The Old Guard In the world of cars, some things are sacred. Like JLR's unreliability and Ferrari's lawsuits. Like screaming American V-8s that guzzle 5 litres of fuel and only push out 300 horses. But nothing was quite as sacred as what we came to know as the Holy Trinity: The McLaren P1, the Porsche 918, and the Ferrari LaFerrari. They were, quite simply, the finest expression of what internal combustion could achieve when mixed with a dash of electricity and a whole lot of mad scientists in white coats. Image credits: Romans International on Youtube, available at [link] But times change. And just like how Richard Hammond probably eventually accepted he'll never grow taller, we must accept that a new trinity has emerged. One that makes the old guard look about as modern as a steam locomotive at a SpaceX launch. The New Challengers Let me introduce you to what can only be described as lunacy on wheels. First, we have the McLaren W1, which has decided that 1,257 horsepower is a perfectly reasonable amount of power to send to just the rear wheels. The W1's engine, which they're calling the MPH-8 (presumably because that's how quickly it adds to your speed), makes more power on its own than the entire P1 did with its hybrid system. Then they've gone and added an E-module that contributes another 300-ish horsepower, because apparently, they've never heard of the concept of "enough." That's more power from a 4.0 liter V-8 engine than even the papaya F1 cars have. I'd probably have less adrenaline by strapping a Saturn V rocket to a shopping trolley and hoping for the best - technically probably will work, but probably not advisable. I've recently had the pleasure of speaking to the designer of the W1, so stay tuned for a surprise in that department. Then there's the Ferrari F80. The Italians, in their infinite wisdom, have ditched the V12 for what they're calling the most power-dense V6 engine they've ever built. 1,184 horsepower from something the size of a suitcase. It's what happens when engineers drink too much espresso and nobody stops them. And finally, there's Porsche's Mission X, which is still technically a concept but about as "concept" as my ability to be late to everything. While they're being mysteriously quiet about the numbers, they're promising it'll be the fastest road-legal car around the Nürburgring. And in that department, it’s got the 6:29 of the AMG one to beat, which, let’s face it, is nearing impossible. Now, to be fair, we only have the details on the W1 and the F80, so let’s talk a little bit more. The design on the W1 split the internet, or at least our comment section right down the middle. And then came the F80, and suddenly, the W1 was the best-looking hypercar ever designed by the papaya patch. Meanwhile, in Maranello, Ferrari has done something that would have made Enzo spin in his grave fast enough to power all of Italy: they've put a V6 in their flagship hypercar. Granted, the F80, built to celebrate 80 years of Ferrari racing heritage looks like a bit of an oddity. Aside from the rear wing, I actually quite like the design, to be honest. It’s muted, understated, and subtle. But then, some argue, that a Ferrari is never meant to be subtle. Certainly not one that costs 4 million dollars — and to that I say, fair point. But don't start sharpening your pitchforks just yet — I’m not a fan of the car overall; only the design Topmost of my gripes is that engine being used from the 296 GTB. Now, it is one of the best Ferrari engines, but the people who are going to be paying for this car will expect a lot more than a rebadged V6. And I’m not one of those tooters who says that more cylinders = more betterer. Not in the slightest. But the performance department, numbers are impressive, not that I would expect any less from a car that costs three million British pounds. So then, the Mercedes-AMG One and the Aston Martin Valkyrie showed us that Formula 1 technology could be squeezed into road cars, albeit with the grace of forcing a hippopotamus into a wetsuit. And then we have these two: the W1 and F80 that have dialed that concept up to a hundred. And so, we're all wowed by McLaren, and puzzled by Ferrari, and wondering about Porsche. The Battle of NumbersThe old Trinity was all about numbers that seemed impossible at the time. The P1 with its 903 bhp, the 918 with its 887 bhp, and the LaFerrari with 950 bhp. They were faster than a cheetah chasing an electric rabbit that's had too much Red Bull. But these new machines? Good lord. The Nevera produces 1,914 bhp - that's not a typo, I actually meant to write that many numbers. It's like comparing a nuclear power station to a hamster wheel. And while the W1's exact figures are still under wraps, it's rumored to produce enough power to reverse the Earth's rotation. The F80? Well, if the whispers are true, it'll do 0-60 faster than it takes to say "OMG." Here’s a quick comparison of the performance figures of each car: Ferrari F80 0-100 km/h (0-60 mp/h): 2.1 secondsFerrari F80 0-200 km/h (0-126 mp/h): 5.8 secondsFerrari F80 0-300 km/h (0-186 mp/h): Not PublishedFerrari F80 top speed: 350.0323 km/h (217.50 mp/h) McLaren W1 0-100 km/h (0-60 mp/h): 2.7 secondsMcLaren W1 0-200 km/h (0-126 mp/h): 5.8 secondsMcLaren W1 0-300 km/h (0-186 mp/h): 12.7 secondsMcLaren W1 top speed: 350 km/h (217.48 mp/h) Technically the Ferrari is 0.05 seconds faster than the W1 in the 0-200 department) And in that respect it’s very likely that the 0-300 times for the F80 have not been published because the W1 is likely to be better at that point. But let’s look at a somewhat ignored metric for our comparison, one that I quite like to look at. It’s the horsepower per tonne. The Porsche GT3 RS, for reference, has a PTW ratio of 365 Horses. The Ferrari F80 has 787 ponies per tonne. And the W1? It’s decided that it wants no less than 911 horsepower per tonne of dry weight. Just for more reference, the Koenigsegg One:1 has a power-to-weight ratio of 862.71 hp/ tonne. Jesus. Though an argument can be made that the Corvette (stock) can almost match the top speed of the F80, at a twelfth of the price. That value proposition argument though, is for another day. Lets gradnfather these lot in, shall we? Porsche, you've got to wow us. The VerdictAnd here's the thing - the old trinity represented the peak of what we could achieve with petrol engines helped along by electric motors. They were the finale, the last hurrah, the goodbye wave of an era. But this new trinity? They're the opening chapter of something entirely different. The W1, the F80, and the Mission X aren't just fast cars. They're what happens when engineers stop asking "How fast can we go?" and start asking "How fast do you WANT to go?" They're what happens when the laws of physics look at a car and say, "Oh bloody hell, not again." So yes, the old trinity will always have a special place in our hearts, like that first girlfriend who broke your heart but taught you valuable life lessons. But this new trinity? They're not just moving the goalposts - they've taken the goalposts, strapped rockets to them, and launched them into orbit. And we can collectively agree that we like at least one of them.
