MOTOR MOUTH
In search of the world’s best supercar
Ah, t he f i ne art of bench racing, waxing lyrical about automobiles you have not even sat in, let alone driven. Universal the world over, motorized blarney is invariably debated at some volume, most often encouraged by the consumption of adult beverages and almost always in the company of friends named Bud, Bob and You-old-so-and-so.
The subjects have changed over the years — Alfa Romeo versus Maserati long since displaced by McLaren versus Ferrari — but the questions posed are always the same: Which is faster? Sexier? And most important, which would I own? Indeed, the only thing that changes as bench racers age is “when I get older” morphs into “if I win the lottery” as the starry-eyed dreams of youth are replaced by the realities of middle age.
Which makes me, then, the luckiest boy ever to escape Sept-Îles, Que. Under the auspices of what I tell Canada Revenue Agency is a job, I get to drive the supercars I bench race. I’ve driven the gamut of the junior supercar field: Ferrari’s 488, the McLaren 720S, Ford’s GT and Lamborghini’s Performante Huracan. Which means, under the rules of bench racing, I am obliged to pontificate:
ME GO FAST NOW
Judged on pure power alone, one has to declare the 720S the ne plus ultra of entry-level supercars. Newly invigorated to 4.0-litres, McLaren’s turbocharged V8 now boasts 710 horsepower. Of the three turbo engines in this quartet ( the 488, the Ford GT and the 720S all feature twin turbos) it plainly offers the most urge. The 661hp Ferrari feels remarkably similar, but slightly diminished. The Ford GT’s 3.5-L V6 EcoBoost, meanwhile, is the least powerful turbocharged engine here, not surprising since it a) has the least displacement and b) the fewest pistons. Yes, it does boast the highest top speed — a whopping 348 km/h — but that has more to do with aerodynamics than moxie.
And the Lamborghini? Despite spinning to no less than 8,500 rpm, even the Performante version of Lamborghini’s V10 boasts but 631 horses. While posting an identical 2.9- second time to 100 km/h as the McLaren, it’s more than a second slower to 200. Are we witnessing the demise of the naturally aspirated engine?
AURAL DELIGHT
But there is a sound reason Lamborghini has foregone the turbo revolution. Where the McLaren’s turbo V8 sounds as synthesized as a deadmau5 drop, the Huracan’s V10 is no less than the Bohemian Rhapsody sung at 8,500 rpm, no piped in “sound amplifiers” needed, thank you very much. The Lambo is the only junior supercar that still makes the hair on your neck tingle, every blip of its incredibly responsive throttle an invitation — nay, an imploration — to motorized mayhem. If this be the death of the naturally aspirated supercar, let us at least rejoice in its swan song.
SNOB APPEAL
Were I more polite, I’d avoid mentioning that 95 per cent of these cars will see nothing more arduous than Yorkville Avenue or Granville Street, their most important function stirring envy among we proles. In this regard, two stand out — the 488 and Ford’s new GT — the 488 because, well, it’s a Ferrari, and the GT because it manages to look traditional and futuristic, the modern equivalent of the original Lamborghini Countach. Stylist Craig Metros’ ability to marry the space age and the organic without offending either is bloody marvellous.
NIFTIEST TECHNOLOGY
In a similar vein, most of the technology — like the power — in these cars will never get used. Lamborghini’s Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva ( ALA), for instance, not only increases aerodynamic downforce, but also directs it to the wheel of choice. Novel, simple and effective, it’s the engineering trifecta. On the other hand, I just love the GT’s dualspring, dual-rate suspension system that lets Ford slam its sleek beast down to within 70 millimetres of terra firma. And routing the inlet tract from turbocharger to intake manifold through the GT’s rear buttresses ( those winglike appendages connecting fender to main body) is engineering at its best.
BEST STREET CAR
Determining the strengths of these four is actually easy since they divide up evenly between cars meant for the track ( the Ford GT and the Huracan Performante) and the road (the 488 and 720S). Of the latter two, there’s precious little difference; the Ferrari offers more posing power, the McLaren a little more comfortable interior.
BEST TRACK WEAPON
Oh boy, how do you judge this one? A Ford GT LM — surprisingly little different from the road- going car — just won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Huracan Performante ( thanks to the aforementioned downforce) just set the new lap record at the Nurburgring. Which more accurately reflects the truth of supercar speed? Oh man, that’s tough. In the end, while the Ford GT may have more potential as delivered, the Performante, thanks to its ALA active aerodynamics, is the sweetest-steering supercar extant.
WHAT WOULD I BUY?
And finally, which I would buy if, as per bench- racer tradition, I won the lottery, the winner is … none of ’ em, actually.
The sweet-steering Lambo comes tantalizingly close, but as gorgeous and fast as these four may be, none quite make me lament my lack of millions enough to take up hedge funding, stock manipulating or whatever it is they do on Bay Street. Instead, if my lucky numbers came up, I would find the nicest, lowest- mileage 458 Speciale I could find and park it in my garage for the next 30 years. “Yestertech” it may be, but waking up to the scream of that flat-plane crankshafted V8 every single day for the rest of my life would make me very happy indeed. Looking back might be a violation of the bench-racing rule book, but such is the downside of actually driving your dreams.