2009 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 vs. 1997 McLaren F1

As a car enthusiast, it’s near-impossible to put two amazing cars side-by-side and then choose which one you’d prefer to own. It would almost be like choosing between your kids, or somehow winding up at a party at the Playboy mansion and remembering that your girlfriend is right beside you. Yes, it’s that difficult. So picture this. A 2009 Bugatti Veyron 16.4, and a 1997 McLaren F1. Which one would you rather?

For Rowan Atkinson, the decision is made so tough, that his overall conclusion is to just purchase them both. Of course, that’s easier said than done, given that both cars sell for well over $1 million each. The difference is that one is brand-new, and the other is 13-years-old. It’s amazing to look at both cars as they are today, because we can see just how far we’ve come in those 10+ years where on-board computers are concerned, and where some things have gone downhill.

According to Aktinson, driving the Veyron is almost like not driving at all. This is because the on-board computers play such a large role in making sure you don’t kill yourself. However, it doesn’t seem to prevent someone from driving into a lake all that well. According to Bugatti’s official driver, Pierre-Henri Raphanel, you can push a Veyron into a corner 30% faster than you should, and it will take care of it for you. Now that’s control… or is it a lack of?

While the Veryon is laced to the nines with some of the most advanced automotive computers around, the McLaren F1 is a true beast in every sense of the word… it’s raw. It has no ABS, no traction control, no stability control, and for the sake of jumping to conclusions, probably no cruise control (hah!). The Veryon may be able to reach speeds even higher than the F1, but because if its technological prowess, you don’t need to be a race car driver to push one hard. The F1 is almost the opposite… you need skill.

Unfortunately for Atkinson, his track day was hampered by rain, making driving fast cars more akin to ice skating. So, he was unable to push either car to the limit, but he did begin to appreciate just how much the Veryon could save your ass. As a lucky F1 owner, he mentioned that he had too many major frights when driving in the past, but hey, that’s half of the fun, isn’t it?

Bottom line? Both cars have their perks, both are sexy, both are expensive and both are fast. I think it would be hard to go wrong with either.

The McLaren is much the quieter car. The F1 engine is the smaller, of course, but it is also so much more delicate and refined with a flatter, more predictable power curve. The animalistic howl it emits at higher revs is thrilling but not overwhelming. By contrast, the Veyron’s turbocharged W16 unit is physically huge and sounds even huge-er. When it gets truly wound up above 4,000 rpm, the sound it makes is absolutely terrifying, a thunderous, basso cacophony that shakes you to your very core. It sounds more like a diesel locomotive than something automotive.