The McLaren 720S and Porsche 918 Spyder entered the market a few years apart and belong to different segments, not to mention price ranges, yet as this video shows, they are very well matched in a drag race.
Brooks from Drag Times recently pitted his orange 720S against a friend’s red 918 Spyder across four races at the well-prepped drag strip at Palm Beach International Raceway.
On paper, the Porsche 918 Spyder should have the edge. It is powered by a naturally-aspirated 4.6-liter V8 engine supplemented by a pair of electric motors to deliver a total of 875 hp and 944 lb-ft (1,280 Nm) of torque. It also has all-wheel drive and during testing here, recorded a best 0-60 mph (96 km/h) time of 2.24 seconds.
Also Watch: Motor Trend Finds Out What Makes The McLaren 720S So Special
By comparison, the 720S uses a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 with 710 hp and 568 lb-ft (770 Nm). It also features rear wheel drive, which you’d think would result in acceleration a fair bit slower than the 918 Spyder. That’s not the case.
Of the four races held, the duo were neck-and-neck for all four. In the first, the McLaren technically beat the Porsche thanks to the driver’s better reaction time, but the 918 actually raced down the quarter-mile in 9.97 seconds compared to the McLaren’s 10.03. In the second, the Porsche once again dipped into the 9-second range with a 9.90 time compared to the 10.140 of the McLaren. We won’t spoil the results of the final two runs, so you can check them out yourselves.