Car UK May 2019

MAY 2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 115

RUNNING COSTS

The Pista is sold new

with Ferrari Genuine

Maintenance: free services

for the first seven years,

transferable to future owners.

Service intervals are 12,500

miles or 12 months, whichever

comes sooner. Brakes are

scheduled for replacement

around 56,000 miles, sooner if

the car’s used on track.

NEED TO KNOW

No radio or sat-nav as

standard, in keeping

with the track-car remit.

Optional stripes, showing

off the aerodynamic ‘S-duct’

front to best effect, cost

£8640. Four-point harnesses

recommended for track work;

they’re a £2100 option.

NEED TO KNOW

Optional Weissach

package saves 18kg,

using titanium rollcage and

CFRP anti-roll bars, rear wing,

front lid, mirrors and roof.

Ceramic composite discs and

nose lift to avoid bottoming on

speedbumps also optional.

NEED TO KNOW

Track Pack adds MSO

rear wing in gloss

black carbon, sports exhaust,

10-spoke forged alloys, carbon

race seats in two width options

(both in a non-adjustable,

reclined position), full harness

options mounted to titanium

frame behind the seats, track

telemetry system (three

cameras and datalogger) MSO

carbon shift paddles, alcantara

trim for steering wheel.

FINANCE OPTIONS

Ferrari offers finance

options for the 488

Pista tailored to individual

customers.

FINANCE OPTIONS

McLaren offers its own

finance options – head

to retailers.mclaren.com to find

your nearest dealer.

FINANCE OPTIONS

(Representative

PCP example from a

Porsche dealer)

Monthly cost £1122 (36

months) Deposit £14,347

Total amount payable

£166,937 Mileage allowance

10,000 APR 6.7%

to analyse your intentions and prime the
suspension and powertrain proactively to keep
you on the apex and out of the scenery.
‘I can see what they’ve done, which is to make
an average driver feel like a god,’ Peter says. ‘One
of the things I love about riding classic bikes and
driving the F40 is that if you make a mistake,
it tells you. With this, I wouldn’t know if I’d
gone around a fast corner really well or if it’s
just a really great bit of kit. The F40 could have
kept up with the Pista back there, but its driver
would have been in a state of mild terror.’

The curveball:
McLaren 720S Track Pack
F ORWA RD -TH I N KI NG FEROCIT Y

If the Pista and the GT3 RS are outlandish, the
720S looks like it’s just beamed down from
another planet. Its silhouette might be familiar
but its sinuous bodywork and the eye sockets
housing its air intakes and headlights make it
look like nothing else. In trademark McLaren
orange, it turns heads at 200 paces; cars ahead
lurch drunkenly in their lanes as their drivers
ogle the McLaren in the mirrors.
Inside, though, it’s relatively understated,
and subdued in black. ‘It looks functional, and
you would want a McLaren to be function over
form,’ Bullard notes. ‘Well-made too,’ he says, as
the digital instrument panel swivels to its full
height behind the wheel. ‘That’s a really nice
touch. Although I don’t normally like digital
displays, this feels very of its time, and well
thought through.’
This 720S has been fitted with the optional
Track Pack, which chops out 24kg, partly by
swapping the regular seats for reclined carbon
race seats and a titanium frame for harnesses. It
also fits a telemetry system, sports exhaust and
lightweight 10-spoke wheels, and finishes the
rear wing in gloss-black carbon.
The V8 sounds a little fruitier than usual, but
I think it’s a little characterless and industrial
next to the Pista and the Porsche. Peter is more
forgiving: ‘I find it quite appealing – it’s a crisp,
honest noise.’
Performance figures for the Track Pack are
unchanged from the regular 720 – and very
close to the Pista: 710bhp, 568lb ft and 2.9
seconds to 62mph. There’s more lag than the
Pista, which can be frustrating if you’re trying
to dip into the throttle to trim the car’s line
in slow corners, but the straightline speed
is phenomenal: the sort of acceleration that
makes my eyes stretch wide and my mouth
form all kinds of expletives.
Peter’s equally impressed: ‘That’s just
ridiculous. Performance like this could take you
in one of two directions: prison, or the sense
that you should probably leave it in the garage
and resist the temptation to take it out.’ ⊲

SPECIFICATION

Price new £252,765

As tested £290,781

Powertrain 3902cc 32v

twin-turbo V8, 7-speed dual-

clutch auto, electronically

controlled diff, rear-wheel

drive Performance 710bhp

@ 8000rpm, 568lb ft @

3000rpm, 2.9sec 0-62mph,

211mph+ Suspension Double-

wishbone front, multi-link rear,

adaptive dampers

SPECIFICATION

Value now

£220k-£275k

Price new £141,346

Powertrain 3996cc 24v flat-

six, 7-speed dual-clutch auto,

electronically controlled diff,

rear-wheel drive Performance

514bhp @ 8250rpm, 347lb

ft @ 6000rpm, 3.2sec

0-62mph, 193mph Suspension

MacPherson strut front, multi-

link rear, adaptive dampers

SPECIFICATION

Price new £232,740

As tested £262,100

Powertrain 3994cc 32v twin-

turbo V8, 7-speed dual-clutch

auto, rear-wheel drive

Performance 710bhp

@ 7500rpm, 568lb ft @

5500rpm, 2.9sec 0-62mph,

212mph

Suspension Double-

wishbone front and rear

USED OPTION

PORSCHE 911

(991.2) GT3 RS

The only car here with its

engine located behind the rear

wheels, and no turbochargers.

Everyone wondered how, or

even if, Porsche could better

the previous 991.1-generation

GT3 RS. This provides the

definitive answer.

CURVEBALL

McL AREN 720S

TRACK PACK

McLaren’s Super Series comes

of age with the knockout 720S.

Same chassis but light years

ahead of the 650S – we just

wish it had a more charismatic

engine. Track Pack leaves the

fundamentals unchanged but

adds trinkets.

NEW OPTION

FERRARI 448

PISTA

Successor to the hardcore

360 Challenge Stradale, 430

Scuderia and 458 Speciale

more than lives up to the

bloodline. Impossibly fast, and

yet friendly and accessible

enough to make any driver feel

like a hero.

THE SHORTLIST

Race-bred, road-friendly supercars

RUNNING COSTS

Menu servicing prices

for the current GT3 RS

haven't been announced yet,

but the 991.2 version needs

servicing every two years or

12,000 miles. You'll pay around

£2000 per visit if there are no

nasty surprises.

RUNNING COSTS

Service intervals are

12,500 miles or one

year, whichever comes first.

Interim service costs £850

ex-VAT. Twin-turbo V8 is always

thirsty but manages to go

single-digit on mpg with very

hard use.

The shortlist