MotorTrend compares the 2015 McLaren P1 to the 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder to determine hybrid supercar performance supremacy - Ferrari pussies out (again)

[Sticky]

We are finally seeing more independent tests of the newest crop of hybrid supercars. Yes, notably absent is the Ferrari LaFerrari as it often will be as Ferrari plays the game like a spoiled child. If you do not play by their rules you do not get a car to test but they are not in this so let's just move on to the companies that do not have their heads up their you know what while telling the world they smell rose petals.

These are million plus dollar hybrid supercars, that much everyone knows. However, beyond having absurd price tags in common they are actually quite different. The 918 Spyder uses an all wheel drive drivetrain and is roughly 350 pounds heavier than the P1. The 918 Spyder has less horsepower than the P1 at 887 but significantly more torque at 944 lb-ft. It is slightly slower in a straight line.

The P1 is rear wheel drive and lighter at 3411 pounds. That weight is higher than expected but it is nice to have some independent weight figures. The P1 is rated at 904 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. While its turbocharged 3.8 liter V8 makes more torque than the 918 Spyder naturally aspirated 4.6 liter V8 its electric motor produces far less torque at 192 lb-ft. The 918 has two electric motors at both axles instead of one electric motor in the back like the P1.

This is interesting as it leads to the 918 Spyder again winning a track comparison against the P1 this time at Laguna Seca. Why does it win? We believe its all wheel drive combined with its greater electric torque allows the 918 Spyder to use the instant electric torque and traction advantage to pull harder out of corners. It can get on the power sooner plus its tires are wider.

You may remember that EVO compared the 918 Spyder and the P1 around the track and the 918 won the first round. McLaren then sent different tires and the P1 set a faster laptime on a different day. McLaren changed the conditions of the test to win.

Look, however you want to slice it these are two incredible machines and anyone would be fortunate to own either. McLaren's engineers were there for this test and they adjusted tire pressures and requested multiple laps. The P1 could not best the 918 Spyder at Laguna Seca.

Make of that what you will. The data is below. Along with the reason the LaFerrari did not appear:

"Competition requires showing up. We sought a LaFerrari to join the P1 and the 918. McLaren sent tech support, Porsche a 918, but Ferrari refused to grant permission for hot laps and data acquisition to the LaFerrari owner we had lined up."

	2015 McLaren P1	2015 Porsche 918 Spyder
POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS
DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT	Mid-engine, RWD	Mid-engine, AWD
ENGINE TYPE	Twin-turbo 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads, plus AC electric motor	90-deg V-8, alum block/heads, plus 2 AC electric motors
VALVETRAIN	DOHC, 4 valves/cyl	DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
DISPLACEMENT	231.8 cu in/3,799 cc	280.3 cu in/4,593 cc
COMPRESSION RATIO	8.1:1	13.5:1
BATTERY TYPE	Lithium-ion	Lithium-ion
POWER (SAE NET)	727 hp (gas)/177 hp (elec)/904 hp (comb)	608 hp (gas)/285 hp (elec)/ 887 hp (comb)
TORQUE (SAE NET)	531 lb-ft (gas)/192 lb-ft (elec)/664 lb-ft (comb)	398 lb-ft (gas)/431 lb-ft (elec)/ 944 lb-ft (comb)
REDLINE	8,300 rpm	9,150 rpm
WEIGHT TO POWER	3.8 lb/hp	4.2 lb/hp
TRANSMISSION	7-speed twin-clutch auto.	7-speed twin-clutch auto.
AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO	3.31:1/2.27:1	3.09:1/2.07:1
SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR	Control arms, coil springs, adj shocks, hydraulic roll and downforce resistance; control arms, coil springs, adj shocks, hydraulic roll and downforce resistance	Control arms, coil springs, air lift, anti-roll bar; multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll bar
STEERING RATIO	12.2:1 (est)	12.3-16.6:1
TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK	2.2	2.3
BRAKES, F;R	15.4-in vented carbon-ceramic disc; 15.0-in vented carbon-ceramic disc, ABS	16.1-in vented, drilled carbon-ceramic disc; 15.4-in vented, drilled-carbon ceramic disc, ABS
WHEELS, F;R	9.0 x 19-in; 11.5 x 20-in, forged aluminum	9.5 x 20-in; 12.5 x 21-in, forged magnesium
TIRES, F;R	245/35R19 93Y; 305/30R20 103Y Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R	265/35R20 95Y; 325/30R21 104Y Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE	105.1 in	107.5 in
TRACK, F/R	65.3/63.1 in	65.5/63.5 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	180.6 x 76.6 x 44.8-46.8 in	182.9 x 76.4 x 46.0 in
TURNING CIRCLE	39.0 ft	41.7 ft
CURB WEIGHT	3,411 lb	3,758 lb
WEIGHT DIST., F/R	40/60%	43/57%
SEATING CAPACITY	2	2
HEADROOM	37.6 in	38.4 in
LEGROOM	44.2 in	35.0 in
SHOULDER ROOM	53.1 in	54.7 in
CARGO VOLUME	4.2 cu ft	3.7 cu ft
TEST DATA
ACCELERATION TO MPH*
0-30	1.2 sec	1.2 sec
0-40	1.7	1.6
0-50	2.1	2.0
0-60	2.6	2.4
0-70	3.0	3.0
0-80	3.5	3.6
0-90	4.1	4.3
0-100	4.7	5.1
PASSING, 45-65 MPH	0.9	0.9
QUARTER MILE	9.8 sec @ 148.9 mph	10.0 sec @ 145.2 mph
2.21-MI ROAD COURSE LAP	90.71 sec	89.89 sec
CONSUMER INFO
BASE PRICE	$1,150,000	$847,975
PRICE AS TESTED	$1,207,262	$1,028,875
STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL	Yes/Yes	Yes/Yes
AIRBAGS	Dual front, front side/head, front knee	Dual front, front side
BASIC WARRANTY	3 yrs/Unlimited miles	4 yrs/50,000 miles
POWERTRAIN WARRANTY	3 yrs/Unlimited miles	4 yrs/50,000 miles
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE	3 yrs/Unlimited miles	4 yrs/50,000 miles
FUEL CAPACITY	16.9 gal	18.5 gal
EPA COMBINED ECON	17 mpg/18 mpg-e (gas/gas+elec)	22 mpg/67 mpg-e (gas/elec)
ENERGY CONS., COMB	198/187 kW-hrs/100 miles (gas/gas+elec)	153/50 kW-hrs/100 mi (gas/elec)
CO2 EMISSIONS, GAS/EV	1.11/0.93 lb/mile (gas/gas+elec)	0.88/0 lb/mile (gas/elec, at vehicle)
RECOMMENDED FUEL	Unleaded premium	Unleaded premium
*	Acceleration figures from pre-production vehicles

[BlackJetE90OC]

I could see Laguna Seca favoring the 918.

[Sticky]

Same.

[onisyndicate]

What is the deal with manufacturers not loaning out there cars? It's truly annoying. Anyways the 918 is pretty sweet. But to be honest I'd hate to pay property taxes on eeither of them.

[DavidV]

Top Gear called out Ferrari a few weeks ago to do the triple test on the 918, P1 and LaF.
Ferrari refused, stated that it needed to be a factory prepped car, while Mc Laren and Porsche wanted a customer car for this test, but that it would not be allowed to race the P1 and 918.

Last sunday Top Gear reported that Ferrari would now go along with this test between the 3 if the LaF was factory prepped.
Mc Laren was OK with that, saying they then will also prep a car themselves.
Now if only Porsche could hand them a car, this test could take place....
To be continued.

[SpeedLimit?]

The lengths Ferrari goes to in order to protect their image is truly tiresome...

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

The lengths Ferrari goes to in order to protect their image is truly tiresome...

As they can't win F1 races any more, maybe they want to be sure at least not to lose races with street cars?

[SpeedLimit?]

As they can't win F1 races any more, maybe they want to be sure at least not to lose races with street cars?

lmao! What makes it sadder is that since the 430 & 599 their cars have been very competitive...but then again, they were most likely "factory optimized"!

[Sticky]

What is the deal with manufacturers not loaning out there cars? It's truly annoying. Anyways the 918 is pretty sweet. But to be honest I'd hate to pay property taxes on eeither of them.

It's pretty much just Ferrari and their attitude. They secured a car but Ferrari wouldn't grant permission for them to test it.

[Sticky]

The lengths Ferrari goes to in order to protect their image is truly tiresome...

I think it makes them come off looking badly. Porsche just hands their car over and says go test it. Ferrari basically wants to control the conditions in their own favor. They look kind of pathetic.

It lowers the appeal of the brand to me.

[fieldysnuts8]

This is very interesting. Luckily for me as a consumer, the cheapest car appears to be just about even steven with the more expensive options. Also, I think the 918 is the best looking so where do I sign?

In all seriousness though, this was surprising to me. If I were just reading the specs on both cars I would think the P1 would be the clear winner.

I also agree its ridiculous that Ferrari won't let anyone test the LaFerrari. Not just because its ridiculous but because they are running things for the coming generation in our car culture. Part of what got me so obsessed with cars was competitions between the hypercars (they were called supercars back then) of my day (EB110, XJ220 yolo!). Kids today will never know how the LaFerrari truly compared.

[Sticky]

Kids today will never know how the LaFerrari truly compared.

Kids today aren't going to know anything other than what they see on instagram or twitter.

[onisyndicate]

If I remember correctly the xj220 ran high 11s back in the early 90s. Which was unheard-of for a production car back then.

[Sticky]

If I remember correctly the xj220 ran high 11s back in the early 90s. Which was unheard-of for a production car back then.

THE FACTS	Lamborghini LP640	Jaguar XJ220
Layout	Mid engine, four-wheel drive	Mid engine, rear-wheel drive
Engine	V12, 6496cc	V6, 3498cc, twin-turbo
Max power	631bhp @ 8000rpm	542bhp @ 7200rpm
Max torque	487lb ft @ 6000rpm	475lb ft @ 4500rpm
Actual weight	1841kg	1512kg
Power-to-weight	348bhp/ton	364bhp/ton
Weight distribution	42:58 front:rear	42:58 front:rear
Basic price	£192,000	£403,000 (1993)
PERFORMANCE	Lamborghini	Jaguar
0-30	1.7	1.9
0-40	2.3	2.5
0-50	2.8	3
0-60	3.4	3.6
0-70	4.5	4.6
0-80	5.4	5.5
0-90	6.3	6.5
0-100	8	7.9
0-110	9.3	9.3
0-120	10.7	10.8
0-130	12.6	12.6
0-140	14.6	14.9
0-150	-	17.4
1/4 mile secs	11.6	11.7
1/4 mile mph	125.3	125
Top speed mph	211	213

[syclone2032]

like Chris Harris or not, but I think he pretty much nailed ir:

http://jalopnik.com/5760248/how-ferrari-spins

[Sticky]

like Chris Harris or not, but I think he pretty much nailed ir:

http://jalopnik.com/5760248/how-ferrari-spins

I don't like him but that's mostly due to the videos. And also because he got a beer at the LA Auto Show Porsche booth during a private event and I didn't.

That is a well written piece that hits on the points it should.

[DD GT3 RD]

also note Chris Harris just tested the the tires above on a 991 GT3 the same day. The Trofeo R ran 2 seconds faster the the PS Cup 2, so the porsche is at a disadvantage there as well

[fieldysnuts8]

Do you have the article that came with the Diablo vs XJ220 stats?

The real question is which one was better looking? The answer to that question is the XJ220.

The answer to that question is always the XJ220.

[Group.america]

Seca is an AWD biased track.. the 918 will beat the P1 on all of the tighty whitey tracks and the P1 will destroy the 918 on anything with decent straights and a bit of length (like SPA)

Both awesome cars.

FWIW... the old codger next door bought an F12 (lovely car in person) and it weighs over 4000 lbs with him in it and 1/2 tank of gas... ferrari claims it should be 3400 lbs with a 200 lb guy in it and gas.

He is a serious old time lawyer and was talking to others about testing their cars and then filing a suit... niw that would be funny, the USA lawyers against the Cosa-Nostra-like manipulators from IT.

[SpeedLimit?]

Seca is an AWD biased track.. the 918 will beat the P1 on all of the tighty whitey tracks and the P1 will destroy the 918 on anything with decent straights and a bit of length (like SPA)

Both awesome cars.

FWIW... the old codger next door bought an F12 (lovely car in person) and it weighs over 4000 lbs with him in it and 1/2 tank of gas... ferrari claims it should be 3400 lbs with a 200 lb guy in it and gas.

He is a serious old time lawyer and was talking to others about testing their cars and then filing a suit... niw that would be funny, the USA lawyers against the Cosa-Nostra-like manipulators from IT.

Ferrari lied even more about the weight of the LaFerrari, an owner weighed it independently but Ferrari put pressure on him to take it down from FChat.

[Sticky]

Do you have the article that came with the Diablo vs XJ220 stats?

I'd have to go digging for it.

The real question is which one was better looking? The answer to that question is the XJ220.

The answer to that question is always the XJ220.

Have you seen the XJ220 someone updates using infiniti headlights? Quite nice:

[Sticky]

Ferrari lied even more about the weight of the LaFerrari, an owner weighed it independently but Ferrari put pressure on him to take it down from FChat.

They're insane. Wish I caught that.

[SpeedLimit?]

They're insane. Wish I caught that.

Some bread crumbs leading to the truth here maybe? http://www.mclarenlife.com/forums/mc...e-918-a-3.html