The holy trinity: McLaren P1 vs Porsche 918 Spyder vs Ferrari LaFerrari

When you talk about a supercar rivalry, it’s very hard not to mention the clash between McLaren, Ferrari and Porsche back in the early 2010s. All three brands launched a flagship supercar at around the same time, and deciding which was best was very difficult.

The McLaren P1 was brutal and lairy on the edge, but hugely exciting, the Ferrari LaFerrari had an exquisite V12 engine and loads of clever tech from Formula 1 and the Porsche 918 Spyder was, in true German fashion, an engineering marvel which was built with pinpoint precision.

Choosing between the three was like trying to choose which of your limbs you like the most – near-on impossible. Well we’ve got all three of them together to see which wins in a drag race, but first let’s take a look at why the Holy Trinity caused such a stir.

What is the Holy Trinity?

Back in late 2013, McLaren and Ferrari both launched new flagship hypercars- the P1 and the LaFerrari – and Porsche followed soon after in early 2014 with the 918 Spyder. With all three cars coming in such close proximity to each other, and being quite evenly matched in terms of performance, an iconic rivalry was born.

This wasn’t the first time these three brands had all gone toe-to-toe. Back in the early 90s you had the McLaren F1, the Ferrari F40 and the Porsche 959 all battling it out on the track. There’s now a new Holy Trinity with the recent launch of the McLaren W1 and the Ferrari F80. Porsche’s answer to these two cars is also expected soon.

Which of the Holy Trinity is best?

This was a very difficult question to answer at the time, but the Top Gear trio tried their best when these cars came out.

Jeremy Clarkson was insistent that the McLaren was the best, Richard Hammond preferred the 918 Spyder and James May championed the LaFerrari. Just how much of this debate was performative is unknown, but it wouldn’t make for very good television if they all agreed.

The obvious way to settle the argument was to put all three cars around the test track to see which was fastest. This proved easier said than done though.

Porsche was happy to race the 918 against the other two, however McLaren said that the test couldn’t be done at the Top Gear track – which was odd seeing as the car was partially developed there. Clarkson speculated that this was because they knew that the tight corners would favour the Porsche’s four-wheel drive system.

Ferrari spent months saying that it didn’t want to do the test at all, however it did eventually soften and say it may be willing to race the LaFerrari, providing that the car Top Gear used came directly from the factory.

Game on? Not quite, because McLaren was only willing to do this if all three were customer cars which had been sold to make it a fair test. When James May suggested finding someone who had a LaFerrari to lend them a car, Ferrari said that anyone who let Top Gear a LaFerrari would be banned from ever buying a limited edition model ever again.

This petulance went on for quite a while, and it wasn’t until the first episode of The Grand Tour aired a year later that the trio managed to get all three together for a race. The Porsche came out on top, followed by the Ferrari and the McLaren came last, resulting in Clarkson’s house being blown up as a result of a bet he’d made with the other two.

Holy Trinity drag race

Racing around a track is one thing, but we want to find out which is the fastest in a straight line. We therefore flew out to Dubai to meet up with a car club which could lend us a McLaren P1, a Ferrari LaFerrari and a Porsche 918 Spyder for a drag race.

McLaren P1 stats

The McLaren P1 has a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 with an electric motor, and combined they produce 916hp and 900Nm of torque. This is sent to the rear wheels only via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. This made it very twitchy through the corners, and launching this car is going to take some skill.

The P1 weighs in at 1,490kg, and when it was new it cost around £860,000. Nowadays though you’ll have to pay well over £1million to get your hands on one.

Porsche 918 Spyder stats

The Porsche 918 Spyder also uses a V8 engine, but in this case it’s a 4.6-litre naturally-aspirated unit. This is paired with two electric motors to make a combined 887hp and 1,280Nm of torque.

It’s the only car here with all-wheel drive, and power is sent through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. It’s the heaviest car here at 1,675kg, and today it’s also worth more than £1 million.

Ferrari LaFerrari stats

These V8 engines are great, but nothing really beats a screaming V12. Well, the LaFerrari has a 6.3-litre naturally-aspirated V12 with 963hp and 900Nm of torque, thanks in part to a small electric motor.

Power is sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and it tips the scales at 1,585kg. The LaFerrari also makes the other two seem cheap, because it’s now worth over £3 million.

So on the start line we have a combined 2,766hp and around £5 million worth of machinery, but which is the fastest? You’ll have to watch the video to find out.

Car change? Carwow!

Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.

Click here to follow us on WhatsApp, where you can keep up-to-date with all the latest news, reviews, advice guides and videos.