobox
2 seat sports car 3.8 L twin turbo 7 speed autobox
2 seat sports car 3.8 L twin turbo 7 speed autobox
2 seat sports car 3.8 L twin turbo 7 speed autobox
2 seat sports car 3.8 L twin turbo 7 speed autobox
2 seat sports car 3.8 L twin turbo 7 speed autobox
2 seat sports car 3.8 L twin turbo 7 speed autobox hybrid

 

Most people on here would be fine with a 4.5l V8 from Ferrari from now until infinity, so that's not saying much. Most Porsche owners would be fine never changing the 4.0L NA engine in a GT3. And remember, McLaren started with a turbo, Ferrari just moved to it. Get ready for a bunch of Ferraris with the same 3.9L engine with various tunes and some different pistons or something like that. You're dreaming if you think the V8 Ferrari is going to get radical engine changes going forward. It's way easier and makes much more sense to just make small changes to the turbo engine.

McLaren has a good engine, a great chassis and tub that can accommodate way more than it needs to, and the gearbox will just improve along with whatever getrag (or whoever makes it) decides to create.

99.999% of car buyers will care more about interior, exterior and performance numbers than they will about a transmission or the engine. Ask the average Ferrari owner who makes his transmission and he'll tell you "Ferrari."

 

i don't see 458 anywhere

looks cool though. big improvement over the 650s

although the ideal mclaren for me would be an MP4 with the LT rear

 

Love Mclaren ! They are definitely gaining ground fast . However, I've owned a Mclaren and driven most of them and they are good but somethings missing when compared to Ferrari . There are some advantages to the mclaren no doubt but overall my 488 just feels so much better then my 12c ever did . I have high hopes for the upcoming P14 platform and hope to buy one too. The competition is good for us and it's certainly keeping everyone on their toes.

 

It should feel better -- 12C came out in 2011. There is almost a generation of difference between them.

 

I guess I'm the only one who thinks the P14 looks great. It's the right blend of everything I've ever liked from the McLaren lineup; non-squinting-pokemon headlights, clean 570GT roofline and a P1 butt w P1 flares sprinkled here and there to boot. I thought the 675LT looked good, then I saw this.

Looks like former Ferrari designer Frank Stephenson is doing it right at McLaren like he once did at Ferrari.

And I'm pretty sure from a performance perspective, it will continue to whoop a 458/488/successor's butt in a straight and on a circuit like the past Macs have.

This is such a wonderful era for supercars, we are truly a bunch of lucky fools.

 

McLarens portfolio reflects a razor-sharp market segmentation. A a golden rule for a market newcomer, they do everything right.

 

I can see some 458 in the side profile indeed, but overall I like it a lot, except the front, that for some reason McLaren never gets it right.