The LaF uses a battery to go faster, plain
and simple. It will not drive under electric power alone. Ferrari has chosen to
add 308 pounds of weight, 132 of that in battery mass, to give a wet weight of
around 3000 pounds. The electricity is most helpful, in the LaF as in the P1
and the 918, to areas in the rev range where torque is lacking, namely at low
crank speeds. The claimed numbers belong in a computer game: 0–60 mph in under
three seconds, 0–124 mph in under seven seconds, and—this is the really silly
one—0–186 mph in 15 seconds. That’s about five seconds quicker than a Porsche
918.
There's
no carpet in the McLaren's storage area, but there are straps to hold things
down
On a track, with warm tires, the effect is
stunning. You have instant urge from the exit of every radius, the type of
power that immediately leaves the rear tires under load and the driver managing
what comes next. It’s the same sensation encountered in the P1, but with a more
luxurious, classically beautiful soundtrack in accompaniment. You just can’t
believe the quantity of acceleration available, nor the powerband over which it
is effective—the V-12 powertrain is still pulling at 9,000 rpm with,
apparently, the same force it offered at 2000. Ferrari claims the car is
quicker than the P1 in a straight line. My backside couldn’t spot the
difference, though both are significantly quicker than the Porsche.
The
Porsche 918 is equipped a high-performance hybrid brake system with adaptive
recuperation; internally ventilated and perforated front ceramic brake discs
Where the Ferrari diverges from its closest
rival, the McLaren, is in the implementation of its cleverness. This car is
plug-and-play. You push the pedals and pull the paddles and wind the wheel.
There is no boost button, no way of manually stalling the rear wing. Ferrari
says it wanted to keep the driving experience pure, and I kind of get it. I
also get that keeping nearly a thousand horsepower away from immovable objects
is more easily achieved if you aren’t distracted by gimmicks. Remember, the P1
is at its most impressive and quickest in full race mode, with all boosting and
aero-trickery controlled by a computer. The moment the organic moron behind the
wheel begins pushing buttons, lap times suffer.
As a counterpoint, we must remember that
these cars are not pure race machines. They offer their zillionaire owners the
peacock effect of theater. On that front, the P1, with its race mode dropping
ride height and summoning wings, is the hands-down winner.
LaFerrari
sits on 19-inch alloys at the front, with 20-inch wheels at the rear
And it is arguably more impressive that
McLaren has taken a heavily turbocharged V-8 and made it drive like a naturally
aspirated V-12 using only brains and spreadsheets. The base Ferrari engine,
shared with the marque’s F12 coupe, was already paper-cut sharp. Incorporating
electric elements was a much simpler calibration exercise. Also, given the
wholesale move to forced induction in mass-market performance cars, the P1’s
powertrain resonates more as a glimpse into the future: relatively small
capacity, turbocharged- to-hell, electricity, and off you go, 50 mpg out of a
car that can go 200 mph.
All that said, I need to tell you what it
feels like to crank down the main straight at Fiorano in the LaF as it slams
you back into the rear bulkhead and hits 170 mph in the time a Ferrari 458 has
barely cracked 150.
