Model S P85D Drag Races a McLaren 650S Spider, and the Tesla Is All Out of Gum

Having these two cars and the perfect playground available and not trying to see which is faster and by what margin would be like meeting up with your favorite celebrity and only asking them for directions. Missed opportunity doesn't even begin to describe it.

Luckily, this wasn't just a fortunate encounter, and these two guys knew exactly what they were doing and why they were there. However, similar the Tesla drag race from two weeks ago where the EV went against a Lamborghini Aventador, the set-up isn't perfect. Or remotely close to it.

Everybody knows what to expect from the Tesla. Its strong points are notorious, and so are its weaknesses. It has phenomenal off-the-line acceleration and fantastic grip, but its gearing prevents it from gaining speed in the same manner once higher velocities are reached. So a Tesla isn't really a powerful drag racing tool over distances greater than the standard quarter-mile.

The RWD McLaren 650S, on the other hand, needs a little time and space to gain traction before it can deploy the power made by its bi-turbo V8 engine usefully. Once it does it, though, it starts to look worthy of the "supercar" description that usually comes tagged to its name. Then, it can put up a fight against any other car you can think of.

But the way these two cars deliver their power to their wheels isn't the whole story here. The guys at Autocar also happened to be on the racetrack just after it had rained, so the asphalt is still wet. This is Great Britain, after all, so we guess we should be grateful it wasn't raining then as well. But the track surface soaked in water meant that the McLaren was further disadvantaged. On the other hand, this is a race between a seven-seater and a supercar, so it was never about the equality of chances. With a Tesla involved, it never is.