superquant

What we already had rumors of ..



http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...?fullsite=true

mtbscott

Thanks, what a great read. Anyone who owns either of these cars is a very lucky person.
And F*** Ferrari, as an enthusiast I think their policies are just stupid, I have absolutely no desire to own one.

918man

not surprised. go 918!!!!

Cortwagner

Pretty mental that the 918 was quicker than a car that makes probably double the down force and is 400 lbs lighter.....Just tells you how there is no substitute for mechanical grip, especially for a car on street tires.

No question the Porsche has years more development and it all showed up in less than two minutes on a race track. To also think it has a targa top, the best stereo I have ever heard in a production car, is a true hybrid and its the cheapest hyper car available?????

Why am I still wondering why the La Ferrari is trading for like double the price if not more than a 918 on the secondary market when its not even allowed to come and play with these two on a track?

I mean for Ferrari to not even allow a car at this event says everything to me.

Don't get me wrong, I am sure the Ferrari is also a real weapon but why cant Ferrari ever come play on a level playing field? This is just wrong, especially knowing they have a real fighting chance as the specs of the La Fa are even greater than these two, but maybe their not?

So glad Porsche came out on top, they deserve it, as they unquestionably have the most money invested in their program and it shows.

Cheers

<3mph

Thanks, that's a great link. Really enjoyed reading it! Fan-FREAKIN-tastic!!

wtdoom

Grip and torque win races

ipse dixit

I think MotorTrend may have just broken McLarenLife.com

A less than a second difference, in the grand scheme of things, seems so trivial, until you break it down to minutiae and the details, and realize at speeds of over 100 mph, a second (or less) is an eternity.

Good writeup and report by the boys at MotorTrend.

Fun read.

No real losers in this face-off (unless you were a no-show like, ahem, Ferrari).

porsche0nut

Really well done article, and some cool analysis too. Well done MT.

TopspeedPT

918 Spyder – 4 laps in total:
1. Warm up lap – 2.01.30;
2. Charging lap – 1.44;
3. Record lap – 1.29.89!
4. Last lap – 1.30.76.

P1 – 8 laps in total:
1. Warm up – 1.54;
2. Charging – 1.42;
3. Record attempt – 1.31.67;
4. Charging – 1.43!!!;
5. Record lap – 1.30.71;
6. Charging – 1.41!!!
7. Record attempt – 1.31.07;
8. Final lap – 1.54

biko

One of the better auto magazine articles. Objective data, subjective input and decent analysis.

home7271

918 did it again! I think the value of the 918's has just gone up a nudge.

It's a great shame that LaFerrari is not allowed to participate, again. Maybe one of the F owners will eventually cave and allow all the car enthusiasts around the world to see what it can do on a track. Still won't beat the 918 though for the same reason how P1 is no match for 918's mechanical grip and brilliant chassis.

911F1

I would still like to see both cars on the same tire. Also the P1 would beat out the 918 on a track that was more open. I think these cars are very close. I wouldn't say one particular car is a winner. Depends on track, tires, and condition.

918man

I disagree. The p 1 has never beaten the 918.

home7271

+1

In this video, P1 beat 918 but we all know... McLaren kind of cheated. They had to send in a 2nd P1 to beat 918. Who knows what they did with the 2nd P1....

Stock to stock, I agree with 918man.

Petevb

Agree with both of these.

Tests on GT3s show the Pilot Sport Cup 2 giving up 1 second per minute of lap time to the Trofeo R- about 1.5 seconds at Laguna or seven seconds at the 'ring. Assuming the 918 version of the MPSC2 is similar the Porsche has quite a lot more potential on better tires.

On the other hand Laguna's tight corners favor the 918's 4wd traction, while none of the sweepers are in the right speed range to bring its big downforce advantage into play. Give it the right radius high speed sweeper, something a bit over 1000 feet, and the P1 will crush the 918 in cornering speed to the tune of something like 18 mph (145 mph vs 163) due to its immense downforce. Laguna doesn't offer that opportunity, and neither does Top Gear's test track apparently, which is why McLaren refuses to let the car be tested there.

Thus to some extent it is a game of paper-rock-scissors between these cars, with the advantage shifting back and forth between tracks.
On that score I disagree. The P1 had one mission: to be fastest on track. The 918's mission was very different: to prove that efficiency doesn't need to come at the expense of performance, feel, practicality, etc. Porsche clearly succeed: 3.0L per 100 km, 67 mpg-e, and as fast and thrilling as anything. McLaren, on the other hand, clearly isn't the fastest- the 918 is at least as quick most of the time. Porsche succeeded and McLaren failed: Porsche clearly wins this round in my mind.