Friday 1st March 2013

Ferrari F150 vs McLaren P1: PH Blog

OK, the cars have yet to meet but who's winning the battle of the PR machines?

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Ferrari and McLaren. Rivals on track in F1, rivals for the hearts of ‘junior’ supercar buyers with the 458 Italia and 12C – and now, with the arrival of the F150 and the P1, that rivalry will take to the show floor at Geneva next week as the two companies duke it out for top honours in the upcoming hybrid hypercar market.

Ahead of that, I’ve been pondering who’s been winning the war of words and (leaked) pictures. That the two have very different ways of achieving the same ends is no mystery. But the approach to presenting these two ostensibly similar, million-pound, carbon-built, hybrid-enhanced hypercars couldn’t be more different. And those differences perfectly symbolise the caricatured corporate characters we seem so familiar with.

Out in the open, or as near as damn it

First blood seems to have gone to McLaren. First, the P1 debuted as a ‘concept’ at Paris last September, so we already know what it’s going to look like. Then came the steady drip feed of teaser images, videos and ‘spy’ shots of ‘disguised’ test mules. We asked if having hacks along for a passenger ride was PR by proxy not long ago but the fact press offices now ‘officially’ release spy photos just shows how cynical the whole pre-launch hype machine has become. Not that we’re complaining – every time we write about the P1 it’s another boost in clicks and site views. Stuart and the suits are happy; white cats are purring on bosses’ laps and Alex and I can safely cross the bridge above piranha infested ponds on the way into PH Towers to live another day.

Back to the car itself, though. We now know what it looks like on the outside. We know what it looks like on the inside. We know how much it’ll cost, how many they’re making, how its hybrid system will work, the inside leg measurement of the bloke who designed the gearbox, how fast it’ll go and all sorts of other stuff, and it hasn’t even made its motor show debut yet.

The Ferrari? By contrast, we still don’t even know what it’s going to be called. Official bet hedging continues with the presence of quotation marks around the “F150” name, with even potential customers are being teased with presentation packs badged “F150 Project”. As yet, nothing more certain than that. Yesterday was the first official acknowledgement the thing even exists:

Meanwhile, lurking in the shadows....

“Maranello, February 28th – Ferrari’s new limited edition special series car receives its world unveiling at the Geneva International Motor Show on Tuesday, March 5th next. This leaves just a few days to go before all the details of a model generating a huge sense of anticipation, are revealed. From today, however, enthusiasts can find intriguing hints at what lies in store from Ferrari at Geneva, by keeping a daily eye on the Maranello marque’s website and official Facebook pages.”

And that’s it.

And, hand on heart, though the P1 has gone from ‘meh, it’s a hybrid 12C with knobs on’ to ‘wow’ over the drip feed of releases, videos and info, I’m still genuinely fascinated by what Ferrari’s got in store for us. You can roll your eyes at the Italians and their sense of theatre, but you’ve got to hand it to them: whether by accident or design, I can’t help but feel the big buzz ahead of Geneva is around the F150, or whatever it’ll be called, and not the clinical Terminator whatsit from Woking. In engineering terms the two cars and the technology behind them are likely to be closely matched. But when it comes to hype, drama and intrigue, let’s face it: Ferrari’s been in the game longer, and it shows.   

The lazy stereotype is that those in the market for a seven-figure supercar aren’t in the business of having to decide either/or. But one has to be declared the moral victor, and until we get to drive the things, the battle is for hearts and minds. Right now, I think the Italians might just be in the lead.

So much for my view – where’s your million going at this stage?

Dan

[LongLiveTazio]

I don't really get the P1 now that full specs have been revealed. It seems to be focused on being the fastest car round a track but that doesn't equate to thrills, nor will its average owner be able to touch the edge of its performance envelope. So does it deliver thrills at normal speeds, or on a road? Hmm. This is where Ferrari always triumph, whenever you read about them being 'special' or an 'event'. It's also heavier by some margin than I expected. If the Ferrari comes in at sub 1200kg then a slight power deficit isn't going to matter and the V12 will be the better engine by far.

[LongLiveTazio]

PascalBuyens said:

Crikey, is it 28 May 1992 already?

It's a different company though with a completely different philosophy.

[LongLiveTazio]

philis said:

So you've driven it then? Amazing! You heard it here first folks the p1 is a flop.

Do you have a comprehension problem? That isn't at all what I said, go back and re-read.

[LongLiveTazio]

richb77 said:

Playing devils advocate here.

Your suggesting that the P1 shouldnt be the best it can around the track and that the owners can get to the limits of the car....So your suggesting a 1.6l Focus then?

Christ the world would be dull if there where not mad motors like these about. Thank god there are some people out there able to afford them so us mere mortals get to drool and dream.

The problem from my POV is that Ferrari have the 'go to a track' thing sewn up and provide factory backed days to go play with your car and feel like part of the factory. Having been to such a weekend I can say that it did feel very special and had an amazing atmosphere - and it's definitely not about laptimes! McLaren are going to have to work very, very hard to provide a similar experience for owners, because 800k+ isn't really just buying a car, it's the whole package.

[LongLiveTazio]

900T-R said:

How much is an F1 again in today's market? And an F40, F50, Enzo (only the fact that I need to mention different ones will tell you something).

The biggest 'problem' I see for the P1 is that it's got awfully large boots to fill - probably the largest in automotive history.

Comparing apples with oranges.

They made 1300 F40s. The fact they can achieve 400k given their commonality is amazing.

The limited-run, very rare Ferraris go for an awful lot. Let's not forget it took a long time for the market to appreciate the F1. In the here and now are there 300 people prepare to stump up close to a million for one? I hope so but the market is tough.

[LongLiveTazio]

Seeing as McLaren are expecting the Middle East to be their biggest market that's a load of tosh...