why did the 918 have the roof off?? put the roof on, make it fair. thats coming from a mclaren fan

918 takes this, no problem at all. Considering the fact that 918 is so much more luxurious inside, instead of being completely bare and stripped out like the P1, it's better equipped, probably far more comfortable and refined on the road, far more usable in various weather conditions and on actual roads with bumps, surface changes and camber changes, and let's not mention infinitely more fuel efficient and green, it's a much better technical achievement than the P1, and I don't care whatever anyone says, that is a fact, if you don't agree, you're wrong. As far as the lap goes...even though it's pretty irrelevant, put the same sticky tires to the 918, and it will probably beat the P1 again. In any case....regardless of lap times.... we are talking about less power on the 918, much more weight, stock tires that the car comes with and are perfectly usable on the road, and it's road legal in the setup that was used for the lap. P1 is much lighter, more powerful, far less efficient, far more track focused overall, it had stickier tires than 918, they probably tweaked the setup in Mclaren to make it faster on this track before sending the new car, I bet you my both arms and both legs they did, AND the aerodynamic track setup on it is actually road ILLEGAL. So, the lap time, even the slower one, is done with a car that is technically unsuable on the road, which means it wont be as capable on the road as it is on the track (not that it needs to be, but still, a win for 918). Oh, and it's also more expensive than 918. So...how is it not a clear win for the 918?

A few weeks later McLaren came up with another P1 powered by a F-18 super hornet jet engine. It stombed the previous time by 40 seconds.

people dont understand cars are not about who is faster its about the felling when you drive it

until I don't see a official lap time around the nurburgring of the P1 the 918 remains faster on a track

The fair comparison ends at 11:46. After that it's just McLaren giving it another shot with much stickier times because they can't live with the 918 being faster. With the standart tires the cars are shipped with the 918 was fester even though his roof wasn't up. Massive achievement for the 918 because it's heavier and less powerfull.

"Mclaren have used hybrid technology to live it up, a supercar today. Porsche have used hybrid technology to save the supercar for tomorrow!" - Richard Hammond

918 is still the winner here. They drove the laptimes with the top off on the 918 but they shit themselves because of the p1's tires? Conspiracy theory: they wanted a british car on top of the leaderboard.

Oh man that is a sad day for McLaren. Now I see why they are hiding their 'Ring time for sure. Twas slower than a car that is heavier, and less powerful and wasn't at all going for right out pace.

1) The P1 has a setting that makes it illegal on the road. Unfair to use it. 2) The Porsche wins, not the result you wanted obviously, so McLaren is allowed to have another go with factory support. How ridiculous is that? Did you give the same opportunity to Porsche? Extremely disappoiting by EVO. If you do a track battle, do an honest one.

Evo shows 918 is faster.... Now motor trend proves 918 is faster again ... Sorry p1 u lost on Nurburgring and now on other tracks.... But then again the p1 is an amazing feat. In itself .... P1 looks more radical though

Why not a rematch? Both get sticky tires a little bit of tweaking for the track and a professional racing driver that is neither british nor german. And then do a lap with the P1 in race mode and one with street legal settings

918 WON.... Fairly obvious considering, it has more technology and traction. THE END The P1 just took the edge when it had different tires. Put race tires in the 918 and the story changes once again. I am a fan of the P1, but the 918 is a superior track vehicle.

Porsche has always been ahead of its time, back in the 80s when Porsche released the 959, it had so many technological advancements such as on-board damper adjustment, torque transfer and awd power it was truly a sports car that could be driven everyday, then Ferrari challenged it with the F40 which was in essence a race car for the road, striped interior, no features just a race car that is incredibly fast however impractical for the general public. Around the track and drag the 959 was still faster than the F40 despite the 959 being heavier and alightly less horsepower. My point is Porsche makes use of everything they have on the car and there is a reason why the Porsche 918 is the only manufacturer to release their Nurburgring time, breaking the 7 minute mark.

Taking the roof off makes the car a bit slower, doesnt it ?

So you let McLaren deliver a 'Special' car with new tires. Wow, That is some fair test. Let Porsche deliver 'another' car.

To be honest, i prefer the P1. I just love that twin turbo v8 sound. And the looks are so... Otherworldly in a way... Like a concept car off the paper (kinda like the i8). Although I also like the 918 it just looks like a Boxster and a Carrera GT had a child. Both amazing works of art but if I were given a choice I'd be taking a P1 please.

There is nothing more painfull than to see P1 fans argue its faster than the 918 even though all the evidence pointing the other way. When they have to go so low as to pretend McLaren actually was faster than its arch rival the 918 around the ring, but for some mystical reason is the first auto company in history to wanna keep it secret by not revealing its time, well, then you know its full blown denial going on. I can understand it though, the P1 is the most hyped car in a decade, so it must be infuriating that the Porsche just quietly releases a better car.

The Porsche is 140kg heavier, it has 30 or so less horsepower, it costs less then the P1. And it drove the lap with the roof off, so losing a bit of downforce there. The P1 is great don´t get me wrong about that but the car is good on a straight line and on track. That´s it. The Porsche is much more better. It sounds better, it has a proper interior and a nice one too, has a nearly 20 mile electric only range (P1: 7 miles) It´a better car on the road and not as jerky like the P1. It is nicer to drive, it accelerates from 0-100 km/h quicker, and it holds the Nurburgring record 6:57. McLaren are such babies for not telling the official lap times. But in summer there will be a new record around the Nurburgring. The Koenigsegg One:1 :)

918 is the king of our era

Absolutely magnificent video EVO. Enjoyed every bit! The P1 is faster, but for the sake of engine sound, I'd take the 918 ANY DAY.

Excellent video, guys. I think what we've learnt is, if you want the fastest car, give it the stickiest rubber and a factory race support team.

it seems like Porsche just send reviewers the ordinary retail version and McLaren send them a track adjusted version. And if McLaren isn't satisfied with the result, they deliver an readjusted version.

918 by far the better car.

why did you have the roof off on the porsche 918s lap time? and why didn't it get a second lap with the roof on?

So all even, the 918 edged it. Now we know why we ain't got McLaren's 'Ring time.

McLaren delivered another P1 an few weeks later. Why not the same P1 with other tires? Probably they did not just changed the tires, but also tuned the suspension and the engine of the other car to compete with the Porsche on the track.

That last scene where he was drifting the P1 looked amazing! What a shot!

918 > P1 ... Despite the 918 not having an insane 'track-only' setting like the P1, the 918 is clearly just as fast on track, if not faster than the P1 (Not to mention that it's fully road legal at it's optimum setting). And to hit the nail in the coffin, the 918 is heavier AND less powerful. Add to the mix better fuel efficiency. Basically, a much, much technologically superior car. Even more so, it is fitted with creature comforts. And last but not least, cheaper. Much cheaper. That doesn't necessarily say that the 918 will give me a 'better' visceral experience than the P1, but from an engineering standpoint, the boys at Stuttgart are clearly 'winning' this automotive game. A huge salute to all those involved at Porsche.

Makes me laugh how mclaren come back with sticky tyres. Let porsche come back with some. See what happens. Still prefer the porsche. Mclaren looks like a kit car.

The scenes of the P1 drifting while blowing an amazing exhaust jet flame, priceless!

AND STILL THE UNDEFEATED, UNDISPUTED HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD PORSCHE 918 SPYDERRRRRRRRRRRRR.

And then Laferrari comes... oh wait, Ferrari won't give it's car to be compared with others... what a shame.

I know the 918 isnt as radical looking, but i like its looks better. Somehow the P1 looks like a Mazda supercar prototype or something. It looks a bit cheap (i'm talking strickly about design). And on top of that, the Porsche interior is top notch. They made it simple and light in weight, but it still looks like a proper, expensive interior..

it s that simple: if the p1 was faster than the 918 it would have an official nürburgring lap time.

The last shot is soooo good, P1 decimating its tires with awesome display of power. Epic!

Ferrari already convincingly won the Top Gear comparison last week with all three journalists selecting it over the other 2. Why don't they settle the track battle as well? The 458 Speciale humiliated the more powerful 650s when Autocar raced them so there is a change that the LaF will win over the P1 as well. Come on Ferrari, don't be a wuss!

The 918 is half the price, double the tech probably with a much more hybrid powertrains, much more efficient, useable, all wheel drive and allwheel steering for all kinds of weather. It has recorded a record lap on the ring and has a much nicer interior than the p1.

the 918 arrived on the track with no technical support and no spare tyres but still pipped the P1

This 918 gets around a bit... Was in Melbourne Australia last year for the GP and is there in Britain. Has a German number plate as well

The Mclaren name is respected for all it's racing success. But there is a world between winning F1 races and producing desirable road cars. And once again it shows they are beginners in producing road cars. It seems like performance is all they know and can. Just the fact that Mclaren keep using that turbo powered engine instead of NA engines shows they don't get the difference. And simply starting a 918 engine, and even more so a LaFerrari engine, is enough for most to prefer one of them over P1. Mclaren has build a race car (small highly turboed engine, huge diffusers and a giant wing) that you also can use on roads. The others made highly desirable sports cars that you also can use on track. All the Mclaren desirability is focused on performance while losing in all other areas. And lets be honest, if Ferrari had done something like Mclaren here, everybody would argue it's typical Ferrari to cheat and force journalists to get another chance with stickier tires and surly they turned up the power in their turbos also. But when all others do it, then it's just fair and normal.

McLaren is a loser company, P1 was clearly slower and they couldn't take it !!! If 918 would use this tires , it would do 1.10. I like to see P1 on the Nurburgring with the official time, not the bullshit they did before. P1 shouldn't be allowed to switch ! What a bullshit test

I would have the P1 any day over the 918. Such style and race like appearance. Drift ability at any speed. Super cool car.

Porsche is king on the track. I laugh at these silly attempts of beating Porsche without cheating. Why haven't the other two challengers post a lap time at the ring? Porsche were the first in line to take on the ring without hesitation. That was 2 years ago. What are they waiting for? I guess, they realised 918 was too quick around the ring. Even if they manage to break the record it'll mean jack shit. Ferrari should stick to F1 and McLaren ought to compete with car companies like Koenigsegg.. Porsche operates on an entirely different level.

Another win for the 918.

No roof, the P1 had extra sets of tires while the 918 had one, and the P1 in race mode is not street legal (and it still lost round 1). This leads me to believe that McLaren is all hype no show. Still waiting on the nurburgring time..

you had the roof off on the 918 for lap time...? the 918 is definitely faster than the p1. put the rough back on!

PORSCHE 918 LOOKS COOLER ,WELL EQUIPPED MORE STABLE AND HAS THE FASTEST 0-100 KM IN JUST 2.4 SECONDS..EXTRAORDINARY SUPER CAR

That slide at the end! The definition of BRUTAL!!

In the end, as Jethro said...the P1 is maybe slightly better on the track, and the 918 is better on the road, but these cars are absolutely astonishing :)

So what did the 918 do with the Trofeo tires??? Narrator says 918 could be even quicker with basic air pressure changes, and McLaren showed up with engineers and set of Trofeos. Why not honor same with Porsche? Oh right, have to end with a positive note of British pride.... Yawn...

They're both wonderful, but I feel like the real enthusiast would like the P1 more. It's more attractive because of it's simplistic approach. RWD, not much to distract you in the interior, & just pure driver-focused bliss. It's not the "all-rounder", and for me that's a good thing! ... But, to each their own. Some like the 918 because it accomplishes more being the all-rounder, it's just not for me.

The most amazing thing about the P1 is that it actually uses the thinnest tires out of LaFerrari & 918. Although personally, I'd have the 918 as a car to drive on road, it just makes more sense. Which leaves the P1 as a track toy. Michelin Pilot Cup 2 are the stickiest tires Michelin makes, only make sense to have the P1 to be on Pirelli Trofeo Rs, which are also Pirelli's stickest road tyres. Camaro Z/28 uses Trofeo Rs, it's completely street legal. Those who think otherwise need to learn about tyres. Now all that's left is LaFerrari And then the insane One:1 or what I'm calling it, The Megawatt

You can see by his face that he enjoyed the 918 more.

So you're going to use the P1 in a non street legal race setting and special delivery tires after the fact to compete against the same 918 you buy from the showroom? Come on EVO. If you're going to compare them, compare them. Please... 918 wins hands down ! Not only is it faster in an apples to apples competition, it looks better, sounds better, way more comfortable and everyday usable, and cheaper.

The Porsche made the P1 look bad.

918 all day, period. P1 is ugly. 918 sounds so much better. Motor trend has recorded 9.8 quarter mile times for both. Handling and braking are nearly dead even. LaFerrari is even uglier than the P1. Porsche is the only company with the guts to provide lap times.

Thanks to modern 1080p streaming capabilities, I've been constantly taking screenshots during the video. The videography is just sublime, no other word comes to mind, absolutely stunning beyond belief. I've got goosebumps, 2 of the greatest cars on the road today, and with videography the likes of evo, a match that is award deserving, jalopnik ought to feature evo videos in their film festival. I've seen everything now and my life is complete. Thank you so much evo and Jethro!, thank you!, thank you!, thank you!.

In my mind, there are only three car reviewers that ever need to be given any attention. In no particular order because i respect each soo much: Jethro Bovington, Steve Sutcliffe, Chris Harris. Imagine if they joined the same channel. BTW this video gave me chills the whole way!

Both cars are such masterpeices of engineering. Simply amazing. Good review too..

That last shot of the P1 is the best automotive videoclip of 2014, no doubt!

4:36 HOLY SHIT

Porsche. Because german engineering.

The Porsche has no roof too! See what happens with IDENTICAL tyres, that'll give everyone a better idea of the performance =D

The reason why McLaren hasn't released the Nurburgring lap times of the P1 is because the P1 can't complete a single lap without stopping. I saw it on Chris Harris interview.

If only the 918 sounded like the Carrera GT.

The sound of that p1 at 12:17...makes me cry tears of joy.

Between the P1 and the 918, I just cannot decide. I prefer the P1 (because yes i am British and therefore a little biased, but i think it looks cooler). The 918 used in this has me confused a bit. With that Livery that it turned up in, and the fixed rear wing, it made me think that it wasn't the standard road car, so I'd rather know if it was before I make any Judgement about the P1's tyre change in the later stage of the video (I did at least check whether the Trofeo tyres were road legal, and interestingly they were according to "Tyre and Track" where they specifically use the word "Streetable" in their description). As far as I can tell, though from watching multiple videos about theses two cars, it seems that the 918 accelerates faster but the P1 has more power and is lighter so it accelerates more consistently to it's top speed. The 4 wheel drive on the 918 means it launches faster and helps its cornering speed, where the P1 relies on it's aerodynamics and tyres to turn in to the best of its ability. So the comparison seems to depict that Porsche have used pure, clever mechanical engineering to make this car quick, but Mclaren seem to have done more homework on the aero to make P1 more planted. I've read the argument that the P1 using its track mode witch is Illegal on the road is unfair, personally I'm not so sure, simply because a track was exactly where they were testing the car, It's not far off of claiming that because the 918 has regenerative braking that it was unfair to the P1. Besides the real comparison is mostly where they will be used everyday... on normal roads, and that's where I guess the 918 is possibly better with more creature comforts, which in my mind highlights that the P1 is more of a drivers car, it has less to distract, it's focussed on getting from A to B not all the detils in between, so really you just get in it and enjoy "IT" and the experience it offers, which is no bad thing. Like i said at the beginning of this, I just cannot decide... (if you read all of that, have a virtual High five!)

I'd rather have the Porsche. It looks better, the build quality might be a bit better and will be worth even more than the P1 in 20 years.

1:03 piece of shit mclaren and their glued on logos

Sure,P1 looks better,or more futuristic,atleast,but did you saw 918 doing launch control? :D man,I would take German over British any day

This is by far the best one single review video I have ever seen!

Motor Trend also did a VS of these 2 cars and the 918 came out the winner, again...

this comparison is totally unfair, since the Porsche 918 lapped without a roof, and since the aerodynamic is so important, without a roof it can lose about 1 second in one lap. my conclusion: long drag race: the P1 wins. short drag race: the 918 wins. Circuit: the 918 wins. what do you think guys?

Germany don't have to prepair to race.... we say ok start. You loose and then you loose

well these shameless british auto journalist just had to let the McLaren win....race tires on McLaren and no roof on the Porsche? how is this even a race

Brilliant video. I love Jethro, he has a deep passion for cars and is very good at descirbing what's it like to drive these amazing machines.

So the 918 is cheaper, has more equipment, and FASTER than the P1.

The 918 was faster around the Nuremberg circuit, end of.

The 918 has been my dream car since it's release. Useable as an everyday driver, won't kill you when it rains, won't land you with the tyre bill from hell if you were to take it to a track, and the timeless design will age far better than the La Ferrari or P1. Hurrah for understated German excellence :D

Doesn't get better? If you had that red Italian car, it would have been. Still, wicked video though!

Hilarious how mad McLaren got, to the point that they returned to the track with Tropheo tyres which are barely legal racing tyres.

Just love the shot at the end - the monster all crossed up, billowing smoke and firing bits of shredded tyre at the cameraman. He'd be picking rubber out of his grin for hours :)

So in truth McLaren had to cheat to beat the 918?! Just what I expected! To be fair you need to give some Trofeo tyres to the Porsche.

Ehh...how about using the roof when recording a lap time with the 918?! McLaren needed 2 attempts and the Porsche was driven open top. For me, the 918 wins cleary.

derbigpr500 Couldn't agree more that the 918 takes this. In addition to what you said, Jethro said that the throttle response was better in the 918 and the 918 had the best twin clutch transmission he's ever driven. Since he drove the P1 the day before he drove the 918, I'm guessing that includes in the P1. Jethro also said that there was still more time to shed off of the 918 with the tires provided given that he had more seat time, which is something he didn't mention when he drove the P1 the first time. This means the 918 could potentially beat the P1's (Trofeo) lap time with just standard rubber. Not to mention less downforce, less horsepower, higher center of gravity, and more weight. The 918 shares many of the technologies found in 919 LMP car, so it's built to endure. It's no surprise, then, that the 918 can consistently perform during the entire duration of the Nurburgring lap, while McLaren is still shy in publishing their lap time for the P1. Even if the cars were equal in performance, I'd still pick the 918 because the interior matches the money you bought it for, and that Martini livery is just gorgeous. It's also more special than the P1 because unlike the P1, which was essentially built on top of the 12c, the 918 was completely built from the ground up.

the filming was just amazing. One of the best youtube videos I've seen.

not fare!! the 918 was driven with roof top open and they didn't change the tires???? dislike

now put the roof back on the 918, strap some R888 on and give it another go ;) ; amazing video anyway !

OOOOOH!!!,national pride spoiled the video,british magazine couldnt let the porsche win so lets put on the mclaren better tires....how about put the roof on the porsche for better stifnes and aero and put the mclaren in road LEGAL mode,so you can compare two real ROAD CARS and not one for road and one for track but not legal for road...add to this same tires on both cars and i BET you that the porsch would be at least 3 seconds faster than mac.but both cars are impresive though...

Simply the best automotive journalism in the world. Subscribed to the magazine since its launch and would never read another. My vote is more video content.

Point is, the Porsche is actually better because:- It costs almost a million bucks less It's basically the same performer- 345 kph and acceleration figures of 2.6 seconds compared to p1's 350 kph and 2.8 seconds Looks better More responsive And guys, I know the p1 is cool and all, but you would opt for a similar performing car for less money given the choice. Be practical!

Ferrari are such bitches with their cars, they wont let you test their hypercar against these two, and they bring half the staff anytime anyone with influence test their car, not to mention they are almost always double the price of their competitors. The gt3 is just about as fast and cost about half the money as the speciale. Porsche is much more open with their cars, they state their ring time and they under rate their 0 to 60 times.

Pretty sure the Sport Cup 2 has a treadwear rating of 180 while Trofeo is rated at 60. Trofeo is much softer / stickier.

4:35 omg such a beast!

I miss 2014 and before for car channels on youtube. videos like this are epic

Give McLaren a break, it's a small company and can't really compete with monsters like FIAT (Ferrari) and VW (Porsche) . PS Amazing camera work, guys!!

If you keep saying things about Ferraris track test ocd then they probably wont give you a La Ferrari to test.

Whoever edited this deserves an Oscar.

Imagine slick tires, lowered, and with a roof. I guess that what the rs model should be to compete with P1 in which it would annihilate it. 918 was designed for a different purpose.