Top Car

January 2016|TOPCAR.CO.ZA 89

Toomany
buttons,cheap
column stalks...
Familiarity
breeds
contempt?

Rearlamps

‘coquettish’.

Wouldgrace

the Tate

Modern, and

willgracethe

road

PORSCHE 911

TURBO S

PriceR2 890 000

Engine3 800cc 24v

flat6cyl, 412kW@

6 500rpm,750Nm@

2 200rpm

Transmission

7-speed dual-clutch,

four-wheeldrive

Performance

3.1sec0-100kph,

319kph,9.7ℓ/100km,

22 7g /kmCO2

Suspension

McPhersonstruts

front, multi-link rear,

adaptivedampers

Length/

width/height

4 506/1 978/1 296mm

Weight/made

from1 680kg/steel,

aluminium

Fuel tank 68 litres

McLAREN

570S

PriceR3250 000(est)

Engine3 799cc 32v

V8,419kW @ 7 40 0rpm,

60 0Nm @ 5000rpm

Transmission

7-speed dual-clutch,

rear-wheeldrive

Performance,

3.2sec0-100kph,

32 8kph, 11.1ℓ/100km,

25 8g/kmCO2

Suspension

doublewishbones,

coil springs, adaptive

dampers

Length/

width/height

4 530/2 095/1 202mm

Weight/made

from1 430kg/

carbonfibre,

aluminium

Fuel tank 72 litres

imprecise feel until you learn to work with its particular traits,

to ensu re you’re inthe right ge ar an d ge tting on the gas at the

right time. For me, Ferrari’s 488 GTB and its near zero-lag

response has changed the turbocharged game, and both

McLaren and Porsch e are playing catch up (though I haven’t

driven the 991.2). But when it comes to steering, it’s McLaren

that leads the class. The weight of the steering, the outstanding

on-centre feel, the perfectly judged ratio, even just the shape of

the wheel, all contribute to a car that is a joy to drive at any

speed inany situation. Whether you’re ambling downa

motorway or tearing up B-roads, you never feel less than 100

per cent ke yed in, and that’s a rare thing these days, even in

this class. Flick yourwrist ineither direction and the 570

reminds that it’s lighter than an y rival. Reverting to cheaper,

lighter, steel springs and anti-roll ba rs instead of the 650’s

hydraulics has had a slightly detrim ental effect on ride quality

that’s particularly noticeable on Lisbon’s cobbles, but it’s still

comfortable, and the contro l

remains intact, giving you

the confidence to push

deeper and deeper. Though

dimensi onally bigger than a

650S, you’d swear

from the way it moves that

the 570 takes up less road real

estate. AsJames says , it feels

like the kind of car Lotus

would love the Evora 400 to

be, given the chance.

McLaren’s twintoggles,

one for handling, one for

power, make another

appearan ce at the ba se of the

console giving a choice of

Normal, Sport and Track in

each case. Track’s damping is

too tight for these ro ads, but

Sport works perfectly, and

follo wing the 675LT’s lead,

the ESP system is decoupled

from those toggles. So ifyou

do want Track mode’s body control and throttle response, you

can now have it while enjoying the ESP safetynet. Not that

most drivers willneed it. Naturalbalance and a generous

steering lock mean the physicalhardware is on yourside.

There were no electronic safetynets inProst and Lauda’s car

back in’84 of course. No paddleshift transmissions either,

although the MP4/2 was one of the first F1 cars to employ

carbon cera mic brakes. We swing by Estorilone last time

before Porsch e and McLaren go their separate ways. It’s still

tipping it do wn, but 31 years ago the umbrellas offered shel ter

from the sun, not the rain. Going into that final race Prost was

second inthe driver’s championsh ip but knew he would seal

the dealif he finished inthe top three, as long as table-topper

Lauda trailed by several places. Lauda meanwhile could wrap it

up ifhe came first or second. Trouble was, Prost had qualified

on the front ro w, while his teammate lay ba ck in11th. But this

was NikiLauda we’re talking ab out. A man who, eigh t years

earlier had lost his eyelids, most of his ear and almost his life in

a Nordschleife fireballbut was ba ck on the starting grid ju st six

weeks later. Lauda ba ttled through the field at Estoril, taking

advantage of Nigel Mansell’s 51st-lap spinto take second pl ace

to Prost’s first, and the championsh ip by halfa point – half

points having been awarded earlier inthe season when

Monaco was stopped mid-race with Prost inthe lead.

The two remained team-mates the following season, one that

culminated inthe Aust rian’s retiremen t from racing, and the

first of the Fren chman’s three world championsh ips. Porsch e

continued to supply powertrains to McLaren for three further

years but they were no match for the Williams-Hondas and

McLaren itselfswitched to Japanese power for 1988. Asfor

Estoril, it hosted a Portugal Grand Prixuntil 1996, thereafter

being dumped from the calend ar. The fabulous Autodromo

Algarve circuit at Portimao has long been mooted as the right

facilityto return a GP to Portugal, but there’s one big piece of

the puzzle missing: cash. Portugal is stillprettyskint.

McLaren Automotive, on the ot her hand, is inrude health. In

profit and ina position to funnel millions of pounds back into

research and development for its next generation of cars,

McLaren’s ro ad-car ar m feels like a company that has really

found its feet, found its identity, and grown inconfidenc e. The

brilliant 675LT is evidenc e of that. So is the 570S. But is the

570S good en ough to make a better buy than a 911? This might

be the most usable McLaren yet, but it stillcan’t match the

Porsch e when it comes to ease of use. The 911 is roomier, easier

to see out of and requires less ef fortto drive and own. WhenI

tot up the Porsch e’s demerits, the list, as ever, is shor t.

You’ll be making moreallowances for the McLaren. Pure

sports cars will always ask that of you. But you really could

imagine using a 570S every day. While McLaren expects the

570, its de-contented 540 little brother, and the inevitable

roofless version that’ll follo w, to doub le Woking’s output,

we’re still talking a couple of thousand cars peryear to the

911’s 30000. That rarity alone ensures the McLaren feels like

the morespecial car. But so does the way it drives, and that

must be the deciding character in a test like this. It steers so

much be tter, accelerates that bit harder. It just puts a bigger

grin on your face moreof the time, and makes the Porsch e

feel, well, a little bit ordinary. And I don’t believe I’ve ever

written thatbefore.tc

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