superquant

Dickie Meaden also tested the 918.

His reflection at the end is pretty telling. He claims its the first car in 20 years that makes him feel like the first time he drove a really fast supercar again.

CarMaven

Eh. Didn't look at the video yet.

Getting a bit tired and wary of [mostly] flag waving British Journalist/publications who only get take to take the P1 on the track, and/or focus on it's strengths (or even make stuff up), and ignore it's weaknesses. This is especially true, in light of Canadian Journalist, Kevin Hacket of the National, declaring in his recent article, he 'was miffed that McLaren only gave him and other North American journalist a passenger ride in the P1'....Why?

Yes we saw Motor Trends drag strip numbers. But that wasn't a full test (at least for what you can get at this stage) by an North American journalist. It was just a party trick (you can't even drive the P1 on the street in Race Mode from what we hear), with out any context. I wanna know the P1's real world acceleration numbers in non race mode for the street, amongst others?..... I found the title of the Motor Trend article and it's testing quite ironic ('Fastest Production Vehicle Motor Trend Ever Tested') as well, since you couldn't drive the vehicle in that mode on the street to begin with. It was an acceleration test, not a trip or lap time around the track (which would be more understandable). So what was the point/who cares (if you can't "accelerate" on the street in "Race Mode")!?

Getting back to the Canadian journalist, who said North American drivers were mysteriously not allowed to drive the P1 themselves. Here's what he said in his article (while ironically and simultaneously rating the 918 the best he's driven):

How many know, have heard of this (McLaren not allowing NA journalist to drive the P1)? Is McLaren controlling P1 access and driving conditions? I tell you somethings fishy, going on between McLaren, the P1, and the British Press.

And if the rumored 918's latest numbers of 0-60, 2.38 sec; 1/4 mile, 9.65 are true (and I have no reason to doubt them): Then that would help explain why the P1 mysteriously didn't show up on the Top Gear track when both were supposed to (though McLaren zealots will of course religiously argue against that notion till the cows come home), amongst other things.

The truth will all unfold soon enough. McLaren can't control the press once the final 918's hit reporters hands, and they start testing/comparing them against McLaren's numbers, creature comforts (or lack of them), fit, finish, versatility and ride, etc..

Ignore the UAE nomenclature at the bottom. He's a Canadian, North American journalist.

tangram

Why should 99.999% of automotive enthusiasts give a fig about cars like the P1, 918, or La Ferrari? Incredibly complicated, incredibly expensive, can exceed most speed limits in first gear, and incredibly rare. The car manufacturers build these cars for the brand halo effect and to an extent to showcase technologies that may trickle down to future cars. But in the end, these rare beasts are entertaining curiosities and I don't understand how people who drive a Ford Focus (see Pistonheads) or other modest econobox can passionately debate the the pros and cons of something that isn't attainable. Probably in the minority on this but I would much rather see journalists write more in depth and useful articles on cars for the masses. Why should we honestly care what a National Post journalist cares about a P1? Seriously.

ktu

Enthusiasts care about super cars like this because we are gear heads and love automotive performance and technology. I've been following the 918, p1, and laferrari because i want to see them go head to head, the best tech from each manufacter competing. Thats interesting to me. F1 fans will never drive/own a F1 car, but we watch it because we appreciate the tech.

isv

Amusing. You seem to be unable to accept that anyone might actually honestly like the P1 driving experience more and your implied accusation of Evo/Harris being flag waving brits is particularly funny given they have long been accused of a heavy Porsche bias.....

CarMaven

Thanks for [blatantly at that] ignoring Kevin Hacketts assertion, and purporting your own. Did you miss his point, that no American Journalist were allowed to drive the car around a track or on the streets when invited? SMH. However, you do notice many British journalist have carte blance?????????? No one else, has had access so far like the British Reporters.

There's been a lot of funny business with McLaren the past 7 months or so (to say the least). Wouldn't you agree? And we do know that one of the EVO editors (Nick Trott, I think it was) has/had a 6 month loaner MP4-12. Correct?

I'm' not saying the P1 is not a good car and doesn't have it's benefits. Sure it does. And this is not even a 918 vs P1 debate. I just feel, too much has been left out; the test are skewed, and British reporters appear very premature in their assumptions (especially when there is no data to back it up). And it appears McLaren is carefully "handling" the P1 with reporters.

You noticed Motor Trend (even after the P1 set the Motor Trend acceleration record); when they asked the question "Who's Best!?" Motor Trend declared, 'stay tuned (while stating, the 918 is faster than the P1 on paper in certain areas, even going off the 918's current/soon to be old specs)'? That's balanced, fair journalism, especially when you don't have all the facts, and driving experiences. That's what the British can do.

To your question: When I see a reviewer of the P1 say: "The low grade interior is worse than a Chevy Corvettes" 2)"We're still not sure if you get full horse power when not in race mode/not pushing that funny IPAS button". 3) "We're not even sure it's faster than a 918, which we haven't had the final spec version yet; though we hear the Porsche's improved even further". 4) What's the point of acceleration in "Race Mode" on the P1 if you can't use it on the street"; 5) "Of course the P1 is not, or barely a daily driver, because it doesn't even have a glove compartment. And they add, "But you know what? We don't care"! Stating; "We still love it!" Then I'll have no issue. "To each his or her own". Problem is: None of this is really being addressed with the P1 in articles (this is when/why Hackett's assertion of not giving NA reporters access like the British Cohorts, makes its point).

I have a feeling, the American reporters would/will, if/when they have full driving test/proper access, measured data, and/or comparisons.

Of course owner experiences will provide additional, even more info on long term usage, including track/road performance, reliability and livability.

We'll see?

isv

Kevin Hackett, (khackett@thenational.ae) might be NA by nationality but per email/website link provided is writing for a UAE publication. When he says """for some reason, its maker decided to only offer journalists in this region passenger rides""" it seems rather obvious to me he means no middle eastern region journalist has been allowed out in the car and not per your assertion that no US/north American jounalist has been. After all motortrend and gtspirit both have driven the car (and gtspirit a fairly detailed one if I remember) and neither are british as far as I am aware.

Evo did have a long term loaner 12C which followed the 458 that Evo had previously. I'm not sure what you seem to be implying by Mclaren doing so.

At the end of the day, people believe what they want to believe I guess. Meaden and Harris who both have rather a lot of supercar driving experience seem adamant at the moment that the P1 offers more as a driving experience than the 918 (or at least the 918 they tried at Valencia which might not be the final spec car), on track which IMO isn't a complete surprise given the P1 was designed as a far more track focused car than the 918. On the road who knows but hopefully evo/someone else will manage to arrange a combined test later this year (although you might then reiterate their union jack waving tendencies I suppose...unless the 918 comes up tops in which case their word then becomes true and accurate again...?)

CarMaven

OK, I may have confused the "National" with a similarly named Canadian publication (Maybe it's the "National UAE"). However, that doesn't take away from Hackett's contention about not allowing reporters in the area to drive the car.

I never said one reporter liked one car over the other. You did. I was only speaking about certain deficient or questionable aspects of their articles.

Quite frankly, I couldn't care less what Harris or any other British writer thinks of the P1 over the 918 when the final spec 918's haven't even been delivered, and many of them have been so clearly wrong in their statements, facts and pre-judgements (such as Sutcliffe's 5g P1 cornering claim, etc.), to where you almost can't take them seriously as a whole.

What I said, has nothing to do with their ultimate conclusions and more so to do with their pre/fast judgments. Who cares if they like one over the other!? To each his own. However, when it's based on pre-judgments, or unsubstantiated truths, rumor and deception, now that's something different (such as some British reporters touting the P1's sub Ring time in articles, when there is no credible evidence it exist what so ever).

Potential British prejudgments, has been pointed out and debated on other sites. And what I'm mentioning has been pointed by owners--even here, who not surprisingly told us they passed on the P1. So I'm not sure why you're being so daft, and trying to make this a simple "if you like my car, I'll like your article" contention. It's not.

I'm still trying to figure out, what owner is going to drive their $1million "track focused" P1 Hybrid around a track more than a few courtesy laps, before it hit's the garage long term? This is what I'm still trying to figure out with McLaren's strategy, unless they just plan for the car to be a collectible? And let's not even talk about it's every day drive-ability, with that bland interior, relative lack of creature comforts, no Glove box, and potential reduced or cluttered driving dynamics (on the street with no "race mode", or using IPAS button to utilize full HP) compared to the Porsche and Ferrari competition.

These are real world points, and not just something a magazine writer (or internet fan boy) may notice testing the car for an half hr at the track for the first time, before he or she gives it back to McLaren.

No biggie. It should all come out, be discussed soon enough.

mtbscott

Anyone been following the interwebz the last few days? Seems that the first customer P1 in the US came in to McLaren of Beverly Hills on Friday. Its owner? Jay Leno.

Der-Schwabe

Removed

mtbscott

Here's a video/story of its arrival: http://www.carbuzz.com/news/2014/3/2...he-US-7719379/
Leno was allegedly the first person outside of the McLaren factory to drive a P1, many are also waiting to hear his first hand comparisons to the F1, of which he also has an example. It's good to be Jay Leno.

Plastique999

Ok in my next life, I'd like to be Leno

biko

In reference to CarMaven's post: What does track driving have to do with buying high performance street cars?

That is a tongue in cheek comment, but really when was the last time someone went off-road in their $100K SUV? When was the last time a consumer jumped off a cliff with their GoPro?

It is about the "aspirational consumer". So in that context McLaren has it nailed: Push a button and voila you're an LMP race car driver.

UDPride

918 and P1 are entirely different kinds of cars with different kinds of goals. 918 is a car you can drive anywhere -- its road legal at its most mental setting. If you have the ***** on the Autobahn and are prudent and safe -- you can let it rip.

The P1's best performance settings arent even road legal, which means McLaren could do ANYTHING they wanted to get speed out of the car for a track. Building a car to meet road regulations is a lot different than building one for the track. Its like a GT3 vs a GT3 Cup car.

If Porsche wanted to extract more performance, they could have had a "track only" setting too (as opposed to "track" or "race" which is just nomenclature and not actual legality) and lowered the car 2mm off the ground, forgone certain safety requirements, and done some other things. But they chose to make it a car that is 110% a daily driver.

By the way I dont disparage McLaren for putting a track-only setting on the P1 that renders it illegal on the public roads. Im just saying they started from a different set of rules so the result should be of no surprise to anyone.

Tacet-Conundrum

Say everybody, superquant needs an McLaren P1 by this coming weekend!

J/K, the above post was aimed at hose of us who were here on the forum when the .2GT3RS was just out...

Some may understand.

I just want tto see an official Ring time with the P1 but McLaren rarely ever officially publishes their times on the ring. Just go take a look. I'm talking about McLaren doing the test, not someone driving their car around the block!