Ouch 2!

Car's Verdict

"You have to feel sorry for Mclaren - the hydraulic leak in the suspension that caused the 12C to be so much slower than the 458 was unfortunate. Still, a lap time is only one element of what decides our final ranking, and this misstep doesn't alter our verdict, as the car we drove on the road - where, ulimately, it matters most - was perfectly represensentative.

.....

There are all sorts of ways in which McLaren best Ferrari, particularly composure through fast turns, ride quality and outright speed.

Yet the 12C's all round polish can't compensate for the fact that the Ferrari is the more engaging, more interactive, more compeling machine to drive hard, and if your supercar is going to tick any box, it's agood idea to prioritise that over everything else.

The Ferrari lifts your spirits in the way the McLaren can't, and, you know what, a 458 isn't such a chore to live with. We'd never have predicted but.... Ferrari beats McLaren".