Ferrari 458 Speciale vs Mclaren 650s review

Hi, actually there is nothing available. The only two relevant info we have are the lap time of the Speciale on "Vairano" race track (much quicker than the Italia) and the lap time of the 650S Spider on "Hockenheim short" race track (same time as the previous 12C Spider) .
Vairano Handling Course lap records - FastestLaps.com
Hockenheim Short lap records - FastestLaps.com

 

Afaik there has been no test of the Speciale so far, just first drive impressions... I guess we will have to wait another while for comparisons...

 

When they are tested I bet a dumb US pub will pit a Z28 Camaro against both and declare the Chevy a winner.

 

There was a full test (more than 8 pages) made by Quattroruote (Italy). Some pages are scanned here:
ROAD TESTS - 458 Speciale full review Quattroruote | German Car Forum
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gti5OOTZ4bs

 

Right. But no comparisons yet...

 

The 650S and Speciale are different cars. The 650S is closer to an Italia than a Speciale. It's a quite luxurious car with a comfy ride and not the stripped out racer the Speciale seems to be

 

Interestingly, Chris Harris recently tested the 650S for Road&Track and towards the end of video that initially felt a bit like an 'infomercial' for the 650S, he remarked twice, while driving it on a track that it lacked the "458's level of control" it provides to the driver, and he would have been referring to the Italia at that point...interesting that comment I thought (and in line with reviews of the 12C)...

Chris Harris on the McLaren 650S - Video - Road & Track

 

No need to wait. The 458 Speciale has that intangible soul, feel, communication, control, sound, spirit, liveliness, communication, drama, passion, warmth, crispness, style, that the robotic 650S just lacks. The Ferrari just turns in better, feels better on the brakes, gearbox is more special. All quantifiable performance figures favor the 650S

 

There will probably be a head-to-head review of the cars this summer, when the local press offices get their cars.

Atm, the only test drives of the two have been organized by the respective factories. Once for instance FNE has a demo available and McLaren is willing to lend out a car, we will probably see a "battle" in one of the british publications. My money is on the 458 Speciale as from the reviews it appears a tad more of a visceral experience than the 650S. With that being said I saw the 650S at Geneva, and the racing seats were fantastic, better than those of the Speciale. There is also some very impressive tech in the 650S.

Don't underestimate the competition. Speciale might be more brutal than the 650S in feel and appearence, but the latter is still seriously quick. Will be very interesting to see a lap time comparison on identical tires. Will the Speciale conquer both the emotion and numbers?

 

Not a head to head but Jethro Bovington's review of the Speciale for EVO is quite good:

Ferrari 458 Speciale review and video | evo

 

The 12c already bests the 458 though on track. The 650s therefore bests (likely) the eSpeciale, on track. All other subjective elements aside.

 

The Speciale is not a "stripped out racer."

 

+1

Has to be one of the most misused comments about a car, regardless of marque.

 

You are right of course. I think what I meant is that the Speciale has been on a serious diet while the 650S is still available with full electric seats etc. The new McLaren hasn't had any real weight removed because it isn't being positioned as the lightweight version in the range. In fact, it is just an update of the 12C.

 

The 458 Speciale's stated dry weight is 1290 kg, whereas the equivalent figure for a default configuration 650S coupe is 1330 kg. That's a good 40 kg difference.

You can, however, configure the 650S with options that contribute to weight reduction. The key example is that of the P1-derived seats, which are not only 15 kg lighter, but are much, much nicer in terms of driver support and engagement, at the expense of user-adjustability and seat heating. A lightweight 650S coupe is about 1300 kg: much lighter but still a little heavier than the Speciale.

 

+100 Agreed

 

+1 on this.
Great deal with the technology.



Sent from my F430 using Tapatalk.

 

The 650S if faster and Numbers are better. Both are frickin' awesome, though.

People who can't get a Speciale will buy the 650S and say its way better and faster. They will put down Ferrari.
Those who buy a Speciale will love it's exhiliariting sound and not really care about the 650S or what McLaren owners will say.

Of course, I want both.

 

Have you driven both? Nope.

 

I believe he's clowning the Tifosi who claim soul trumps performance as their Italia would get their ass handed to them by a 12c on the track.

Speed isn't everything IMHO especially for daily driving my spider. If it was i would be driving a tuned gtr.

 

80% of the 650S sold will be Spiders, so that might be a factor in the choice buyers make. I had a 12C Spider and an Italia side by side in the garage for a year and often chose to use the McLaren based on the weather and the journey.

 

Does the Spider still have the scissors doors? I take it you didn't have problems with ingress/egress into the CF tub? I'm relatively young and mobile but ingress/egress of my 458 Spider took some getting used to after the 911 and California, especially as I have a small garage and can't swing open the driver's door to it's full extent.

If I had a Macca it would be the only one in the state. No dealership. Don't understand people who say the Macca doesn't have soul. 90% of them have never driven one.

 

I'm quite old and have no issues getting in and out of the Mac. Your garage might be a problem though as the doors need some room. I have no dealer where I live but a mechanic flies in to service the car.

 

Ahh very cool. I've been to Sydney, fantastic city. Thanks for the tip on the garage. The original owner of my home was a Japanese physician and they are used to small garages. I had a F10 BMW that was 192 inches and it left only a foot of space in front and behind so I have length as well as width issues. That's why there will never be an Aventador that graces my abode LOL.