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Oversteer Issues: McLaren 720S Destroys Porsche 911 GT2 RS in French Track Test

The McLaren 720S and the Porsche 911 GT2 RS have been keeping aficionados on their toes for quite a while now and it seems this won't stop anytime soon. In fact, the latest encounter of the two involves a track battle, where the supercars were pushed to the limit.
McLaren 720S vs McLaren 720S track test 5 photos
Photo: automotomagazine/YouTube
McLaren 720S vs McLaren 720S track testMcLaren 720S vs McLaren 720S track testMcLaren 720S vs McLaren 720S track testMcLaren 720S vs McLaren 720S track test
The rear-wheel-drive monsters were brought together by Auto Moto Magazine, with the French editors deciding to take things to a small circuit.

Both the 700 hp Neunelfer and the 720 hp McLaren were tested under both normal and all-out conditions, with the latter also being accompanied by a stopwatch. And, as we mentioned in the title above, the mid-engined machine left the flat-six wielder behind, with the distance between them being rather generous, especially when compared to the one-minute track layout.

Now, there are a few things we need to mention before reaching a conclusion after checking out the track battle we have here.

First of all, the 911 hot lap seems to be flawed, as the driver allows oversteer to step in on multiple occasions. And the reviewer behind the wheel talks about the "inherently unbalanced" nature of the rear-engined machine (you can always use YouTube's auto-translated captions), with this appearing to be a bit of an excuse. In our book, the 720S is the kind of supercar that appeals to a broader audience, with the Neunelfer requiring special driving skills.

Secondly, we must also mention the lap times the two delivered on other tracks and it seems that the situation is balanced Nurburgring production car lap record aside (6:47), the GT2 RS also beats the 720S on the Sachsenring. Then again, the Woking animal takes the win on the Hockenheim GP, as well as on Magny-Cours (Club layout included).

And while McLaren also builds the track-savvy Senna, this is an entirely different financial league compared to the 911 GT2 RS and the 720S, so we can't throw it into this comparison.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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