To my mind, this simply demonstrates something which should be screamingly obvious to everyone - the characteristics which make a good race car simply don't apply to those which make a good road car and vice-versa.
Race cars go in circles around smooth well-surfaced tracks which are able to be practiced repeatedly and with entirely predictable traffic conditions. The engines are designed to be driven at or near maximum power output nearly every second they are being used, and the brakes, when used, are being nailed on absolutely at the limit. The physical forces on a race car lie right at the limit of what a very physically fit person can withstand. They are designed to be extensively rebuilt after extraordinarily short mileages. Who in their right mind would ever want a car that was set up to do that?
The fact that McLaren isn't doing very well in F1 simply indicates to me that they are focusing more importance onto the development of their road cars, and jolly good luck to them.
There is no way on this earth I will ever be in a position to contemplate the purchase of a 'supercar', but if it did ever happen, it's a McLaren that I'd be buying.
Interestingly enough Tim, quite a bit of the technology on the Super Car series (and above!) is from McLarens F1 racing technology. For example the suspension on the 720S is basically an updated version of ‘active suspension’ that was banned in F1. Similarly it has active aerodynamics, it’s interesting watching the rear wing move as an element of this when you drive down a twisty and undulating road, as the wing adjusts the overall downforce.
There are many other parts of the car which reflect McLarens race expertise, it has no limited slip differential for example relying on electronics to control the grip, but even the handling of the car is adjusted by the electronics e.g. by braking the passenger side rear brake on turn-in to reduce, if not eliminate understeer. It is part of what differentiates the cars from the competition, in that McLaren use F1 technology and expertise to create the most advanced sports cars in the world.
I recently drove a friend’s Lamborghini Performante and he drove my 720S, and we both agreed that the McLaren was on a different level. He’s just considering strategies as to how he can sell a change to a 720S to his better half!
