The Ultimate 21st Century Supercar: McLaren P1 or Porsche 918 Spyder?

Prologue

When you talk about the 21st century supercars, how do you judge them? Sheer outright straight line speed? No. Engine size? No. It's all about the dynamics of the car around a track, the usable power band and ultra-light weight tech like carbon fiber monocoque, titanium this and magnesium that, ultra quick shift times through a semi-automatic 7 speed transmission. Some of today's supercars have pushed the boundaries far beyond what was imaginable only a decade ago. And I am going to talk about two of them:

The Porsche 918 Spyder and the McLaren P1.

The McLaren P1 (top) and the Porsche 918 Spyder (bottom)

Both of these machines have redefined the term 'supercar', in the sense that they are as 'contemporary' as it is possible for a supercar to be in terms of technology used inside them.

McLaren P1: the undisputed aero-king

Formula 1 world champs McLaren had a lot to live up to when they announced they will be making the ultimate supercar, after legend Gordon Murray came up with the legendary and still very fast by modern standards 'McLaren F1'. It came out in 1992, with a ludicrous price tag and oozing with high technology parts like full carbon fiber monocoque, McLaren's proprietary 'Ground Plane Shear Centre' double wishbone suspension geometry, a unique central driving position for perfect weight distribution and a V12 sourced from BMW's MotorSport or 'M' division.

Gordon Murray wanted 550bhp from the V12, but when the weight of the finished F1 came out to be greater than targeted, he was nt complaining when he heard that the V12 will produce 626bhp. The finished car ultimately did 384kph on the famous VW owned test track 'Ehra-Lessien' in Germany, which was used to test secret cars in the '30s.

McLaren F1's various versions: a) The long tail (farthest) b) The F1-GTR (middle) and c) F1

There were two projects for McLaren's automotive division-the more subdued sports car MP4-12C and the one we are discussing-the P1 supercar. Ron Dennis left as head of the McLaren-Mercedes Formula 1 team and started heading the automotive division.

An exploded view of the MP4-12C

The P1 project's chief designer was Dan-Parry Williams. He used the same M838T twin-turbo V8 in the P1 as in the MP4-12C, but with more power-730bhp. A hybrid system was conceived to aid the performance of the turbo charged V8 and also enhance the P1's 'green' credentials. The question was not of going 'hybrid' just for the sake of it, but was 'should the P1 be hybrid if it makes it slower'? And the answer was-No.

The McLaren M838T engine with rear transaxle

The hybrid system aids the engine by smoothing out the torque at various revs by providing the 'delta' torque required at those revs and also providing thrust as a stand alone power supply unit. This also aided Williams to fit bigger turbos to the engine as the 'lag' would be minimized by the battery pack's energy supply. Energy is stored in a battery pack located just behind the cockpit and above the fuel tank. The location was the best 'compromise' situation for the P1, given the packaging, cooling and other constraints. To keep the center of gravity as low as possible, the V8 features a dry sump. Also, the P1 could maintain its 'squat' stance as a result.

Sculpted too perfection-the P1 is truly breathtaking

The electric motor is bolted directly to the engine and acts as the starter motor as well, thus removing the need for a separate alternator motor.

The McLaren P1 powertrain layout

The air-flow management around the P1 is an active process as the car constantly keeps adjusting to the driving conditions by deploying the rear wing to aid traction. Also, the bonnet features slots to vent out the air from underneath the fron end and channels it along the side of the P1 and through its rear wing to maximize its aero efficiency and make it as slippery as possible, yet maintaining the required levels of downforce and minimizing drag.

The P1 is car which feels 'alive'

Porsche 918 Spyder: spiritual heir to the Carrera GT

Porsche's iconic sports cars have always evoked passion among the hearts of the automobile enthusiasts and fans across the globe. Their cars always have been engineering benchmarks and somtimes, works of art. One such work of art was the Carrera GT, which came charging from the gates of Zuffenhausen in 2004 and blew its opposition into pieces, with the exception of the Ferrari Enzo.

The Carrera GT was conceived from a failed NASCAR engine program. Porsche then decided to build a sportscar around the 5.7 litre V10 engine.

The Carrera GT

An inside view of the engineering marvel that is the Carrera GT

The 918 Spyder literally took off where the Porsche Carrera GT ended. Its wheelbase is exactly the same as the Carrera GT and looks the same as well!

The 918 Spyder

Porsche once again went for the open top configuration for a true sports car driving experience. It features a unique powertrain layout. The 918 features two electric motors, one sandwiched between the engine and transaxle and the other one on the front axle. So it is a 4WD set up, till speeds reach 93mph. Beyond that, only the rear wheels are driven, so the set up is optimal when the aero grip is less at low speeds, around tight corners and during initial acceleration. Consequently, when speeds are high and mechanical grip is aided by aero, the rear tyres can provide adequate traction.

The total power output of the powertrain stands at 887bhp, with 603bhp coming from the 4.6 litre V8 gasoline engine and the remaining 284bhp coming from both the motors. The battery consists of 312 Li-ion cells dispensing 6.8kWh of energy, so the total weight is a meaty 1800kgf. However, the centre of gravity is at wheel hub height, so handling is not compromised. Also, thanks to the 47/53 weight distribution, the change of direction is blindingly quick. The wheelbase of the 918 is same as that of the Carrera GT and hence the rear wheels are also brought into the equation both at low and high speeds to aid turn.

The Porsche 4.6 Litre V8 'hot-V'

The initial protoypes used side exiting exhausts but were found to be over heating the batteries, so a 'hot-V' configuration was used and hence the later prototypes used top exiting exhausts.

The side exhaust outlets were replaced with top exiting ones

Hot-V: Top exiting exhaust look really cool and are made out of thin walled
inconcel, so the entire exhaust system weighs just 29kgs!

Similar to the P1, the 918 also features a rear wing that deploys to aid traction in low speed corners and modulate the downforce levels as required.

Rear wings forms an integral part of the aero-package on the 918, retracts when not required

The 918's track prowess was proved when it lapped the mighty 187 turn Nurburgring-Nordschleife in 7 min flat! That is almost 20 sec quicker than the Carrera GT! The 4WD trick doing the job perhaps. But, overall it is a fantastic piece of machinery from Zuffenhausen.

The Verdict

McLaren pulled of a masterpiece with the P1, but tech progress is making cars more and more geeky and devoid of a soul. The P1 is biblical on every level, yet it does nt evoke emotions as you get from a Porsche 962 or Ferrari P3/330.

The Porsche 918 Spyder is every bit as fast as the P1, but with more character as its an open top and the engine is normally aspirated, so the purity is still there in the elements. However, the 4WD layout thanks to the front mounted motor will make the handling quite predictable. And predictable is a word which is not preferred in supercars.

This seems to be with every hypercar and supercar coming out of the stables from Bugatti, Ferrari and Lamborghini. Audi seemed to have tamed the mighty bull, taken away its madness, Ferraris seem like computing machines and Bugatti's Veyron is extremely quick but sounds like a washing machine. The noise element in a supercar is definitely going down with the V12s being replaced by turbo V8s and V6s. So when it comes to the 'ultimate 21st century supercar', it is a lot less wild than it used to be.

I'd still call the Porsche Carrera GT, Ferrari F40 and McLaren F1 the ultimate supercars!