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LaFerrari, McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Independent Track Test Shows Silverstone Times

Sure, having the holy hybrid hypercar trinity (HHHT) watching over us from automotive heaven is superb. But since most mortals can't touch any of the three, peace on high-octane Earth just isn't enough to fuel the automotive passion fire. We could, at least, have a battle between the three, right?
LaFerrari, McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder race on Silverstone 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
So far, the answer has been negative. Many media crews over the world have tried to squeeze these three hp behemoths onto a track and throw them at each other, but without success.

Every time one of the 499 LaFerrari customers would agree to introduce his pride and joy in a shootout the gods over in Maranello would step in to prevent the shenanigan from happening.

The Prancing Horse would offer a factory car instead, but with such digitalization included in these three mechanical beasts, it's nearly impossible to make sure the supplied vehicle comes in non-tweaked-for-the-press form.

Sure, Top Gear Clarkson, Hammond and May are sharing the HHHT with Chris Harris, Tiff Needel and racing driver Dario Franchitti these days - each of the two teams is filming a video on the HHHT and we don't know yet whether they're also working together or not. But the cars they drive come from the factory.

It's nice to see Ferrari and Chris Harris burying the hatchet after the British journalist exposed the Italian carmaker's unorthodox ways of winning comparisons back in 2011, but that remains a feelings & emotions story.

Now you can have the instrumented test you've been waiting for

As for a test that would measure lap times, the first and, to the best of our knowledge, only adventure of this kind to date, took place last month on the Silverstone track in the UK.

I don't know how supercar collector Paul Bailey managed to get around Ferrari's boundaries, but his LaFerrari met his McLaren P1 and his Porsche 918 Spyder on the famous circuit.

The tree were fitted with RaceLogic timing equipment and handed over to British Touring Car Matt Jackson.

They were driven back-to-back. But, as the BTCC driver explains, the typical British weather meant that, while the Mac had the coolest track conditions, with a bit of a damp track, the 918 enjoyed the opposite of that, with the LaF coming in between.

After finding out the times from the video, we can say the three came so close to each other, that the driver working to supress a sneeze during one of the hot laps could've probably changed the order.

Speaking of the driver, after watching Matt's post-race interview, we have a slight feeling his favorite happens to be the slowest car of the event. As a coincidence, I would make the same choice. Then again, as Paul Bailey demonstrates, it's better not having to take such a difficult decision.

Spoiler alert

We want to remind you that when Motor Trend compared the 918 Spyder and the P1 on Laguna Seca, the Porsche won. And to throw a spoiler at you, we'll mention the order is reversed on this occasion.

There's just one problem with such tests - people in various parts of the world have specific definitions for "fast" or "quick". To keep us all happy, the team has come up with a three-part battle. This was just the first episode, while we'll be treated with a quarter-mile stunt soon. Stay tuned!

Footage via: TheSUPERCARDRIVER

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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