Ferrari F80 vs McLaren W1: how do the on-paper numbers compare?

The Ferrari F80 versus the McLaren W1: all we’re missing is a competitor from Porsche for us to re-enact the fabled hypercar Holy Trinity super bout of 10 years ago. But until Stuttgart sorts that out, we’ve got a mouthwatering duel on the cards with these two, and the numbers promise it. Here’s how they stack up on paper.

Ferrari F80: 1,183bhp
McLaren W1: 1,258bhp

Round one goes to the Brit, whose 4.0-litre hybrid V8 finds an extra 75bhp more than the 3.0-litre hybrid V6 in the Fezza. They both get turbocharging, eight-speed dual-clutch gearboxes and are the most powerful production cars ever created by their respective manufacturers. The key difference here is the F80’s engine shares bits with the 499P two-time Le Mans winner, which surely pays dividends somewhere.

Ferrari F80: 805lb ft
McLaren W1: 988lb ft

But that somewhere isn’t torque. While the F80’s 805lb ft is still mightily impressive considering it has two fewer cylinders, and enough if you wanted to shift the orbit of, say, the Moon, the W1’s output of closer to a thousand torques promotes it to Martian territory. Seriously, what do you even do with this many?

Ferrari F80: 2.1s
McLaren W1: 2.7s 

Finally a win for the F80: despite packing less power and torque, this is where that Le Mans-winning technology comes in. The Ferrari’s 2.1s sprint to 62mph obliterates the McLaren’s 2.7, though the W1 starts to claw its way back by 124mph, reaching the figure a tenth slower than the F80's 5.7.

Ferrari F80: 217mph
McLaren W1: 217mph 

And it looks like they’ll continue to trade blows right until they hit Vmax too, because their top speeds are both electronically limited to 217mph.

Ferrari F80: 1,525kg
McLaren W1: 1,399kg

What makes the F80’s superior acceleration over the W1 all the more impressive is its inferior power-to-weight ratio of 776bhp/tonne (compared to the W1’s 899bhp/tonne). That’s an almighty difference, and, on paper at least, the Ferrari has no right to gain 0.6s on its rival to 62mph. We can only imagine it hosts gnomes and leprechauns under the engine bay, who tap away at the V6 to make for invisible power boosts.

Ferrari F80: 1,050kg
McLaren W1: 1,000kg  

The second outright win for the F80 comes from that slippery silhouette, which produces 50kg more downforce than the W1. Not entirely surprising given its bumpers and wings are derived from motorsport, but we’re not ruling out the possibility that this is solely down to the added weight of those gnomes and leprechauns.

Ferrari F80: £3.1m
McLaren W1: £2.1m 

Umm, if higher cost can be considered a victory here, the F80’s £3.1m pricing over the £2.1 million W1 means we end this battle royale on equal terms: three wins apiece and a draw. But it won’t be as exclusive since Ferrari will build 799 F80s, while McLaren is limiting the W1 to 399 units.

So now you’ve got the fact-based comparison, which one do you think will come out on top in the real world? Or perhaps you’d prefer to wait until an inevitable (and hopefully Porsche-shaped) third competitor enters the fold…