McLaren 620R vs. McLaren 720S Spider Drag Race Should Be a Foregone Conclusion

Given a choice, why would anyone want to watch a less powerful - and therefore less spectacular - car? Usually, the answer to that question is "affordability." People enjoy the performance of exotic supercars, but they also like the performance of a vehicle they might actually buy.

Well, the 620R may be 100 hp short of the 720S' output, but it still costs $299,999. That's far from what most people would call mainstream. The reason behind the R's price is precisely that letter, which stands for "Racing." And, unlike other manufacturers who use the term very freely, McLaren actually means it.

The 620R is the road-going version of the 570S GT4 race car, meaning that, if it were Italian, it would have probably been called "Omologata." The two share the most important bits - the chassis, the engine - but since the 620R is freed from any racing competition restraints, it's able to push the power output to 620 PS (611 hp).

Meanwhile, the 720S is one of the most usual suspects of drag racing, even though the car present here is of the Spider variety, which would be any racer's second choice in the 720S family. The two have plenty of things setting them apart - different engine (3.8-liter vs 4.0-liter), different power, different tires, different driver - but they do have one thing in common: an official 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) time of 2.9 seconds.

However, this is "Real-World Drag Races," which means anything can happen. No prepped surface, no light tree, no professional - or, sometimes, even experienced - drivers, and, most importantly, no second chances. Botch something up and, even if you're in the quicker car, you're going to lose, and the Internet is going to witness it. So, no pressure.