Aston DBS Superleggera Drag Races Ferrari GTC4, Mercedes SLR, Egos Get Bruised

In case you forgot, the SLR is the bespoke Mercedes supercar from two generations ago. We had this, followed by the SLS AMG and the AMG GT that's near the end of its life. We've always thought the first one was the best, not necessarily from a performance perspective, but the sheer amount of effort that went into making it.

Mercedes couldn't make the SLR by itself, which is why McLaren's name is associated with it. SLR was supposed to stand for Sport Light Racing, but this sledgehammer was all about going fast in comfort. Strangely, it doesn't seem overweight in the context of this drag race, as the modern Ferrari GTC4Lusso is the bulkiest supercar here.

The SLR is, however, outgunned. The 5.4-liter supercharged V8 makes 617 hp and 574 lb-ft (780 Nm), which are decent numbers. However, it's up against a screaming Ferrari V12 and Aston Martin's most powerful series-production engine. The DBS Superleggera's 5.2-liter makes 715 hp and because of the twin turbochargers, 664 lb-ft (900 Nm) of twist can be made available.

The three drag race here, which is pretty unusual for Carwow. But playing with supercars is a lot of fun, and getting the perfect launch matters when two of them are RWD. The naturally aspirated Ferrari appears to have the best launch system, so every race belongs to it.

However, Aston's engine has more grunt, so the Superleggera could eventually catch up, plus it pulls ahead in the rolling race. The SLR doesn't win anything here... except our respect. It's one cool old-timer, and we think its value should go up.