Fifth Gear’s Tiff Needell and Jason Plato had a go at both the McLaren MP4-12C and Ferrari 458 Italia, testing each car for thrills and for precision. While both may seem to be winners in the pantheon of automotive excellence, only one can come off victorious.

Both drivers render the same verdict, and it’s the kind of final assessment you don’t often get from motoring shows: one wins on paper, and then gets trounced once they discard the spec sheet and grab the wheel.

Well, what can you say? One makes cars for Jenson Button to drive at incredible G-force, but hadn’t built any road cars for almost 15 years. The other is a name that will always be related to Formula One, and famous for its awesome road-legal sport cars.

Powerslides, tire smoke and some unintentional off-roading can be found in the video after the jump. Enjoy! And oh, by the way, notice that Fifth Gear is using Top Gear’s test track, and also, the McLaren MP4-12C is actually tested and developed on the same track.