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Top Gear Teases Porsche 918 Duel With LaFerrari, McLaren P1: Video

Come one, come all, to the hyper car showdown of the decade. It’s God vs. Satan; Zeus vs. Cronus; Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla; Chevy Chase vs. obscurity…

You get it. Top Gear is pitting the lauded Porsche 918 Spyder against two very worthy, hyper-hybrid nemeses: the Ferrari LaFerrari, and the McLaren P1. Scarcely anything could entertain us more.

Let’s go to the spec sheets, shall we? The Porsche 918’s combined power output is rather common knowledge, at 887 HP. That’s left to propel a claimed curb weight of 3,692 pounds, which it pushes to 60 mph in a furious 2.5 seconds. The McLaren P1 will take longer in the trot to 60 (at 2.8 seconds), but that’s mostly trivial; it beats the Porsche 918 Spyder on paper with its 915 combined horsepower, and meager 3,280 pound curb weight.

But forget everything you just read, because here comes the Ferrari “F-150” LaFerrari. Despite its atrocious naming fail, the LaFerrari boasts an impressively potent combo: 963 HP, launching just over 2,800 pounds (exact curb weight is unknown). Obviously, this is the Goliath of the group. Or is it the David?

Numbers would lead us to believe that at least in terms of performance, the LaFerrari will take the cake by a mile. But let’s not be so hasty; there are differences in how the three cars handle their battery regeneration task, as well as differences in electric torque deployment.

Of course, even if the numbers granted us foolproof, preemptive knowledge of the performance king, we have to ask: does anyone really lose in a comparison test like this? We think not. All three of these magnificent machines are winners, and frankly, so is the viewer.

Aaron Birch is an automotive enthusiast and writer/filmmaker from Detroit, MI. As a rule, he only buys cars older than himself.

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