PROJECT CARS 2: The Holy Trinity

For today's PROJECT CARS 2 session, it's time to recreate the first Grand Tour episode using the hypercar holy trinity at the racetrack as seen in the series opener, Portugal's Algarve circuit. It's hard to believe a year has passed since The Grand Tour began and looks like I'm reliving the beginning using the three hybrid hypercars in Algarve right here on PROJECT CARS 2.



First, let's start with the McLaren P1, the hybrid hypercar that started the craze. As the forefather of hybrid exotics, the P1 combines McLaren's motorsport knowhow with its promise to reduce global carbon footprint. With hybridization became the new norm for production vehicles, the P1 pushes the hybridization to uncharted heights with its revolutionary IPAS petrol-electric powertrain which combines the improved version of the 3.8L V8 twin-turbo engine as applied on the 12C and a single electric motor, making the combined power output of 903HP and torque output of 664ft-lb of torque. With its extensive use of carbon fiber, the P1 weighs 1395kg and overall, it has a 0-100kph time of 2.8 seconds and top speed of over 350kph.



The Porsche 918 Spyder, like the McLaren P1, is a hybrid hypercar and while this car is heavy and less powerful than the P1, its four-wheel drive system can easily shame the P1 by a second margin. With its carbon fibre reinforced plastic bodywork that weighs 1640kg, a combination of a 4.6L V8 engine, two electric motors bolted on the axles, and a 6.8kWh Li-ion battery, it delivers a combined output of 881HP of power, and mated with Porsche's 7-speed PDK, the 918 has has a top speed of over 340kph (211mph). As for efficiency, the 918's range can get up to 680km (420 miles).



Lastly, the LaFerrari is known to be the ultimate decider between the P1 and the 918 because this is the most powerful and the lightest of the three hybrid hypercars. It is powered by an upgraded version of the same 6.3L V12 engine lifted from the F12berlinetta and HY-KERS (Hybrid-Kinetic Energy Recovery System) which develops a combined power output of 963PS, making this the most powerful Ferrari ever made and it lapped the Fiorano Test Track faster than the F12berlinetta. Unlike the other two, the car's V12 engine and the electric motor are working in unison and cannot be separated, which is very clever by Ferrari standards but what's even more clever are the computer-controlled aerodynamics that makes the LaFerrari the automotive equivalent of a Typhoon fighter jet. Well, you get the point but Ferrari's F1 knowhow really payed off in the making of this car.



In the first Grand Tour episode, the boys sent professional racing driver Jerome d'Ambrosio to drive these three round Algarve. After his first impressions regarding the three hybrid hypercars, he then set off to see which one is the fastest or risk losing one of the presenters' home, basically Jeremy Clarkson's. Anyway, what am I going to do in this session is to recreate the three hypercars' Algarve lap, although my times aren't as fast as the real-world times set by d'Ambrosio himself but still, feel free to enjoy my re-enactment of the one as seen in the first Grand Tour episode.



And now the results...

LaFerrari -  1:57.600
918 - 1:56.962
P1 - 1:58.120

Hmmm...not as fast as what d'Ambrosio set in real life but this is just like the first episode! If I was on the P1's side, I would literally lost my house just like Clarkson's. How amusing. It really feels like what happened last year! Well, with season 2 coming this fall, I can't hardly wait to see what sort of mischief the presenters are up to so watch for it.

In the meantime, feel free to drive with the hypercar Holy Trinity on PROJECT CARS 2 on PS4 and PC via Steam.

Forza Motorsport 6: Battle of the hybrid hypercars!

Now that everything I need to know about the McLaren P1, the Ferrari LaFerrari, and the Porsche 918 Spyder in Forza Motorsport 6 are all checked and done, it's time for me to do the one thing Clarkson, Hammond, and May never got the balls to attempt this ultimate decider to show which of these three hybrid hypercars is the fastest round the Top Gear Test Track and this is the surreal test to prove if Clarkson's name is going to change to "Jennifer". As a matter of fact, I got a high probability on what's going to happen next.

But first, let's have a quick review of the hybrid hypercar trio. The P1 is a hybrid hypercar that incorporates most of McLaren's motorsports know-how. It's powered by an improved version of the 3.8L V8 twin-turbo engine as applied on the 12C and a single electric motor, making the combined power output of 903HP and torque output of 664ft-lb of torque.It's strictly limited to 375 units, each costing GB£866,000, and all of the units have sold out.

The 918, meanwhile, features a combination of a 4.6L V8 engine which produces 612HP of power by itself, two electric motors bolted on the axles, and a 6.8kWh Li-ion battery. The electric motors deliver around 500lb-ft of torque at 8000rpm, a torque that a Ferrari 458 deemed impossible. A Weissach Package-spec 918 Spyder, noteworthy with a unique livery and 60kg weight drop, lapped round the Nurburgring of less than 6:57, making it the fastest series production street-legal car to break the seven minute barrier.

Finally, the LaFerrari may come with the same hybrid layout as the other two, meaning its V12 engine is bolted with electric motors and a Li-ion battery, but unlike the McLaren and the Porsche that can run on electricity alone, the LaFerrari doesn't have that kind of feature because Ferrari is not heavily interested in electric power alone. Instead, the LaFerrari comes with HY-KERS (Hybrid-Kinetic Energy Recovery System), a tech similar to the one used in Formula One cars. It captures energy during braking and feeds it back when needed. That's why the engine-motor combination are all working together and cannot be separated, therefore it produces 963HP of power and 663lb-ft of torque, while mated with a 7-speed F1 gearbox. Not only that, the LaFerrari's dynamics are unique thanks to its bodywork that was built entirely from different kinds of carbon fiber as well as the lowered center of gravity but it's the high-tech active aerodynamics that sets them apart and because it's computer-controlled; the faster the LaFerrari goes through the corner, the better it works.

Now that everything is all settled out, the it's time to decide who flies and who falls from grace. The game is on!



So, how did the hyper three performed at the Top Gear Track? Well, time to read the results! The P1 did it in 1:14.976 while the LaFerrari, thanks to its active aerodynamics that work when it gets faster round the follow-through, 1:14.567, and the 918, the least powerful of the three, made it in a surprisingly quick 1:13.597, meaning the 918 is the fastest of the three and Jeremy Clarkson's going to rename himself as "Jennifer" should the three kept their hosting duties if they didn't messed up with the producers, well Clarkson that is.

Hard to believe that the 918 won the battle despite its power output but because of its Porsche motorsport DNA, its low center of gravity, its 4WD system, and lots of stuff that made the 918 great. It's no surprisingly it lapped round the Nurburgring faster than almost everything and if McLaren managed to file a full report on how fast the P1 went, it would be somewhat a second slower than the 918 and that could be the outcome I might be looking forward to.

With everything settled out, I'm going to close this case completely, concluding that the 918 is the fastest of the three round the Top Gear track but the battle is not yet over so these muscles need to hustle for more.

Forza Motorsport 6: The Ferrari LaFerrari

The McLaren P1 and the Porsche 918 are the hypercars that know how to balance motorsport-inspired performance and everyday ecology at the same pace to deliver an unbiased blend no supercars had done before, serving the template for future sportscars for many years to come. If the P1 and the 918 wanted to have a battle to decide who's superior, it must first face this; the Ferrari LaFerrari, a hybrid hypercar served as the pinnacle of Maranello engineering.



No miserable V8s, no puny little turbochargers, the sound of the LaFerrari's 6.3L V12 naturally-aspirated engine are in synched in perfect harmony and that is how a supercar should sound like. It's no wonder how James May found his admiration to this car and this car can edge out the likes of the P1 and the 918 in terms of performance.

Of course, this is a hybrid just like the other two, meaning the V12 engine that powers it to the middle is bolted with an electric motor and a battery. However, unlike the McLaren and the Porsche that can run on electricity alone, the LaFerrari doesn't have that kind of feature because Ferrari is not heavily interested in electric power alone. Instead, the LaFerrari comes with HY-KERS (Hybrid-Kinetic Energy Recovery System), a tech similar to the one used in Formula One cars. It captures energy during braking and feeds it back when needed. That's why the engine-motor combination are all working together and cannot be separated, therefore it produces 963HP of power and 663lb-ft of torque, while mated with a 7-speed F1 gearbox.

Now normally, I was going to try the LaFerrari in its private track to show just how it lives up to be the fastest Ferrari ever made but sadly, Forza Motorsport 6 doesn't have one. However, I just found the next best thing to try out the LaFerrari; Monza.

 



With such power output, the LaFerrari can easily take down the P1 and the 918 at ease and with the 218mph top speed, it's the fastest of the hybrid hypercar trio as well. It's not just the speed it delivers, it's the dynamics is what made the LaFerrari unique thanks to its bodywork that was built entirely from different kinds of carbon fiber as well as the lowered center of gravity but it's the high-tech active aerodynamics that sets them apart and because it's computer-controlled; the faster the LaFerrari goes through the corner, the better it works. Sure, this is as dynamic to drive as the P1 because of its rear-wheel drive but it's not merely a widowmaker.



Humor me, now with the evaluation over the LaFerrari is well done, I believe that I can now do a quick comparo between the three hybrid hypercars round the Top Gear track later on. I can't wait to see which of these three is the greatest.

Forza Motorsport 5: Spirit of LaFerrari

This is the ultimate Ferrari even built, the LaFerrari. Don't let that funny name fool you because this is the Ferrari to end all Ferraris in the history of Ferrari. With the LaFerrari Car Pack, the first DLC pack offered on Forza Motorsport 5, players now had the chance to try out Ferrari's ultimate weapon of mass awesomeness. When I said awesomeness, what I mean, of course, is the high power output provided by the V12 engine and the HY-KERS that made this hybrid hypercar the king of Ferraris.



Supercars are like idols and idols need to be focused on three key concepts; Visual, Vocal, and Dance. In automotive terms, it's the way how it looks, how it sounds, and how it does. Let's start at the Visual department and by the looks of it, it seems that Ferrari didn't seek help to its longtime friend, Pininfarina, for the first time to design the hypercar's beauty from the bare essentials. Even though the name sounds too ridiculous for a petrolhead, the design penned by Ferrari themselves truly shows that it this car really is the alpha of the lineup, despite the fact that it's limited to 499 units, each costing a million euros.



On the Vocal department, despite the hybrid powetrain like you get from the McLaren P1, the LaFerrari sounds like an old F1 car...but only just. In Forza 5, not every exhaust note is textbook but trust me, the vocals that came from the exhaust is as close to the real one as you can get.

In the Dance department, now this is how it gets interesting...



To find out just how good is the LaFerrari is, I went to the Top Gear Test Track and meet up with some old friends from Modena...



What we have here is some of LaFerrari's ancestors through the years. There's the F40 which is known to be the first to break the 200mph mark. Then, there's the F50 which some say it has the V12 engine derived from an F1 car but in reality, the V12 engine shares nothing in common with the one from a F1 car. And finally, the Enzo, it's one of my favorite cars of all time and it's a honorable one because this supercar was named after the founder of Ferrari.

These four Ferrari special machines are now dancing through the Top Gear Track like a swords dance but there can only be one winner but first, let's talk about how they dance at the track.

In the F40, it feels more like a oversized go-kart because of its massive wing on the back but this aerodynamic party piece really get the job done with its clinical precision.



As for the F50 though, one of my least-favorite Ferrari feels more like an F1 car rather than a GT car. It handles like if a boy rushes back home for tea.



Even though Michael Schumacher contributed to this car, the Enzo Ferrari feels more dramatic and as precise like a F1 car which Ferrari draws their inspiration from. I still enjoy driving in one of these because it has some bittersweet memories with it, something that boggles my mind and my heart and I just can't forget how did the Enzo performs on the road ahead.


Now, on the LaFerrari though, the sleek aerodynamic design, the 7-speed double clutch gearbox, the V12 engine from the Ferrari F12, and the HY-KERS really worked its magic. It maybe messy at start but when things starting to come unraveled, the LaFerrari really lives up to the state as the king of Ferraris. When you unleash the full majesty of Ferrari's first-ever hybrid hypercar, you can really let this car do the talking for you.



After a whole session down at the TG Track, I have the results...

F40 - 1:19.692
F50 - 1:19.253
Enzo - 1:18:513
LaFerrari - 1:14.989

So, there you go, folks. The LaFerrari really is the King of Ferraris after all and when it comes to competition, looks like the P1 and the LaFerrari will surely want to bash against each other to see which hybrid supercar reign supreme in the world of Forza Motorsport 5.

Go ahead, give these hybrid hypercars a spin and when you hear the roar of the powerful engines combined with hum of the electric motor, you will surely never regret that both the P1 and LaFerrari really are the Big Bang Theory of motoring because even though they are classified are hybrids, you'll be dying to drive these two rival hypercars!