In 2013, McLaren, Ferrari, and Porsche all had the same idea, to build the world’s highest-performing supercar with the latest hybrid technology. Now, 11 years later, we get to see round two (though Porsche seems to be sitting this one out). Succeeding both the McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari are now the McLaren W1 and Ferrari F80, released within just two weeks of each other. Now that both cars are here, let’s look at each brand’s new approach to hybrid formula this time around, how they differ from each other, and how they differ from previous efforts.
Recapping Round 1
When these two companies last took each other on with their own hybrid supercars, the approaches were radically different. The McLaren P1 used a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8, combined with an electric motor and KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), to send a whopping 903 horsepower to the rear wheels. It also famously had all sorts of hydraulically controlled aerodynamic trickery, such as its massive rear wing and adjustable ride height. Using its small battery, it could switch the engine off and drive under electric power alone for around six miles.
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Meanwhile, the LaFerrari took a more old-school approach to the future. It also used a KERS system, but it was paired with a 6.3-liter naturally aspirated V12, which combined to make 950 horsepower. The LaFerrari was also rear-wheel drive and had active aerodynamics, like the P1, but the LaFerrari’s aero was simpler, with a more low-profile extendable rear wing that popped out whenever the car’s brain deemed downforce was needed.
Both cars were mind-blowing at the time and proved that electrification could be used as a tool for performance, not just efficiency. We wouldn’t have cars like the second-gen Acura NSX or Lamborghini Temerario without them.
McLaren W1
This time around, things are quite a bit different. Both McLaren and Ferrari yet again pulled technology directly from their Formula 1 programs, but in very different ways.
The McLaren W1 follows a similar recipe to the P1, just with improved technology. It still employs a twin-turbocharged V8, but this one has been bumped up to 4.0 liters. It’s also an all-new engine, not borrowed from any other McLaren, and revs to an impressive 9,200 rpm. Unlike the P1, the new W1 pairs its engine with a radial-flux electric motor, for a total output of 1,258 horsepower. All of it is still sent to the rear wheels, through an eight-speed dual-clutch. The W1 weighs an impressively low 3,084 pounds despite that hybrid hardware, and like the P1, it can still travel on battery power alone—for just two miles, anyway.
Typical of a McLaren halo car, there’s quite a lot of suspension and aerodynamic wizardry going on underneath the papaya-orange skin. The front suspension uses pushrod inboard dampers like an F1 car (the rear is a traditional coilover setup), and there’s also an F1-inspired heave damper, which prevents the front suspension from compressing too much under heavy load, like during brake dive or when hitting a bump. The W1’s rear wing, like the P1’s, is also active. However, here it can extend as much as a foot rearward, giving it a McLaren Speedtail-like wing. All the active aero combines to generate 2,205 pounds of maximum downforce.
McLaren claims the W1 can reach 60 mph in 2.7 seconds, but that seems conservative considering that the heavier, less powerful McLaren 750S has been independently tested with faster times. The W1’s claimed top speed is 217 mph.
Ferrari F80
If the McLaren W1 was a refinement of its predecessor, the Ferrari F80 starts over from a blank slate. Instead of a glorious, screaming V12, as the LaFerrari had, the F80 uses a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, paired with an electric motor to drive the rear wheels. However, for the first time in a Ferrari flagship, the F80 is all-wheel drive, thanks to two additional electric motors at the front axle. The total system power for the F80 is 1,184 horsepower, making it slightly less powerful than the McLaren, despite having two extra motors. It’s also heavier, weighing in at 3,362 pounds.
According to Ferrari, the F80 can hit 62 mph in a mind-altering 2.1 seconds—more than half a second faster than McLaren’s estimate for the W1. Despite its lower total power figure and greater weight, the F80’s all-wheel drive and additional electric torque could make it faster than the McLaren off the line. Its top speed is the same as the McLaren’s, at 217 mph.
The Italians weren’t about to let McLaren have all of the active aerodynamic glory this time around, though. The F80’s massive retractable rear wing, clever “S-Duct” in the nose, and underbody diffuser all help to generate a peak of 2,314 pounds of downforce, besting the W1’s capability. Ferrari has combined that clever aero with new 48-volt adjustable pushrod inboard dampers supplied by Multimatic. The active suspension is designed to offer a comfortable ride on the street but lower the body as much as possible for track use, while also constantly adjusting to counter brake dive and cornering lean.
There’s nothing old-school about the Ferrari F80, except for maybe its interior, which has but a single screen in the instrument cluster. It pushes the technological envelope more than any other Ferrari to date. More importantly, it’s nothing like the LaFerrari that came before it. While McLaren stuck to a similar recipe and sourced better ingredients, Ferrari has opened an entirely new restaurant.
Both cars will be sold in limited numbers, though Ferrari will build 799 examples of the F80—more than double McLaren’s 399 W1s. The F80 will also be more expensive, at $3.9 million, versus the McLaren W1’s $2.1 million price tag. All of them are already accounted for of course, so if you don’t have a build slot yet, you aren’t getting one.
As for the question of which is better, that’s impossible to tell without driving them back-to-back. But then, it also doesn’t really matter. We’re just happy to see the biggest names in hypercars return for one more internal combustion-powered go. In another decade, their replacements could be entirely electric.
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