McLaren vs. BAC at Silverstone
In some other publications I’ve talked about how this new decade of hypercars and horsepower wars really doesn’t mean anything. Sure they are unbelievably quick. I would love to drive every single one of them. But at the end of the day, for me at least, they still need to be able to go around corners. Enter the realm of the lightweight cars.
I’ve been saying for years, that the only way to improve modern car technology is to lower the weight. Some brands have been attempting to embrace the concept but most haven’t. Lowering the weight on cars makes them more fuel efficient, but most importantly they have better handling.
For example, in a full on track race pitting a McLaren P1, a 900 hp monster versus a BAC Mono, a 280 hp lightweight track car you think you would know the outcome from the start. And you still do. But just watch how hard it is for a million dollar hypercar has to work to shake a $100,000 2.3 L little toy off its butt around Silverstone.
It’s a great battle between the two cars, but that McLaren just can never seem to put enough distance on the straights between them. Supercars and Hypercars are pretty awesome, but these lightweight racecars are just a more visceral experience. The reward you be brave with late braking, and have grip for days and days.
This video just proves that auto manufacturers don’t need to keep adding more and more horsepower like the Hellcat, they just need to subtract weight and you will have something blisteringly fast.