Coupes be weary, this drag race involves just the convertible versions of these two supercars, although those hardtops are sealed-shut.
What makes this video interesting isn’t the fact that we’re looking at two beautiful cars, which also happen to sound demonic (mostly the Ferrari) and go like the wind – because once we run through the numbers, it’s pretty clear who the winner should be.
What’s interesting is that these guys do a whole bunch of runs, even one where the 458 Spider gets a jump on the McLaren while doing a 1st gear roll start.
But let’s start with some numbers, because the McLaren has an obvious technical advantage that we simply can’t overlook. It’s V8 engine is turbocharged (unlike with the 458) and produces 650 PS as well as 678 Nm (500 lb-ft) of torque. In a straight line, it can hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3 seconds flat, which is 0.4 seconds quicker than the 458 Spider.
The Italian thoroughbred has a naturally aspirated V8, good for 570 PS at a staggering 9,000 rpm (compared to the McLaren’s 7,250 rpm limiter) and 540 Nm (398 lb-ft) of torque. While it’s clearly down on power, there’s no doubt that it sounds a heck of a lot better when being revved.
So there, let it enjoy a small moral victory over an obviously faster and more modern opponent, which doesn’t have any issues in launching quicker off the line, nor coming from behind to win big even though the Ferrari driver got a decent head start towards the end of the video.
All in all, when they’re launching side by side at the beginning, you can see that once they engage 2nd gear, it’s all over for the 458.