McLaren P1 v Porsche 918 Spyder. Which is fastest? evo Track Battle

You may have read the McLaren P1 v Porsche 918 Spyder review in the evo 200th issue spectacular earlier in 2014. It was an extraordinarily revealing test.

On both the twisting, undulating and challenging blacktop of Northern Wales, and the fast and technical sweeps of Anglesey Circuit, it became clear that both cars – despite pushing out 1778bhp between them – delivered so much more than just numbers. 

They were, and they are, quite extraordinary drivers' cars. Cars that put the driver’s enjoyment before loopy top speeds and face-warping acceleration; cars that use hybrid systems to embellish the driving experience rather than dilute it. 

In this video, you’ll see both cars go head-to-head on track with lots of in-car video, drifting, flames, tyre destruction and all the other extreme drama you’d expect from the cars of the moment. 

As far as we’re aware, this is the first time this has been carried out – at least by qualified drivers and manufacturer cars. In this video you’ll see both cars at the absolute limit, driven by evo’s Contributing Editor, international-grade racer, and expert road tester Jethro Bovingdon. It was a day he’ll never forget.

At the time of the test, Ferrari could not provide a LaFerrari. We have driven the car since, on the same tarmac as both the P1 and the 918 in this video, and we can assure you that it is every bit as visceral, as fast and as impressive as the McLaren and the Porsche. Indeed, there’s a feeling among the evo team that Ferrari has absolutely nothing to fear on track (or road) against these two rivals. If you would like Ferrari to play ball and get involved in the hypercar track battle of the decade, leave a comment below.

But for now, this film is all about McLaren and Porsche - two manufacturers who have taken two different approaches to build two different but wildly brilliant cars and have the confidence to allow them to go head-to-head on track. 

Enjoy the film, watch it to the very end, and thanks as ever for supporting evo. We will continue to bring you some of the best motoring videos on the web on our free YouTube channel evo TV. 

Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to be the first to watch the movies, and don’t forget to take advantage of the great subscription offers to print magazine or evo app (or both) available here on the refreshed evo website.

One last thing: Sam Riley. Sam doesn’t get the same exposure as evo’s road test team, but he’s the man behind the camera and in evo’s edit suite. As our full-time Filmmaker, Sam’s the man who creates these brilliant films. I hope that you’ll agree that a round of applause is in order.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy 15-minutes of hypercar action.

Porsche 918 Spyder specification

McLaren P1 specification