We've been following Top Gear's crazy drag races for a couple of months. They've been really cool videos that people want to see. But we doubt anybody wonders what will happen in a drag race between the Golf R, the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, and the McLaren 675LT.
It's what you'd call a forgone conclusion, as there is no way a 300 horsepower Golf R has a chance against the 430 horsepower Porsche 911 GTS. Nor does the 3.8-lirer engine in the 911 compete with the twin-turbo monster of the same displacement found in the McLaren.
The LT in the name of the McLaren stands for Long Tail. It's inspired by race cars, but that's not important when going in a straight line. What is important is that this has the most powerful engine McLaren makes short of the P1. It will keep up with Ferraris and all the other exotics, so an average Porsche doesn't stand a chance.
Weight doesn't make a difference in a race between a hatchback and two super-light sportscars that cost a small fortune to build. But the fact that Porsche placed the engine over the rear wheels gives it an advantage off the line. However, it's not something that can't be compensated for with over 200 more horsepower.
We don't think there's ever been a video where a VW Golf is taken so seriously. Because there's no hot hatch owner in the world that honestly believes their car will keep up with a McLaren, not unless they've installed a VR6 engine and some serious turbo boost.
The least Top Gear could have done to make this video more interesting was a Le Mans style racing start where the drivers have to get in and buckle up. Or they could have dropped the launch control systems to show what happens.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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