Opinion: McLaren W1 & Ferrari F80 don’t tickle my fancy

McLaren and Ferrari recently revealed their next generation hypercars, replacing the P1 and LaFerrari, respectively. These are exciting times for enthusiasts like us, as moments like these don’t come often. It’s been more than a decade since the P1 and LaFerrari first went into production. It’s time for the new boys to take over.

With the excitement surrounding the launch of the McLaren W1 and Ferrari F80 steadily subsiding, we thought we would take a closer look at what each hypercar has to offer, what the community has to say, and more importantly, are they worthy successors to the hypercar icons.

Let’s start with the W1, as it was revealed prior to the F80. We weren’t too impressed when we first saw the images of the McLaren W1. Frankly, the design is all over the place, with little connection between the front and the rear. The front fascia reminds us of the Lykan Hypersport with its sharp edges and horizontal lines, while the rear is curvy and almost like the P1. Then there’s the side profile, which appears to have been inspired by the Senna – one of the worst McLaren designs.

Overall, the W1 looks too generic, with the only interesting bit being the rear wing. Another criticism is that it doesn’t appear to have the presence that a top-tier hypercar should. But more importantly, it’s missing the purity of design that the P1 had. That being said, we’re glad that McLaren stuck with the V8 hybrid powertrain, promising hair-raising performance.

The W1 looks too generic and is missing the purity of design that the P1 had.

The Ferrari F80 wants to be a race car for the road. The design was clearly inspired by the Le Mans-winning 499P and that’s not a bad thing. However, it’s certainly lacking the charm of the LaFerrari. The Enzo was a step up from the F50 in terms of its design, and so was the LaFerrari, which in our opinion still looks gorgeous. In fact, both the P1 and LaFerrari have aged well.

Let’s now address the elephant in the room. Yes, we’re talking about the black band. It doesn’t look half bad on the 12Cilindri as its design is based on the 365 GTB/4. However, it looks out of place on the F80, and you don’t get an option to match it with the body color either. So, if you hate it, just as we do, you will have to go with a dark/black or carbon exterior finish.

The F80 lacks the charm of the LaFerrari or even the Enzo.

Then there’s the engine – a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 in a flagship hypercar? Yes, it has 1200 hp, and it will do 0-62 mph in almost the same time as a Formula 1 pit stop. However, we’ve now reached a point where figures like specific output or quarter-mile times aren’t everything. Whether it’s a Ferrari, McLaren, or Porsche, there’s no doubt a new-gen flagship with all the latest tech will be quicker than the one it replaces. Ultimately, it’s the driving experience that matters. A flagship Ferrari should not just shove you into the seat with each dab of the right foot but also tickle all your senses. The good-old V12 was certainly capable of it and is something we always associate with a top-tier Ferrari.

Ferrari will produce 799 F80s. That’s 200 units more than the LaFerrari, and each with a price tag of around $4 million before options – for a V6, really? McLaren, on the other hand, is building 399 examples of the W1 with a base price of $2.6 million. It’s lighter than the F80 and also quicker on paper.

In conclusion, the McLaren W1 looks overdesigned in some parts, while bland in others, and is better value than the Ferrari. The F80 would’ve been a great addition to the Icona Series, but we’re struggling to see it as a LaFerrari replacement. Going by the general sentiment, we might even see LaFerraris and Daytona SP3s go up in value.

Let’s know your thoughts on the new-gen hypercars from McLaren and Ferrari.