Hypercar Hype

With the 83rd Geneva Motor Show underway three cars have made a big splash. The Lamborghini Veneno, LaFerrari (I understand it is not the Ferrari LaFerrari, but simply LaFerrari), and McLaren P1. These three hypercars (as the supercar moniker is just inadequate for these incredible machines), are the latest offering from three of the world's premiere sports car manufacturers. And wow, they have pulled all the stops for these cars. All three are fully carbon-fiber construction, giving them all extremely low weight especially considering two (Lamborghini and Ferrari) have V-12 engines, and two (McLaren and Ferrari) have KERS hybrid systems. For a nice tabular layout of the similarities and differences between the three, check out this Yahoo Auto Blog post.

But aside from the differences in numbers, there are other less tangible differences. Each car's basic aim is the same, to be the flagship car for their respective companies. They are showcases for the latest in automotive engineering and design. They are meant to get people talking about the cars and the manufacturers, to get young boys and girls to dream about driving and maybe owning one someday (and plastering posters of them on their bedroom walls). In short, to generate hype. I'll break down my thoughts on each.

Lamborghini Veneno

I'll start with the Lamborghini because it is most different from the other two. The two most notable differences are its price, a cool $4 million, and its production run, a ludicrously limited run of three. Naturally all three are spoken for. It also has the most outrageous styling of the three, with jagged edges, enormous air intakes, and trademark scissor doors. It's the modern version of the Countach, purposely outrageous to get people to take notice. It certainly worked with the Countach. It was the first car to make me fall in love with cars, and there's still a soft spot in my heart for it. It doesn't make any attempt at greening itself with a hybrid system. It's a pure V-12 producing 700+ HP, and as is becoming standard on Lamborghinis, an all wheel drive system to help with launch. There's no manual gearbox, just an incredibly advanced 7-speed.

So what's the deal with a $4 million car (four times more expensive than the McLaren or Ferrari) with "only" 700 HP? Why would Lamborghini build this car when it's clearly outmatched by the McLaren or Ferrari? It's all about image, and not just for the person driving it. Lamborghini has made another Countach, a car designed to get people to take notice and dream about owning a Lamborghini. That's not to say it is a slouch. It will reach 100 km/h from 0 in 2.8 seconds and has the highest top-speed of the three (although it is the only one not electronically limited).

F1 fans will surely note the Pirelli P-Zero tires with red markings. They must be the super-softs.

LaFerrari F150

Again, I am to understand that Ferrari wants us to call it simply LaFerrari (and the full official name is LaFerrari F150). Of course they do, Ferrari LaFerrari sounds ridiculous. The car it replaces had an odd name too, the full version of which, Ferrari Enzo Ferrari, did not exactly roll off the tongue. On paper it looks to be the fastest of the bunch, weighing over 200 lbs less than either the Lamborghini or McLaren, thanks mainly to a smaller, lighter battery pack for the KERS system. This comes at some expense to efficiency, the Ferrari will likely be less efficient than the McLaren, and I believe it is unable to drive on pure electric only, even for short distances. It is also the most powerful, outstripping the McLaren again, this time by 46 hp. Figures. Ferrari hates losing to McLaren :)

It is a flagship car in every way. Aside from the KERS system, it has other cutting-edge tech including a moveable rear wing. I assume it can be used as an air brake similar to the McLaren MP4-12C. It has a dual-clutch electronically controlled 7-speed transmission. It isn't just for show either. Aside from a 0-100 km/h sprint of under 3 seconds, Ferrari claims it laps their private Fiorano test track in 1:20, 5 seconds faster than the Enzo.

Personally I think it's the best looking of the bunch. The Veneno is a little too sharp and bonkers looking, the McLaren a little too bubbly. It borrows design cues from the 458 Italia, another attractive car, and it appears that every piece of it is fully functional; generating downforce or lowering drag.

McLaren P1

Ah, McLaren. When the McLaren F1 came out in 1992 it grabbed hold of me like the Countach before it. It was the first all carbon-fiber car, it produced over 600 hp (absolutely unheard of for the time), weighed only 2500 lbs (despite a massive BMW V-12 and an engine bay lined with freaking gold to protect the body work from the heat), and coolest of all, positioned the driver in the center of the car, just like an F1 car. I wasn't following F1 at the time, but that's when I started to take notice, even if it took me longer to really get into it (didn't have any way to watch races until a decade later).

It's taken over 20 years for McLaren to build a successor. But when they did, they built a worthy successor, even if it has a more traditional side-by-side driver and passenger layout. The P1 is, like the other two, an incredible piece of work. It is a twin-turbo V8, the same as in the MP4-12C albeit highly tuned, coupled to an F1-style KERS system. The KERS system is heavier than Ferrari's, while producing the same power. With a larger battery pack, the P1 will likely get better efficiency, and can travel up to 20 km at low speeds on electric power only. Like the Ferrari, it will seriously outpace its predecessor. A 0 - 300 km/h sprint in under 17 seconds should beat the F1 by 5 seconds. Aside from the KERS F1 tech, the P1 will also feature a DRS-like system (no, you don't need to be within one second of the car in front to activate it). Um, that sounds like a bad idea. A car with 900+ hp, and you're going to allow amateurs to remove downforce? Mr. Bean is sure to kill himself this time.

Design-wise it is the most understated of the bunch. Understated being a very relative term. This is typical of stoic McLaren and all-business Ron Dennis. As I said above, I feel it's a little "bubbly," but I'm sure that every bit was developed in a wind-tunnel to produce downforce and/or lower drag.

Conclusion

What do I think of these new hypercars? Well, they're all a bit ridiculous. The horsepower wars are getting crazier all the time. Two of these cars are more powerful than F1 race cars. I understand that McLaren and Ferrari can't very well make cars that are slower than the ones they replace. The marketing folks would flip their shit. But where is it all headed?

I should mention that I think the drive towards efficiency in road cars is essential. But I am a pragmatist and fully realize that a handful of supercars with pathetic gas mileage is a drop in the bucket compared to millions driving cars to and from work every single day in vehicles whose gas mileage has hardly improved since the 70s. The number one selling vehicle in America has been the Ford F-150 (not to be confused with the LaFerrari F150 or the Formula 1 car, the Ferrari 150° Italia). But I am pleased that these cars (along with the Porsche 918, which yes, I left out of this hypercar discussion for the sake of brevity) are proving that efficiency and performance can coexist. I hope it trickles down to everyday sports cars.