The supercar siblings squared off in Florida, but technical difficulties diluted the fun.
Our standard procedure on videos from Dragtimes is to offer up some occasionally witty commentary on the action, backed by a short narration of events with a bit of mystery as to the final outcome to avoid spoiling the fun. This time things are a bit different, and not just because we spill the beans in the headline. Yes, the McLaren 720S reigned supreme in this McLaren-versus-McLaren showdown at the recent Wannagofast half-mile event in Florida, but raw power wasn’t the only force at play here.
Before we explain further, let’s look at the stats for these supercars. The 720S packs a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 producing 710 horsepower (529 kilowatts), though it’s often speculated that the overachieving mill actually produces more ponies than what McLaren says it does. Those who follow the Dragtimes crew will know this 720S is bone stock, and in a previous video it busted out a sub-10-second quarter-mile blast to beat a Dodge Challenger Demon in natural habitat. This is a seriously fast car.
The competition for this race is another McLaren, a 675LT that’s also completely stock. It produces 666 hp (497 kW) from a slightly smaller 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8, though it’s nearly 200 pounds lighter. Even on paper, then, the 720S has an advantage but if you’ve perused the above screenshots we grabbed during the video, there’s a positively massive gap between the two cars. What gives?
In short, the 675LT’s launch control just wasn’t getting the job done. The cars made two side-by-side passes and neither was ideal. The first run saw the 675LT sitting at the light for nearly two seconds after the 720S launched. That kind of delayed reaction would be hard to overcome against any car with decent horsepower. The second run was a bit better, but the 675LT still had delays at the starting line. These launch control issues are discussed at the end of the video, with the conclusion being that the 720S not only has more power, but better electronics as well.
Hopefully there will be a rematch in the future, because we suspect the 675LT would stick much closer to the 720S with all things being equal.
Source: Dragtimes via YouTube
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