As a motoring journalist, being able to drive a car that you can sort of analyze through the eyes of its direct rivals is perhaps the best way to stay objective.
Without making direct comparisons, there would be no point to seeing just how fast, agile or well-built a car can be, and when we’re talking about Ferrari-levels of greatness, the reviewer definitely needs to know where the limits are in order to compose himself and not sound like the ultimate super-fan.
Chris Harris clearly has enough experience to do so, which is more than obvious by him saying that he rather appreciates how McLaren managed to make the 650S behave exactly the same in both Coupe and Spider form. He then points out how the Coupe version of the 488 GTB feels stiffer than the Spider; the question is, does this makes for a less satisfying driving experience?
On paper, the 669 PS Ferrari 488 Spider is just as fast as its McLaren rival – both cars sitting within 4 km/h (2 mph) of each other in terms of top speeds and with both able to hit the 100 km/h (62 mph) mark in 3 seconds flat. However, it will be even more interesting when the two Italian supercars get together for a proper comparison test. Until then, this will have to suffice.