It's been around a year since McLaren pulled the plug on the mighty 720S, and during this time, they replaced it with the 750S. Think of it not as a new supercar but as a continuation of its predecessor with various improved aspects and better performance.
Despite being officially dead and buried, the McLaren 720S continues to wow petrolheads. And why wouldn't it? After all, it is a fabulous machine that has rightfully achieved the dream car status. On top of that, it has proved to be more powerful than advertised, and due to the extra oomph, it has scored important wins in straight-line battles against some very worthy opponents.
On paper, its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 was good for 710 hp (720 ps/530 kW). The engine kicked out 556 pound-feet (770 Nm) of torque, enabling the 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph) sprint in 2.9 seconds. The 720S could hit 124 mph (200 kph) in 7.8 seconds after taking off. Keeping the right pedal pinned to the floor would ensure a top speed of 212 mph (341 kph), which is actually six miles per hour (kph) more than the 750S.
In the real world, McLaren's 720S was even quicker, hence why racing against the C7 generation Chevrolet Corvette should be a walk in the park, especially since we're likely looking at the Stingray variant of the American sports model. But the 'Vette is no slouch, despite lacking in the power department compared to the real blue-blooded vehicle, and with a little bit of extra work, it can even give it a run for its money.
Under the hood, the C7 Chevy Corvette Stingray packs a 6.2-liter V8 that steams out 460 hp (467 ps/343 kW) when equipped with the performance exhaust system or five hp (5 ps/4 kW) less without it, and 460 pound-feet (624 Nm) of torque. With the auto 'box, the naught to sixty sprint was dealt with in less than four seconds. If given enough room, it will eventually run out of breath at 180 mph or 290 kph.
You don't need to be a connoisseur to tell that the 'Vette doesn't hold the upper ground in a head-to-head battle against the mighty 720S, but as we often see, sometimes the underdog proves faster. But which of the two crossed the finish line first? That's for you to find out by watching the short video shared below.
Shot at the Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania, it shows two drag races between these cars, both from a rolling start, and the outcome might just surprise you. Let's say that the C7 'Vette Stingray and the Macca 720 are quite evenly matched. That said, this is the part where you must scroll down and hit the play button to find out which was declared the big winner on that day.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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