That's not my understanding of how the automotive supplier tiers work, having worked for DuPont, which operated as a Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 supplier. The tier ranking has to do with the supply chain, not quality. Tier 1 suppliers work directly with OEMs, often providing subassemblies. Tier 2 suppliers provide Tier 1 suppliers. Tier 3 suppliers supply Tier 2 suppliers, often with raw materials. Let's say the subassembly is a power window mechanism. The Tier 2 supplier might provide the brackets, motor or electronic control module. The Tier 3 supplier might be the company supplying the chips for the electronics, or steel for the brackets. In the case of DuPont, as a paint supplier selling directly to OEMs, it was Tier 1. It also sold coatings and polymers to Tier 1 companies, making it a Tier 2 supplier, and a lot of polymers were also sold to Tier 2 suppliers, making it a Tier 3 supplier.
Ronnie - appreciate the comment. I have heard the same as you in the past, and in my excitement to confirm hypotheses and learn a few bits off the record intel, I failed to clarify / ask further. I should’ve done so, and I’m red-faced about potentially leaving stones unturned in a ~7,600 word article.
My understanding is from my time at JLR is that Tier 1 is your big ticket systems (think Bosch, Siemens, Johnson Controls, Lear). Tier 2 is the smaller stuff (Borbet, Hella). And so on. My experience with this is somewhat limited though.
On the direct OEM business, Ronnie's position is the "correct" one. Tiers are related to their position in the supply chain, and definitely not on size, capability or quality. For example, BASF (world's largest chemical company) might be a tier3 to someone that buys raw materials from them to supply components to Bosch who then sells it to the OEM. Also, the idea of a supplier to OEM in this day and age not being able to handle UV lights degrading plastics is completely unheard of, as both the OEM, the supplier and the raw material supplier know which materials are able to handle what. If the decision was made to protect the headlight under the shadows for cost savings in the usage of a lower spec of materials, that decision was deliberate and any tier1 or 2 supplier worth its salt would expressly deny any liability for warranty on it due to the poor material choice. So I would take this comment with a grain of salt. But I've seen weirder things in the industry.
It’s been a very long time since I read such a comprehensive review on a new car. Harkens back perhaps to Car of the 70s. Though they would likely have been more complimentary due to the McLarens Englishness. Great work.
Thank you! I appreciate the favorable comparison to what was - at the time - THE greatest car magazine in the world, full stop. JB will suggest C&D, of course.
Car and Driver of the 70s and 80s is my all time favourite car mag. Car and Driver had a bit more of a counter culture vibe to it then did Car, of course. I mean this in no way negatively, but your writing was a bit more straight laced then what Car and Driver would have produced, while not as stiff as Autocar or Motor. Which is why I thought you’d fit in great at Car back then.
You have no idea how much I’ve missed reviews that aren’t saddled with the need to conform to a preset length. William Jeanes shortened the road tests to their current length, when he took over Car and Driver, and it stuck. Something special was lost with that.
Given you interest in Car magazine from its halcyon days, I recommend a subscription to www.the-intercooler.com; Mel Nichols is a contributor, and the other writers are top notch. Obviously you are willing to pay for top automotive writing.
The Intercooler, which is online / app only and carries a modest monthly subscription price. Andrew Frankel and Dan Prosser are the co-founders, and many of the contributors are big names (e.g., Ian Callum writing about car design; Karun Chandhok writing about F1). The co-founders host a weekly Podcast, as well.
The Road Rat, which is print only, and isn’t sold on newsstands. You have to order from their website, but you can subscribe or order individual issues. Emphasis on long form articles, design features, beautiful photography / layouts, etc. Financial backing from Guy Berryman of Coldplay.
000 is available for Porsche nerds, and it’s of outrageous quality. It’s expensive ($250 or more a year for 4 issues) and only covers one marque, but it’s an impressive thing.
I tried it out and enjoyed Mel as well as many of the other contributors, but Dan Prosser’s writing is worse than useless in my opinion - he’s either parroting widely accepted views or spewing baseless nonsense, so I can’t give him any credit for any journalistic value.
Hmm … I don’t have a strong opinion on him. Andrew Frankel is the top conventional autowriter in my opinion, but not everyone agrees with me. I put JB in a different category altogether, obviously.
Yeah, Andrew usually has some pretty good takes for a UK journalist. I only add that qualifier because they always seem to have preferential perspectives on UK manufacturers with Andrew's unabashed love for the current Land Rover Defender being a prime example.
From my perspective William Jeanes was the worst thing to happen to Car and Driver in the 80’s - the only thing I can *maybe* give him props for is some of the writers he brought on board. The articles he wrote read like something from today’s most ass-kissing influencers and his columns were usually placating drivel. It was much better when Csaba took the helm.
Car was at it’s greatest for me from the late eighties until probably the mid nineties (whenever they lost Bulgin and then merged with Performance Car). When I first attended evil car design school (Coventry Uni) they had a complete back issue collection in the library. I didn’t leave that place for my first year (I had just moved up from London and was having trouble adjusting; reading those was my happy place).
It is my hazy recollection (it was a long time ago and I was a child) that Performance Car essentially became Evo Magazine; was that not the case? I happen to have the final issue of Performance Car and the inaugural issue of Evo, coincidentally.
There was also a brief re-launch of Performance Car during the late noughties, and among its young team of contributors (not much older than me) was Dan Prosser, who later wrote for Evo and is now Andrew Frankel’s co-founder at The Intercooler.
At the time the production quality of the magazine - the quality of the photography, the length of the feature articles, the detail related to assessment of performance attributes, etc. - were unavailable elsewhere (at least for me).
The Road Rat (print only) has an emphasis on design, designers, etc. that I enjoy. Suspect it’s on your radar, but give it a try if you haven’t already.
Yeah it is although I haven’t actually picked up a copy yet. This is partly because of my pre-conceptions and inbuilt bias towards anything too ‘curated’ and an ‘experience’. It feels a bit wanky. But I will give it a try (I suspect I’ll be able to pick a copy up from Bicester Heritage).
As it happens, for most of the 1970s I lived in Ann Arbor, where C&D's offices were located on Hogback Rd just east of US-23, and while I subscribed to C&D, I made it a point to buy CAR every month at the bookstore on the corner of South U and Forest. Both magazines were at the top of their games then. C&D respected CAR enough to hire Setright.
Like all McLaren's it lacks the je ne sais quoi that the italians have. It is too sterile lab designed and tries to get everything right. Flaws are OK and V6's suck.
Try as they might, this car has a number of flaws, so it should be teeming with character, right?
I’m not a fan of V-6s either, but I was deeply impressed by the Artura’s engine and motor aka Power Unit. I had high expectations and it surpassed them all; it genuinely sounded good from the cabin, if a bit limp from the outside.
I'm perplexed at the engine choice as well. Aren't 90 degree sixes inherently unbalanced (vs 60 or inline)? Are 300K exotic car buyers really interested in hybrids, at least until they are mandated? It isn't MPG, they are too mainstream to get a gee-whiz rating and I don't expect the target market to need to virtue signal. Back when, paying the guzzler tax was part of the bragging rights.
Flaws in all the wrong spots, like I said though, there's a je ne sais quoi with exotics (though not really exotic) cars. Part of this is the engine and partly looks. If the new Corvette had a V8, oh man. You were impressed by the engine, but you don't seem to be charmed. Great write up though, but curious to do a side by side with an Italian, then maybe you can see the difference? Though I think Ferrari's have lost some of their edge....
My preference among the supercar companies is probably Ferrari. I have driven a number of them over the years, but not the latest stuff. Love the F8 - I think it’s one of the best looking mid-engine cars made in this century, and the best looking such offering from Maranello since the 355.
I recall two specific things about the 458 Italia:
Shortly after I bought my 991 GT3 in 2015, I met up with a friend of mine who inherited some SERIOUS cars (e.g., 50s Ferrari that finished second overall at Le Mans, a 275 GTB/4, D Type, etc.) but managed to remain humble, reflective, and far from jaded. He had recently considered a 458 Italia, and had driven several. He drove my GT3 and made it abundantly clear that the GT3 was superior, in his view. I didn’t want to believe him.
Then I drove a 458 Italia on a friend’s bachelor party (Xtreme Xperience facility in NOLA). Everyone who drove it had also driven my car, and we all felt like the Ferrari’s front end gave zero driver feedback. I am told the newer Ferraris are better. I should find out!
On the Lambo front, while I admire their charismatic NA engines, I’m not a fan personally. I rode in another friend’s Huracan Performante a few years ago, but I don’t think it’s the brand for me. I’d probably prefer an Audi R8 instead of a Huracan.
My plan had been to purchase an Elise with my first bonus, right out of college.
I went to the dealer to test drive an Elise and an E92 M3. Get in the Elise with the salesman, which took a little while with the top on - not the work of a moment. Dead battery. No problem, he’ll go swap the keys for another one sitting next to the one we were sitting in. Another dead battery. It was at this juncture that I realized that depending on a Lotus Elise to get me to work every day was probably a bad idea.
I loved the M3 and probably would’ve bought it except it was at the top of my budget, and it sold out from under me later the same day, anyway. My third choice was a 993 911. I drove a black one locally in Atlanta with the intention of potentially purchasing a Guards Red example in Dallas. I loved it and bought the black one on a handshake as another potential buyer arrived for his test drive.
SM- you and I are of an age, and based on previous conversations, similar background and worldview. Although perhaps you have made a few better choices (don't drop out of college three hours shy of a degree. (Also don't choose a degree that pays less than retail.)) End double parenthetical. At any rate, all this to say I greatly appreciate the guest appearance, and moreso would love to see you continue writing, it's a far more valuable perspective for me than most of the fakers on the web.
Great article, really enjoyed reading this. One thing I'm confused about, you say the hybrid element is "dilutive" but based on the calculations presented, inclusion of the hybrid element appears to improve the power-to-weight ratio, i.e., fewer pounds per horsepower. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the word "dilutive" in this context.
0. (That's where we start lists around here, right?) An excellent and particularly detailed write-up, McCoy! As a fellow review junkie, I loved the addition of the bona fides and biases section and now I'm forced to agree that a similar system needs see widespread adoption.
1. I'm nowhere near playing in this league of vehicles, but, the biggest problem I see with this new breed comes if I imagine suddenly being able to drop $300k on a toy. I just don't see any scenario where I'd give a second thought to any of the three cars heavily featured here. As long as a manual GT3 and an LT6 Z06 are on the market, not to mention used V10 Lambos and the V8 predecessors of this car and the 296, I don't think I could ever go for a boosted V6 hybrid.
I always thought it would be fair to include “credentials,” especially in a test with numerous reviewers. You want to know who has owned 14 Porsches, who has a BMW roundel tattooed on their shoulderblade, who is setting timed laps that are slow or fast or somewhere in between. You want to know who lives and dies for a clutch pedal, who prioritizes straight line, who always loves the new stuff, etc.
You know this if you’ve been reading established names for a long time, but nobody knew my biases; that’s why I shared them.
There are a lot of compromises in that ~$250K+ market - there’s no Goldilocks car. Do you prioritize steering, transmission, NA (or forced induction), cylinder count, sound, weight, construction (CF vs aluminum), badge appeal, dealer network, perceived reliability / depreciation? There’s no obvious winner.
I suppose it depends on what your goal was should you have that kind of money to drop on a toy. It looks fine, but the mid-engine supercar profile has become like an upscale CUV in that they all look similar and you would have to be a bit of a nerd to tell them apart. It's performance is competitive but that hardly matters, nor, assuming you can drop ~$300k on a toy, does the viability of the company. If (the hypothetical) you are trying to flex on your rich neighbors it probably won't get you kicked out of the gated community. All that being said it I would say it is not interesting enough. Exact same car with a straight or flat 8 and no hybrid bullshit would be compelling, not that they care what I think. I'd rather have a convertible of almost any kind or an old Caddy for cruising, and a race car if that's what I wanted to do. I don't understand what the purpose of these cars is (this is also a reply to the last paragraph of the author's reply to you).
Edit-Last sentence was not a critique of the author, just the car. Long form, insanely detailed essays is exactly why I put down real American money to be here.
There are multiple reasons that the junior mid-engine supercars look so similar: aerodynamics in the context of regulations (passenger and otherwise), packaging (that tier of car needs to be daily driver practicable and have some luggage space), etc.
There is more variability at the 7 figure level (Senna, Speedtail, Ferrari SP3 Daytona, Lambo Sian, Bugatti Chiron, AM Valkyrie, GMA T50, etc.)
Fantastic review. Wish I could get an invite to events like this but will settle for a description this vivid and complete. Hope this isn’t your last guest post.
I’d be delighted to write again (and on other topics) as long as I have something meaningful to share and can create something I’m proud of.
As for the event, I have suspicions about how I ended up on McLaren’s list, but it’s a black box. I genuinely appreciated it, and I would be far more predisposed to patronize the brand after the experience … which is why it’s worthwhile for them to host such events.
Interestingly, it was a very relaxed, low-key arrangement. I was in the car less than 5 minutes after arrival, and my passenger was refreshingly candid; it helped that we have a few mutual friends. For context, I have done Porsche events that were far more pretentious regarding a comparatively prosaic car.
I have great admiration for Ron Dennis’s achievements, and I love reading about his peculiarities: Washing the gravel on his driveway, no partial tiles at the MTC, etc.
Provided I purchased a McLaren, the vanity plate (7 characters in GA) would probably be: “RON SPK”
I have to admit, initially I was skeptical. From all accounts a GT3 is a benchmark of sorts. I'll never get to drive any of the cars referenced in this article. This is probably a good thing, since I tried really hard to wrap a 1981 Escort around a tree once. However I read a lot of articles, and mostly know nothing of the article writers driving experience. Being an actual owner of said vehicle, and not just test driving one, pretending to be an expert on such things is ......different....... I've had the same opinion of Chris Harris. He actually owns and drives excellent cars, again from all accounts, so his opinion has some merit, maybe. It will be interesting if Leno drives one. Again, he owns cars and drives them, and if he does borrow them, he has a broad experience level to compare them to. Very nice review that does me no good, but still informative. I guess I need to buy lottery tickets more often than never.
On one hand, it IS the benchmark for many people in terms of THE definitive, top of heap, most desirable driver’s car that is conceivably within the realm of accessibility, or at least was before the secondary market pushed new ones north of $300K. I wanted one rather badly when I was younger.
On the other hand, I hate that I have to rely heavily on experience driving one car - my own. I’d love to be able to regale you with tales of how the tire compound on the outgoing 600LT wouldn’t activate in the unseasonably low temperatures under which my magazine conducted our Car of The Year Test, but that the all-new, bespoke Pirellis on which the Artura rides offer far more compliance across wide open vistas of the North York Moors and greater dynamic highs on the most technical sections of the Evo triangle. And so on.
That's not my understanding of how the automotive supplier tiers work, having worked for DuPont, which operated as a Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 supplier. The tier ranking has to do with the supply chain, not quality. Tier 1 suppliers work directly with OEMs, often providing subassemblies. Tier 2 suppliers provide Tier 1 suppliers. Tier 3 suppliers supply Tier 2 suppliers, often with raw materials. Let's say the subassembly is a power window mechanism. The Tier 2 supplier might provide the brackets, motor or electronic control module. The Tier 3 supplier might be the company supplying the chips for the electronics, or steel for the brackets. In the case of DuPont, as a paint supplier selling directly to OEMs, it was Tier 1. It also sold coatings and polymers to Tier 1 companies, making it a Tier 2 supplier, and a lot of polymers were also sold to Tier 2 suppliers, making it a Tier 3 supplier.
Ronnie - appreciate the comment. I have heard the same as you in the past, and in my excitement to confirm hypotheses and learn a few bits off the record intel, I failed to clarify / ask further. I should’ve done so, and I’m red-faced about potentially leaving stones unturned in a ~7,600 word article.
My understanding is from my time at JLR is that Tier 1 is your big ticket systems (think Bosch, Siemens, Johnson Controls, Lear). Tier 2 is the smaller stuff (Borbet, Hella). And so on. My experience with this is somewhat limited though.
That's how Honda thinks of it BUT I have also heard the phrase use with regards to firms like DEPO and whatnot so I let it stand for publication.
On the direct OEM business, Ronnie's position is the "correct" one. Tiers are related to their position in the supply chain, and definitely not on size, capability or quality. For example, BASF (world's largest chemical company) might be a tier3 to someone that buys raw materials from them to supply components to Bosch who then sells it to the OEM. Also, the idea of a supplier to OEM in this day and age not being able to handle UV lights degrading plastics is completely unheard of, as both the OEM, the supplier and the raw material supplier know which materials are able to handle what. If the decision was made to protect the headlight under the shadows for cost savings in the usage of a lower spec of materials, that decision was deliberate and any tier1 or 2 supplier worth its salt would expressly deny any liability for warranty on it due to the poor material choice. So I would take this comment with a grain of salt. But I've seen weirder things in the industry.
It’s been a very long time since I read such a comprehensive review on a new car. Harkens back perhaps to Car of the 70s. Though they would likely have been more complimentary due to the McLarens Englishness. Great work.
Thank you! I appreciate the favorable comparison to what was - at the time - THE greatest car magazine in the world, full stop. JB will suggest C&D, of course.
Car and Driver of the 70s and 80s is my all time favourite car mag. Car and Driver had a bit more of a counter culture vibe to it then did Car, of course. I mean this in no way negatively, but your writing was a bit more straight laced then what Car and Driver would have produced, while not as stiff as Autocar or Motor. Which is why I thought you’d fit in great at Car back then.
You have no idea how much I’ve missed reviews that aren’t saddled with the need to conform to a preset length. William Jeanes shortened the road tests to their current length, when he took over Car and Driver, and it stuck. Something special was lost with that.
Keep at it! I hope to read many more.
Given you interest in Car magazine from its halcyon days, I recommend a subscription to www.the-intercooler.com; Mel Nichols is a contributor, and the other writers are top notch. Obviously you are willing to pay for top automotive writing.
Thanks, Sherman.
Great find. I’d almost given up any hope of finding another good car magazine.
To reiterate, I recommend:
The Intercooler, which is online / app only and carries a modest monthly subscription price. Andrew Frankel and Dan Prosser are the co-founders, and many of the contributors are big names (e.g., Ian Callum writing about car design; Karun Chandhok writing about F1). The co-founders host a weekly Podcast, as well.
The Road Rat, which is print only, and isn’t sold on newsstands. You have to order from their website, but you can subscribe or order individual issues. Emphasis on long form articles, design features, beautiful photography / layouts, etc. Financial backing from Guy Berryman of Coldplay.
000 is available for Porsche nerds, and it’s of outrageous quality. It’s expensive ($250 or more a year for 4 issues) and only covers one marque, but it’s an impressive thing.
I tried it out and enjoyed Mel as well as many of the other contributors, but Dan Prosser’s writing is worse than useless in my opinion - he’s either parroting widely accepted views or spewing baseless nonsense, so I can’t give him any credit for any journalistic value.
Hmm … I don’t have a strong opinion on him. Andrew Frankel is the top conventional autowriter in my opinion, but not everyone agrees with me. I put JB in a different category altogether, obviously.
Yeah, Andrew usually has some pretty good takes for a UK journalist. I only add that qualifier because they always seem to have preferential perspectives on UK manufacturers with Andrew's unabashed love for the current Land Rover Defender being a prime example.
I like the longer form stuff too, obviously.
From my perspective William Jeanes was the worst thing to happen to Car and Driver in the 80’s - the only thing I can *maybe* give him props for is some of the writers he brought on board. The articles he wrote read like something from today’s most ass-kissing influencers and his columns were usually placating drivel. It was much better when Csaba took the helm.
Before my time so I can’t opine on Jeanes.
Car was at it’s greatest for me from the late eighties until probably the mid nineties (whenever they lost Bulgin and then merged with Performance Car). When I first attended evil car design school (Coventry Uni) they had a complete back issue collection in the library. I didn’t leave that place for my first year (I had just moved up from London and was having trouble adjusting; reading those was my happy place).
Adrian,
It is my hazy recollection (it was a long time ago and I was a child) that Performance Car essentially became Evo Magazine; was that not the case? I happen to have the final issue of Performance Car and the inaugural issue of Evo, coincidentally.
There was also a brief re-launch of Performance Car during the late noughties, and among its young team of contributors (not much older than me) was Dan Prosser, who later wrote for Evo and is now Andrew Frankel’s co-founder at The Intercooler.
I don’t know, possibly. I never really got into Evo (can’t really remember why, I think it was too performance orientated for my simple tastes).
At the time the production quality of the magazine - the quality of the photography, the length of the feature articles, the detail related to assessment of performance attributes, etc. - were unavailable elsewhere (at least for me).
The Road Rat (print only) has an emphasis on design, designers, etc. that I enjoy. Suspect it’s on your radar, but give it a try if you haven’t already.
Yeah it is although I haven’t actually picked up a copy yet. This is partly because of my pre-conceptions and inbuilt bias towards anything too ‘curated’ and an ‘experience’. It feels a bit wanky. But I will give it a try (I suspect I’ll be able to pick a copy up from Bicester Heritage).
As it happens, for most of the 1970s I lived in Ann Arbor, where C&D's offices were located on Hogback Rd just east of US-23, and while I subscribed to C&D, I made it a point to buy CAR every month at the bookstore on the corner of South U and Forest. Both magazines were at the top of their games then. C&D respected CAR enough to hire Setright.
I started reading Car (and Evo) in 1998; they were both ~$10 / issue then.
Like all McLaren's it lacks the je ne sais quoi that the italians have. It is too sterile lab designed and tries to get everything right. Flaws are OK and V6's suck.
I’m gonna turn it around on you!
Try as they might, this car has a number of flaws, so it should be teeming with character, right?
I’m not a fan of V-6s either, but I was deeply impressed by the Artura’s engine and motor aka Power Unit. I had high expectations and it surpassed them all; it genuinely sounded good from the cabin, if a bit limp from the outside.
I'm perplexed at the engine choice as well. Aren't 90 degree sixes inherently unbalanced (vs 60 or inline)? Are 300K exotic car buyers really interested in hybrids, at least until they are mandated? It isn't MPG, they are too mainstream to get a gee-whiz rating and I don't expect the target market to need to virtue signal. Back when, paying the guzzler tax was part of the bragging rights.
“thermal event”. Lol.
It’s a 120 degree V-6 in the McLaren (and the Ferrari); 90 degree V-6 in the MC20. Ferrari claims the 120 degree architecture inherently sounds good.
Flaws in all the wrong spots, like I said though, there's a je ne sais quoi with exotics (though not really exotic) cars. Part of this is the engine and partly looks. If the new Corvette had a V8, oh man. You were impressed by the engine, but you don't seem to be charmed. Great write up though, but curious to do a side by side with an Italian, then maybe you can see the difference? Though I think Ferrari's have lost some of their edge....
My preference among the supercar companies is probably Ferrari. I have driven a number of them over the years, but not the latest stuff. Love the F8 - I think it’s one of the best looking mid-engine cars made in this century, and the best looking such offering from Maranello since the 355.
I recall two specific things about the 458 Italia:
Shortly after I bought my 991 GT3 in 2015, I met up with a friend of mine who inherited some SERIOUS cars (e.g., 50s Ferrari that finished second overall at Le Mans, a 275 GTB/4, D Type, etc.) but managed to remain humble, reflective, and far from jaded. He had recently considered a 458 Italia, and had driven several. He drove my GT3 and made it abundantly clear that the GT3 was superior, in his view. I didn’t want to believe him.
Then I drove a 458 Italia on a friend’s bachelor party (Xtreme Xperience facility in NOLA). Everyone who drove it had also driven my car, and we all felt like the Ferrari’s front end gave zero driver feedback. I am told the newer Ferraris are better. I should find out!
On the Lambo front, while I admire their charismatic NA engines, I’m not a fan personally. I rode in another friend’s Huracan Performante a few years ago, but I don’t think it’s the brand for me. I’d probably prefer an Audi R8 instead of a Huracan.
I'm the weird dude who'd get the Lotus over all those tbh, but I recognize my weirdness. Or the Ford GT
My plan had been to purchase an Elise with my first bonus, right out of college.
I went to the dealer to test drive an Elise and an E92 M3. Get in the Elise with the salesman, which took a little while with the top on - not the work of a moment. Dead battery. No problem, he’ll go swap the keys for another one sitting next to the one we were sitting in. Another dead battery. It was at this juncture that I realized that depending on a Lotus Elise to get me to work every day was probably a bad idea.
I loved the M3 and probably would’ve bought it except it was at the top of my budget, and it sold out from under me later the same day, anyway. My third choice was a 993 911. I drove a black one locally in Atlanta with the intention of potentially purchasing a Guards Red example in Dallas. I loved it and bought the black one on a handshake as another potential buyer arrived for his test drive.
A black car in Hotlanta? You is talking loco and I like it.
Amazing effort put into this review. Much enjoyed and appreciated!
+1. This was a fun review, thank you "Sherman."
Thank you! Appreciate you taking time to read it.
SM- you and I are of an age, and based on previous conversations, similar background and worldview. Although perhaps you have made a few better choices (don't drop out of college three hours shy of a degree. (Also don't choose a degree that pays less than retail.)) End double parenthetical. At any rate, all this to say I greatly appreciate the guest appearance, and moreso would love to see you continue writing, it's a far more valuable perspective for me than most of the fakers on the web.
Much appreciated; provided there’s something about which to write, I’ll be happy to contribute assuming Jack’s customers are interested.
Keep something else in mind: I make mistakes every day, and I studied Classics in college.
Really interesting and very detailed review!
Wow, I’d love the incredible depth and detail of this review!
Great article, really enjoyed reading this. One thing I'm confused about, you say the hybrid element is "dilutive" but based on the calculations presented, inclusion of the hybrid element appears to improve the power-to-weight ratio, i.e., fewer pounds per horsepower. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the word "dilutive" in this context.
Now rectified; I appreciate the heads up!
It’s easy to answer you! I made an embarrassing mistake and will fix it.
Exceptional review, I don't think I've seen a more detailed one in a long time!
Save for the Limo... Syme would have a field day with us.
What an excellent and thorough review. Great piece of writing and editing Sherman. Can't wait until the next one.
Thank you! I enjoyed writing it and sharing my observations.
0. (That's where we start lists around here, right?) An excellent and particularly detailed write-up, McCoy! As a fellow review junkie, I loved the addition of the bona fides and biases section and now I'm forced to agree that a similar system needs see widespread adoption.
1. I'm nowhere near playing in this league of vehicles, but, the biggest problem I see with this new breed comes if I imagine suddenly being able to drop $300k on a toy. I just don't see any scenario where I'd give a second thought to any of the three cars heavily featured here. As long as a manual GT3 and an LT6 Z06 are on the market, not to mention used V10 Lambos and the V8 predecessors of this car and the 296, I don't think I could ever go for a boosted V6 hybrid.
I always thought it would be fair to include “credentials,” especially in a test with numerous reviewers. You want to know who has owned 14 Porsches, who has a BMW roundel tattooed on their shoulderblade, who is setting timed laps that are slow or fast or somewhere in between. You want to know who lives and dies for a clutch pedal, who prioritizes straight line, who always loves the new stuff, etc.
You know this if you’ve been reading established names for a long time, but nobody knew my biases; that’s why I shared them.
There are a lot of compromises in that ~$250K+ market - there’s no Goldilocks car. Do you prioritize steering, transmission, NA (or forced induction), cylinder count, sound, weight, construction (CF vs aluminum), badge appeal, dealer network, perceived reliability / depreciation? There’s no obvious winner.
I suppose it depends on what your goal was should you have that kind of money to drop on a toy. It looks fine, but the mid-engine supercar profile has become like an upscale CUV in that they all look similar and you would have to be a bit of a nerd to tell them apart. It's performance is competitive but that hardly matters, nor, assuming you can drop ~$300k on a toy, does the viability of the company. If (the hypothetical) you are trying to flex on your rich neighbors it probably won't get you kicked out of the gated community. All that being said it I would say it is not interesting enough. Exact same car with a straight or flat 8 and no hybrid bullshit would be compelling, not that they care what I think. I'd rather have a convertible of almost any kind or an old Caddy for cruising, and a race car if that's what I wanted to do. I don't understand what the purpose of these cars is (this is also a reply to the last paragraph of the author's reply to you).
Edit-Last sentence was not a critique of the author, just the car. Long form, insanely detailed essays is exactly why I put down real American money to be here.
Glad you enjoyed it!
There are multiple reasons that the junior mid-engine supercars look so similar: aerodynamics in the context of regulations (passenger and otherwise), packaging (that tier of car needs to be daily driver practicable and have some luggage space), etc.
There is more variability at the 7 figure level (Senna, Speedtail, Ferrari SP3 Daytona, Lambo Sian, Bugatti Chiron, AM Valkyrie, GMA T50, etc.)
Fantastic review. Wish I could get an invite to events like this but will settle for a description this vivid and complete. Hope this isn’t your last guest post.
I’d be delighted to write again (and on other topics) as long as I have something meaningful to share and can create something I’m proud of.
As for the event, I have suspicions about how I ended up on McLaren’s list, but it’s a black box. I genuinely appreciated it, and I would be far more predisposed to patronize the brand after the experience … which is why it’s worthwhile for them to host such events.
Interestingly, it was a very relaxed, low-key arrangement. I was in the car less than 5 minutes after arrival, and my passenger was refreshingly candid; it helped that we have a few mutual friends. For context, I have done Porsche events that were far more pretentious regarding a comparatively prosaic car.
33 huh? It is the magic number.
I'm always down for a De La Soul reference.
I’d love to go in reverse.
I will happily read any car review you choose to write. I enjoyed this thoroughly.
I also would like an English to Ronspeak dictionary so I can make my emails even more inscrutable.
Thank you for reading.
I have great admiration for Ron Dennis’s achievements, and I love reading about his peculiarities: Washing the gravel on his driveway, no partial tiles at the MTC, etc.
Provided I purchased a McLaren, the vanity plate (7 characters in GA) would probably be: “RON SPK”
I have to admit, initially I was skeptical. From all accounts a GT3 is a benchmark of sorts. I'll never get to drive any of the cars referenced in this article. This is probably a good thing, since I tried really hard to wrap a 1981 Escort around a tree once. However I read a lot of articles, and mostly know nothing of the article writers driving experience. Being an actual owner of said vehicle, and not just test driving one, pretending to be an expert on such things is ......different....... I've had the same opinion of Chris Harris. He actually owns and drives excellent cars, again from all accounts, so his opinion has some merit, maybe. It will be interesting if Leno drives one. Again, he owns cars and drives them, and if he does borrow them, he has a broad experience level to compare them to. Very nice review that does me no good, but still informative. I guess I need to buy lottery tickets more often than never.
The GT3 thing cuts both ways, I think.
On one hand, it IS the benchmark for many people in terms of THE definitive, top of heap, most desirable driver’s car that is conceivably within the realm of accessibility, or at least was before the secondary market pushed new ones north of $300K. I wanted one rather badly when I was younger.
On the other hand, I hate that I have to rely heavily on experience driving one car - my own. I’d love to be able to regale you with tales of how the tire compound on the outgoing 600LT wouldn’t activate in the unseasonably low temperatures under which my magazine conducted our Car of The Year Test, but that the all-new, bespoke Pirellis on which the Artura rides offer far more compliance across wide open vistas of the North York Moors and greater dynamic highs on the most technical sections of the Evo triangle. And so on.
Yes, yes, enough about the car. How was the room in St Moritz?
Late stage George Bishop columns were pretty much entirely about the quality of the hospitality offered.
That that last bit was snark perfected. Hilarious!