458 speciale or 675LT

The Speciale, especially the Speciale Aperta most likely will hold its value but not the 675LT. My local dealer has 4 LTs for sale. If depreciation is no concern, then it's a slightly different analysis: NA vs. turbo, Italian vs. British styling, etc. Many argue that many factors are personal preferences but I beg to differ. There's nothing subjective about NA or turbo engines and the merit, hence desirability, of both are clearly rooted in differences in the driving experience - perhaps less so on the track as both cars are very track focused. The Italian supercars consistently have this 'illusive' quality about them that the 'better engineered' cars like the McLarens or Porsche seem to fall short. You have to decide whether you want to buy a better engineered car or the one with emotional appeal. Both are awesome machines with very different owners in mind. Even if you own both, you will almost always find yourself driving the one with the most emotional appeal. Personally, I'm waiting for a test drive on a 720s before I put down my deposit for a 488. Limited edition cars are not that much fun to drive daily and the insurance premiums are usually extremely high. There is a thread here in which owners express their emotional attachments with their 458s. You may find it helpful in sorting out what you appeals to you.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/458-italia-488/349249-i-love-458-a.html

 

I own a speciale and have driving the 675LT. LT is very fast as it should be. Speciale is just a never ending joy to drive though. The motor alone is a great reason to go with the Speciale. Values should hold on Speciale better but who knows. Main advise, don't get caught up in the "fastest car on the block" game, it will never end. I have a Wolf track car and it destroys the LT all day long on the track. On the street the sound of a 14 to 1 compression ratio NA motor is all you need.

 

Speciale for a multitude of reasons...

 

I've driven both. Different and both amazing. 675 LT is no doubt faster but Speciale feels more raw and I think quicker because of it. Also throttle response is insane like the 458. I prefer the looks of the Mclaren. I prefer the steering weight and feel of the Mclaren. I don't need to mention which sounds better. Both will get insane attention. The Speciale will hold its value better as said, at least that's my opinion.

Can't go wrong either way.

 

Test a 720S first.

 

I bet soon Mclaren will need SUV to survive.

 

I am own a Speciale but always thought about getting a 675 LT. It is an engineering marvel but hearing about steering racks that fail in this car and costing $35,000 is a little scary.

 

I guess you can always buy a warranty from Mclaren for piece of mind. The 675 is awesome. I guess though if I only had to choose one I'd take a 458S.

 

I have both and have driven both on the track. They are both great cars.

Seating position is lower and more snug in the 675. That coupled with the increased horsepower and unique suspension makes this a more preferred track car, for me. The doors and more exotic, rare look also make it special.

I would not denigrate the Speciale. I had one, traded it in a few months after getting a convertible Speciale, and recently bought another one. It is a special feeling, excellent car, in my opinion far surpassing the base model. I immediately felt and appreciated the lighter weight of the Speciale as compared to a regular 458. For me, it made the car everything I'd hoped the 458 was.

To be honest, I wouldn't sell either of these cars. Long-term, the Ferrari is probably a better investment; however, the 675 represents the first race version McLaren produced in reasonably large numbers (500 coupe, 500 spider) and it ranks, for me, up there with the 2011 GT3RS as my favorite non-super car.

 

That's probably the only $35K steering rack repair in existence, and honestly, I think it's bull****. You can replace the entire transmission or suspension for less than that.

Never on the McLaren forum has someone spoken of that kind of repair.

 

Just like never on Mclaren forum people talk about the P1's battery overheating issue and fundamental cooling design flaw. Just because people don't talk about it doesn't mean it's not there. My buddy recently had to shell out 200K big ones for a complete battery replacement on his P1, due to heat soak on the track.

But on the 720S, yes it is a game changer in my opinion. I recently drove one in the UK and it's way faster than the 488. Ferrari needs to dig deep on the 488 Speciale to compete. But I wouldn't buy anything from Mclaren on the first year model. Give them 12-18 months to sort out the bugs first.

 

The 458S is the last of the NA V8 from Ferrari, which puts it in a different category than the 675LT. The 675LT is a great car, but because it's turbo charged, it's not the last of anything and you know Mclaren is already working on the next LT version, which will destroy the 675.

 

There are 375 P1s, there are 20x as many P11s. I still say his repair bill was bull**** until I see the invoice. $35K just doesn't make sense.

 

Never driven a Speciale... but I wouldn't even trade my Italia for a LT.

Speed isn't everything. If it is, buy this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vD6A6NxySQ

 

If you want better numbers get a 675lt. You can get them in mid 350s now. Its very fast. I have test driven one and couldn't believe how fast it was and how well it took corners for the price. But if you are concerned with depreciation and better sound i would pick the spec.

 

That bill is insane on the P1. I'm sure you've heard of some decent repair bills on 918's though as well but nothing like that. Unless Porsche is covering the battery's?

 

Can't go wrong - BOTH ! Deals to be had on LT especially coupe now 720 launched. If getting a 675 get the spider as is much more rigid than 458SA.

I think these two cars are in the Top 5 all time real world super cars.

 

The 918's battery costs 75K to replace and the LaF is around 58K. Mclaren's battery takes the cake.

I personally heard of 3 918s that had the battery replaced (all covered by Porsche), 2 of them was due to the owners not using the battery tenders like they were suppose to. The other one was just a defective battery that couldn't take charge during PDI, so it got replaced right away.

The problem on the P1 is the battery cooling design. 918 is cooled by a dedicated AC system. The P1 is cooled by air. So when the P1 is running hard on track, cooling is not an issue, but when you come into the pit after a hard session, the fan isn't enough to cool the battery down. So after repeated track use, P1's battery gets heat soaked.

Hopefully, Mclaren will come out with a better design on the new battery upgrade that they are working on, in sync with the BP23. But it's a cost upgrade, so owners will need to spend some $$$ to get the upgrade.

 

Thanks for the info. Not often that Ferrari is cheapest lol!

 

Well, Ferrari has the smallest battery pack of the 3, it only has 1/3 of the 918 battery cell, so technically it's the second cheapest, LOL!

 

If you're concerned with numbers, don't screw around with the infinitesimal differences between these two cars, get an Alpha 12 GT-R...

GT-R Performance Package - Alpha12 - Alpha Performance

 

Having had an Alpha GTR, I would rank it 41st of my 40 cars. I would also not buy one again. Combine no road feel with almost certain breakage and throw in a dated video game interior.

I realize this is a Ferrari chat but those saying they'd never consider a 675 who haven't driven them are missing out. Trust me, I love Ferraris. I have more of them than any sane person should. But the 675 is a great car.

 

Buy the 458s for sound but once youre over that the 675LT is such a better performance car. And the 675 sounds great too.

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it's a great time to get a 675LT!

get a 675LT along with a 458 spider!