Ferrari F8 Tributo vs McLaren 720S: The Buyer's Verdict
The short answer: the ferrari f8 tributo vs mclaren 720s decision comes down to whether you want the most refined version of a proven Ferrari V8 or the most technically advanced chassis of the era. The F8 Tributo is the last of Ferrari's non-hybrid mid-engine V8 line, running a twin-turbo 3.9-liter making around 710 horsepower, and it is the more polished, more conventional car to live with. The 720S makes similar power from a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 but wraps it in a carbon fiber tub with hydraulically linked suspension, which makes it lighter, more adjustable, and stranger in a way owners either love or never warm to. Both are rear-wheel drive, both are now used-market cars, and in Tampa that last point matters more than any figure here.
DRIP JOURNAL · UPDATED AUGUST 2026
Refinement Of A Known Formula Against A Clean-Sheet Chassis
Ferrari and McLaren arrived at similar performance from opposite starting points. The F8 Tributo is the end of a lineage. It refines the twin-turbo V8 Ferrari had been developing through the 488 GTB and the 488 Pista, borrowing hardware and calibration from the harder-edged car and putting it in a body meant to be lived with. It is not a reinvention, and that was the point. Ferrari knew exactly what this car was by the time it built it.
The 720S went the other way. McLaren built a new carbon tub, the MonoCage II, wrapped it in bodywork designed around airflow rather than tradition, and gave it hydraulically interlinked suspension instead of conventional anti-roll bars. The result is a car that rides better than it has any right to and changes direction with far less mass moving around than the Ferrari.
Drive them back to back and the difference is immediate. The Ferrari feels tight, alert, and familiar in the best sense. The McLaren feels lighter and more transparent, with steering that tells you more and a body that stays flatter without punishing the road. If you want the same comparison against the 720S's more traditional rival, our 720S versus 488 GTB guide covers the generation just before this one.
What This Comparison Means For Florida Buyers
Neither car has all-wheel drive, and neither is subtle about power delivery once the turbos are awake. From June through September, Tampa Bay gets sudden afternoon storms that turn a dry road wet in minutes, and both of these cars ask for real restraint in those conditions. This is the single most practical thing to understand before buying either one here.
Visibility is where they genuinely diverge for daily use. The 720S has one of the best glasshouses ever fitted to a mid-engine car, with slim pillars and a rear view that makes parking and lane changes far less of an event. The F8 Tributo is more conventional, which means more over-the-shoulder guesswork in traffic. On a car you plan to actually drive around Tampa rather than trailer to events, that adds up.
Ground clearance is the other item. Both sit low, and Florida driveway aprons and pavement transitions punish that. A front axle lift is close to mandatory on either car, and it is worth confirming a specific example has it before you commit to a spec.
Where Each Car Wins
Neither is objectively the better car. They win on different parts of ownership, and being honest about which parts you actually care about is the fastest route to the right one.
- Engine character: the F8's V8 is the more emotional of the two, and it is the last non-hybrid Ferrari V8 of its kind, which matters to a lot of buyers.
- Chassis technology: the 720S's carbon tub and interlinked suspension deliver a ride and body control the Ferrari cannot match.
- Weight: the McLaren is the lighter car, and it feels it in every direction change.
- Visibility and usability: the 720S is dramatically easier to see out of, which changes how often you actually take it out.
- Brand and resale: Ferrari has historically held value more firmly, particularly on well-specified low-mileage cars.
- Interior and switchgear: the F8's cabin feels the more special of the two, and McLaren's infotainment of this era is its weakest area.
DRIP sources both nationwide, so the choice is not limited to whatever happens to be sitting on one dealer's floor.
Common Mistakes Buyers Make Comparing These Two
The first mistake is treating the horsepower figures as the story. Both cars sit around the same output, so the numbers cancel and everything interesting lives in weight, chassis, and how the power arrives. Buyers who stop at the spec sheet almost always end up surprised on the test drive.
The second is underestimating options on used cars. Consider a buyer comparing two 720S examples at nearly the same asking price, where one has carbon interior and exterior packages, upgraded seats, a lift system and a stereo worth having, and the other has none of it. Those are not the same car and should never carry the same number. Compare built cars, not model names.
Third is ignoring service history and condition on cars that are now several years old. Both of these are used purchases at this point, which means the specific example matters more than the badge. A well-kept 720S with documented service is a far better buy than a neglected F8, and the reverse is equally true.
Fourth is buying private to save a little on a car where verified condition is worth far more than the discount. If this is your first purchase at this level, our guide for first-time exotic car buyers covers the process mistakes that cost the most money.
How DRIP Exotics Helps You Decide
DRIP publishes real prices and real condition reports instead of a call-for-price runaround, which matters most on cars where option packages and history swing value dramatically between two examples that look identical in a listing photo.
The conversation that settles this one is usually short. How often will the car be driven, does everyday visibility matter to you, do you want the engine to be the event or the chassis to be the event, and are you buying to hold or to rotate in a couple of years. A buyer who wants to drive it regularly and values how a car moves tends to land on the 720S. A buyer who wants the Ferrari V8 experience and the badge that comes with it lands on the F8.
Current cars are listed in our exotic car inventory, we arrange structured exotic car financing on either one, and we can deliver anywhere in the country.
When It's Time To Talk To A Dealer, Not A Spec Sheet
You are ready for a real conversation once three things are settled: how many miles a year the car will see, whether you want the Ferrari engine experience specifically, and whether you are buying to keep or to trade in two years. Those three answers narrow this comparison faster than another hour of reading comparison videos.
Timing is the other trigger. Good examples of both cars, particularly in desirable colors with the options buyers actually want, do not sit around. Once you have a model and a rough spec in mind, that is the moment to look at what is genuinely available rather than at press figures from launch.
If you are cross-shopping the F8 against its Italian rival rather than the McLaren, our Huracan versus F8 Tributo guide takes that angle, and we can line up whichever pair you want to compare in person.
The F8 Tributo is the car you buy because of the engine. The 720S is the car you buy because of everything around it. Neither buyer is wrong, and they rarely change each other's minds.DRIP Exotics · Tampa
Currently listed in our inventory: the 2021 Ferrari F8 Tributo and the 2020 McLaren 720S Performance, each with photos and full details on its own page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Drive Them Both.
Then Decide.
A spec sheet will never settle this one. Tell DRIP which way you're leaning, F8 Tributo or 720S, and we'll line up both so you can decide with your hands on the wheel, then finance it and deliver it to your door.