The Caterham 620R and McLaren 720S don’t appear to have much in common but that hasn’t stopped Auto Express from pitting the vehicles against each other in a drag race.
It goes without saying the Caterham is at a massive power disadvantage as the model has a supercharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 310 hp (231 kW) and 219 lb-ft (297 Nm) of torque. That’s nothing to sneeze at but the mighty Mac boasts a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 developing an impressive 710 hp (529 kW) and 567 lb-ft (770 Nm) of torque.
On paper, the McLaren appears to have a significant advantage but there’s more to the cars than just engines. One of the biggest differences is weight as the Caterham tips the scales at 572 kg (1,261 lbs) while the 720S comes in at 1,403 kg (3,093 lbs).
In the end, the McLaren is the clear winner as it easily pulls away from the Caterham and never looks back. The time chart is especially telling as the 720S ran the quarter mile in 10.4 seconds at 142.1 mph (228 km/h) while the 620R took 12.3 seconds and only hit 114 mph (183 km/h).
While the Caterham wasn’t the winner, it looks like a bargain next to the McLaren as it costs £51,990 ($71,901) and can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. The 720S accomplishes the same task in 2.9 seconds but the model costs nearly four times as much.