McLaren MP4-12C vs Ferrari 458 Italia

But the turbo-tastic nature of the MP4-12C just doesn't cut it. It feels faintly - and this'll cause a few shakes of the head - faintly £70k Nissan GT-R-ish in terms of delivery. Astonishing, but faintly industrial. It doesn't sing. Or involve like the Ferrari. Or like a McLaren, for that matter. If the MP4-12C were a naturally aspirated, operatic sliver of pure inspiration, then this would be a different story. But it never seems to be enjoying itself, so the Ferrari feels more thrilling for more of the time. To get the sense of wonder from the MP4-12C, you have to be totally engaged; the Ferrari is a huge grin-inducer under 60mph.

So we're going to ignore the empirically ‘better' car, and choose to take home the car that delivers a sucker punch to the soul - the Ferrari 458 Italia. Because sometimes winning isn't just about being faster.