4WD Drag Race Frustration: 650-HP Ferrari Wagon v 2.4-Ton Bentley Continental GT Speed

And we’re not talking about just any Ferrari or Bentley (as if those two names ever had such a thing as Just Anys). It’s the first-ever four-wheel drive Prancing Horse, the shooting brake FF from 12 years ago, versus the cathedral of speed, the Bentley Continental GT. By cathedral, we don’t imply any sepulchral catharsis of velocity barriers, but the damn thing’s sheer deadweight of 2.3 tons.

That’s 5,115 lbs. of raw British power and all-wheel drive grand touring luxury going head-to-head against the not-so-light four-seater Ferrari. The Italian GT weighs in at 1,96 tons (4,321 lbs), so there’s an immediate apparent advantage. Things get worse for the Bentley when the twelve-cylinder size contest is on.

The chopped-wagon Ferrari (let’s agree it looks like a two-door bread van with a gym subscription) puts out 660 PS (651 hp) with the 6.3-liter naturally aspirated V12 shrieking at the red-line 8,000 RPM. Torque-wise, the 65° engine punches hard – 504 lb-ft (683 Nm), hence, the 3.7-second dash from standstill to 100 kph (62 mph).

The high-revving four-wheel drive Ferrari honors its stable by scoring a respectable 208 mph in the top speed trial (335 kph). However, the rear-biased drivetrain cuts off all power from the front wheels when the car hits 180 kph (112 mph). The engine sits behind the front axle, and a Power Sending Unit linked to the crankshaft delivers torque to the wheels via a pair of carbon-fiber wet (oil-bath) multi-plate clutches with torque vectoring. (You can play the second video and see how the system operates).

The seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle sits over the rear axle. This design allows the front-engined Ferrari to distribute more weight over the back than at the steering end. Overall, the Ferrari would be the bookies’ favorite in this race.

On the other hand, the Bentley is imperturbably British, and its W12 powerplant has two massive turbos to help it fire a 635 PS broadside (626 hp) and 820 Nm (605 lb-ft). Considering its heft, the luxurious grand tourer has impressive stats: 206 mph maximum speed (331 kph) and 4.2 seconds from zero to 100 kph (62 mph).

The big Brit doesn’t play around with traction and sports a permanent all-wheel drive system actuated via an eight-speed box. (Note that this model shown in the video is the previous iteration, built between 2015 and 2017). The German YouTuber who set the race up, Hamid Mossadegh from the Hamid Tailormade Cars channel, is not a big fan of this particular Ferrari model for several reliability-related reasons, he explains while driving the four-wheel drive Italian gem to the strip.

However, at the track, he takes the wheel of his Bentley, turns off the traction control, and cranks it up. The frustrating part of this drag race is that it comprised only one round, which the luxury car won – but there are amendments to that victory.

First, the start wasn’t the greatest procedure in the business. Secondly, the Ferrari left late (alternatively, we can claim that the Continental GT jumped, given that its driver was in charge of the countdown). But one thing is sure – the Ferrari driver/owner was clearly unhappy with the car’s performance on winter tires over a cold surface.