Just 33% of you want that bare-bones Evo from last week. Sigh. I get it – life is about more than just the basics. So how about I bring you something more rare than a fighter jet, more exotic than a vacation on Jupiter, and more expensive than your ex-girlfriend’s taste. Here is a member of the Holy Trinity for sale: the McLaren P1.
But is it too late to really covet a car like this?
The 2014 McLaren P1 vs the 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4
See the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4
If you’re sitting there scratching your head about this pairing, I promise I’ll make it make sense. But first, the McLaren.
I can’t believe this car is already 10 years old. Wasn’t it just on Top Gear (no wait, Grand Tour), with the LaFerrari and Porsche 918, going head-to-head? Alas, the Porsche beat it then, and I think that car has aged the best of the three.
The P1 is no slouch of course. But I can’t help but feel indifferent about these. They’ve reached the point of life where they are dated, but not yet nostalgic. Don’t believe me? Check the value of a McLaren F1. A million bucks in 1995, now worth over 20 million US American dollars. Just 106 were built. By comparison, this McLaren sold for 1.1 million dollars, and if you get 2 million for it now, you’d do well for yourself. 375 were made – very rare, but still more than the F1. And no successor has been produced, making this car McLaren’s top gun for the past decade.
All this means what, exactly? Do you buy this car and wrap it in a bubble that even AMMO would be proud of? Do you drive the snot out of it and watch the value plummet? Perhaps there’s another answer in that Porsche.
The 2014 McLaren P1
It is a beauty, eh? It’s the first one up for bid on the site, and as you’d guess, they are very hard to come by. That goes for the 918 and Ferrari the Ferrari too.
- 4,700 miles. Is that a lot for this thing? Feels like it.
- MSO (McLaren Special Order) Fusion Green
- Clean title
- PPF is installed. Even I’d do it here.
- Scuffs on the front splitter’s underside and rear diffuser. Why?
- Wear on the driver’s interior door handle. My 20k-mile M3 doesn’t have that; can we please be careful?
- Offered through a dealer as a CPO car, for whatever that’s worth.
- Maintenance records are through and impressive. Even the lug nuts have been replaced.
- 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 combines with an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack. The system is rated at 903 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque.
Of note is McLaren’s battery upgrade for the P1. Using lessons learned from the Speedtail, the P1’s original battery can be replaced by a much lighter unit. The new one weighs about 110 pounds, which is less than half the weight of the original – almost 234 pounds. I mention it because that battery is on order, and a deposit is already in place. How nice.
Already at $1.3 million (6 days to go), it’s hard to find a comparable sale. Perhaps this blue one offers a clue – over 2 million. And while it’s fast, it’s not the fastest anymore. Wasn’t that part of the appeal?
You’ve been patient. Let’s bring in the GT4.
The 2022 Porsche Cayman GT4
You could potentially buy 20 of these cars for the cost of one McLaren. But which do you think you’d have more fun in?
- 15,200 miles
- Clean title
- Manual
- No real mods aside form PPF and 20-inch GT4 wheels in Platinum Silver.
- Six-speed manual
- A flat-six with 414 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque.
- Bid to $101,000 so far.
That’s all – plain and simple. I know I love the GT4. You know I love the GT4. And I know that you know that I love the GT4.
Perhaps I’m just not rich enough to enjoy the McLaren. It’s hard not to have fun with a thousand horsepower. But the Cayman’s perfect balance, six-speed manual and relatively low level of performance means you can enjoy this car on a back road or a track.
The P1? You need to lug around the Bahrain Gran Prix track to exploit it all. What will you do with all that performance and no where to go? God forbid you run out of talent. A P1 with a salvage title might not be the windfall you’re hoping for. And you do need talent.
So friends, what would you suggest?
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