Exhaust note going to the 12C...that's crazy. Turn up your hearing aid Grandpa:-)
Seriously...No one thinks the 12C sounds better than the NA Ferrari 458...NO ONE, PERIOD!!! Then, he says the Mac is prettier than the Ferrari...Now you need glasses, Grandpa. The OP is both deaf and Blind! :-)

 

"Part of the experience. Until it's not, and then we admit it sucked."

Great line! Exotics in a nutshell

 

Ha! Thanks. I'm giving a pass to beloved classic cars. They can hit me with NVH til they break or triple in value. But new cars, with modern suspension, engine mounts, and insulation, for them there is no excuse.

 

I have to admit, hearing the 12C and 458 side by side at Exotics in Vegas, the 458 sounded best. Much better than the Scuderia IIRC. But that 12C was early model, not sport exhaust like mine, and no 600hp update.
I think it was the turbo chuff that won me over.

I stole the "flatulent" 458 descriptor from a friend on McLaren life. Brilliant dude, more articulate than I. The "ricer" part, all mine and definitely not what Maranello was aiming for. (Having said that, I do love STI's and their ilk.) There is a difference also between cabin noise and standing on the sidelines noise. I refer to driver experince from my own imperfect memory. And some cell phone recordings

I'd probably still have my 12C now but my house has a steep drive and the car developed two, count 'em 2, coolant leaks, among other issues.

No accounting for taste... I wouldn't touch a 650S. A Speciale, however--I can't wait to see and hear one in person. Hopefully they got it dialed a bit more 458 Challenge-like.

 

The single best article of direct comparison I have ever read on 3 cars in the same bracket

A+

 

12C here as well.

there are 2 where I live and 5 diff 458 and one 458S.. people crowd around the 12C's when parked... kind of ignore the 458 now that they are so old

 

I'm sure...seeing a 458 is like looking at any Kia...no big deal...Completely ignored because no one knows or has ever heard of a Ferrari, but they know what a McLaren is? Give me a break. I understand that this is a McLaren site, but do we really need to poo poo Ferrari to feel good about ourselves? Both McLaren and Ferrari make kick **** cars! No matter how "old" the cars are, exotics always gather a crowd. Nine out of ten people wouldn't know a Ferrari from a McLaren from a Lamborghini from a Ford Mustang from a Corvette...seriously, it is true. I had a guy come up to me at a gas station with My Ford GT and asked if it was the new Corvette! I had another guy come up to me in my 458 and ask me if it was the new Mustang because he saw a horse on the car!
At any rate, they are both gorgeous cars, with the newer design going to the 650s. I hope to become a McLaren 650s owner by spring.

 

Treviso - I live in 3 of the richest zip codes on earth, exotics everywhere... so stop crying, head over to Ferrari chat and talk to your girlfriends.

I am stating my experiences.. if you don't like it, bad luck......

I have owned F cars, love the 360 and F12, just think the 458 is old, SLOW VERSUS MY CARS and tired, but bring yours down here and look at the fat *** of my Turbo S as I rip your head off or my new 650S when it comes...

Rather have a Lambo anyday

until then stop being a Nancy

 

Dude...calm down. It's ok. No need to rip anyone's head off...we are just talking about cars.

 

Says the ****** who who thinks he's cool by telling other people how wrong they are...

I love it when people who start **** then get knocked down a peg, come back with the ole calm down bit. Classic trolling at its finest.

 

+1+1+1+1+1
I was thinking it. Honestly just thought maybe treviso is in his 20's after the grandpa/hearing aid comments.
To the OP, you are a good sport for ignoring the jabs and just talking cars.
Respect to you!

 

Sorry Fellas,
No troll here...Not a 20 year old either... Also, no one was crying about whether or not someone likes my 458...To be clear, having a differing opinion is not a jab...my comments were not a jab against the OP.
My point was simply that it is one of the great modern exotics and hardly ignorable in public settings. The general population hardly knows the difference between a Ferrari vs McLaren vs Lamborghini vs Corvette...they all just look exotic to the uninitiated.
The grandpa comment was meant to be humorous...i.e., I was joking! I am on multiple sites because I own multiple cars and enjoy them all. I really don't take tastes in cars very seriously because there are so many amazing rides out there...it is just a matter of taste and finances.
However, I found it generally interesting that someone found a turbo charged car (12C) to have a better exhaust note than a NA Ferrari (The King of Exhaust Notes). I have seen and heard just about everything out there...I have yet to hear a turbo charged car (12C) have a better exhaust note than a NA engine, no less a Ferrari. It is not just me that holds this opinion. I didn't say that the Ferrari is a better car than the McLaren...not once. Hell, I am negotiating a deal for one right now!
If we can't disagree about cars, make our cases and arguments, and most of all, have a little fun and humor... Then there is no point to having a forum for expressing opinions and ideas.
If it isn't fun, what's the point? Hence, my comment about calming down.

Finally, I am just shy of 50 years old and I have owned just about everything out there too. I am a doctor, a self made man, everything I own I have earned through years of hard work. I find life an adventure, I love cars, and I generally don't take these things very seriously. Oh yeah, I also enjoy the discourse of opinions and ideas. Just saying...

 

Great to read
Thanks man

 

Great review and very informative write up! Tks for sharing!

 

As a former Ferrari owner, (F430 Spider, 360 Coupe, F550 Maranello and 456 GT) and now a Mclaren 12C spider owner, I agree at full throttle blasting through canyons and tunnels, Ferrari's have a fantastic sound, better than my 12C. That unique sound is in part why you buy a Ferrari. Full transparency, the F430 had a stock Ferrari exhaust and the latter three were Tubi.

At less than 9/10th or 10/10th performance, I prefer the Mclaren sound. My 12C has the sports exhaust and in track mode it develops a very special personality. It snorts, burps, growls and pops...never figured out how to turn it into a flame thrower as seen on Youtube, but that's not a thing for me anyways. I fully get the around town pedestrian ricer sound of the 458.

As for looks, to my eye the 12C/650S Spider is the winner and garners far more attention than I ever got with F430. The 458 Spider is a bit fugally, whereas the 458 coupe is a classic design. I am not currently a Porsche owner so I don't feel my opinion has much weight in this forum, but I respect Porsche and think the 991 Turbo has a great look and fantastic German engineering is hard to beat. When the 960 comes out, I'll take a serious look, maybe toss my wife's SL to the back lot to make room in the garage.

MB