McLaren P1 v Ferrari 296: DRAG RACE

Those on the sidelines and obsessed with depreciation love to throw stones the owner who use it here love the 296. It’s an amazing car.

 

"Investors" and flippers ruin every luxury market. The more they squeal, the better. Drives away others who aren't here for the cars, heritage, ownership experience, or other real reasons to own a Ferrari.

The 296, aside from the typical modern Ferrari annoyances, is a true masterpiece.

 

Not to crap on this comparison test, and I say this being a big 296 fan, but beating a 12+ year old car should be nothing to really brag about.

 

Why? P1 is lighter and makes more power on paper and still trades for $1.5mm so market thinks it’s plenty relevant? And the P1’s
claimed performance figures are better. Is everything new automatically better?

 

The price of the P1 has more to do with collectibility (ie first hybrid McLaren etc) than it does with its given performance. I mean, to take an extreme example, would you expect an F40 to outperform the 296 just because it’s close to 3x the price of the 296?

And, yes, I do expect something that’s newer, ceteris paribus, to be better. Wouldn’t you expect the 296 Speciale to be better than the “regular” 296? Or the F8 to better than the 488? At least on paper and based on purely objective metrics like straight line speed from a dead stop?

 

Id expect it to be better bc it’s lighter and has more power. If it was heavier and had less power and was quoted slower by its OEM I wouldn’t.

I fear your newer is better mindset is stuck in 2020. New M5 sucks compared to last generation. Things are just getting different in many cases not “better”. We had it pretty good.

 

The P1 is a legend. Completely out of reach and too precious to be enjoyed on the everyday road by mere mortals like me. The fact that I can have a car that can keep up with the P1 and I can also drive to the grocery store is pretty incredible to me. We live in interesting times.

 

I never fail to be amazed by this car. I went on a run that I usually did with my GT3. There’s a turn where the gt3 would get to the limit of its grip. I went through today in my 296 and expected to feel the car to start to slide out. But nothing happened it just kept turning, kept gripping. I almost felt as my body gave out and I backed out before I ever felt the car even think about sliding out. This car is amazing.

 

I hammered it in second going around 30 mph yesterday after picking up car from my
detailer and the pick up was just shocking. 30-80 couldn’t have taken longer than 2 seconds. The hybrid system is brutally effective. I think the car has gotten quicker after 1k miles and the exhaust also sounds better.

 

makes me want to go for another drive today. I wish I could just drive it without racking up miles or stopping for fuel. Over 6k miles already. Sigh. the depreciation LOL

 

I just went over 6 k miles. But explain how do we stop driving? It’s like a drug !

 

We make money to buy memories in life; we do not want our memories to be just about how much money we've made in life.

You sir, are doing it right.

 

Life is all about smiles per mile, not depreciation curves.

 

Drive it. Love it.
1k miles in 4 months.
Zero regrets.

Kind of related: If there are all these proposals to tax me on unrealized gains, can I call depreciation on my 296 an unrealized loss? Should be fun.

 

Seeing the comments about this car on social media/YouTube are so sickening. People who have never been near a Ferrari constantly crapping all over it. It doesn't bother me on a personal level, I just wish they were educated.

 

According to all Keyboard warriors the Aventador is the greatest car ever. Just kids being kids.

I have a 15 year old kid detail my cars sometimes. At the time I had a 765 and Aventador. Asked him what his favorite was and he said Aventador is his favorite car. Lambo V12's really own the mental market. They just suck to use (Revuelto aside).

 

Haha, he grew up with that car in movies and video games, though. He doesn't drive, doesn't know about dynamics, etc. He will change his mind one day, maybe. Or maybe his favorite TikTok "billionaire" has an Aventador and that's why he likes it. Who knows

 

One thing I’ve learned as a 66 year old car enthusiast is that uneducated people are the loudest . I think actual buyers have never spent time with this car. They sold them back immediately to get that next rung of the ladder. Not realizing this step is one of the best in a long time. When I’d get a new GT3 I lusted for a few weeks but I knew that in a short time I’d have to go play the games start the phone calls the stupid dance Porsche makes you do to get in line. For the next one.

This is the first time I don’t care what comes next. I just so thoroughly enjoy this car, the performance the looks everything. 5 months of a joy that’s just beginning. The only thing I want or think of is another one!

 

I had a Huracan Technica for 6 months. It wasn’t me. After 25 years of 911s it was a shiny penny, loud in your face but it’s not sensuous it’s not that emotionally engaging. The 296 covers all that

 

I dont think the general population realizes that a 296 has 40 more hp and is over 200lbs lighter than an aventador SVJ.

Those v12s do sound pretty though.

 

I was never interested in the aventador. I've never driven one, but if you know anything about these cars, single clutch automated manual transmission will never be any good no matter how wild they make the car look.

 

Rookie numbers. Did it in 2 weeks. Depreciation is coming anyways might as well get it over with.

 

I started mine next to a F12. The note sounded the same. I agree the bass is deeper in the V12 but still I can’t think of a 6 that sounds that good except the GT3 but it has to be way up in the rev band to get good sound