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Porsche 918 Spyder vs. McLaren 650S Spider Is Not Your Usual Open-Air Drag Race

We've seen the Porsche 918 Spyder representing the hypercar race against supercar opponents before, but today we want to focus on a different aspect.
Porsche 918 Spyder VS. McLaren 650S Spider 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube
The 1,320 feet battle we're bringing you now sees Zuffenhausen's halo car battling it out with a Mclaren 650S Spider.

While the footage shows the Porsche leaving the Woking machine trailing in its wake, the uploader of the clip explains the 918's all-wheel-drive advantage was more important than we might believe.

To be more precise, the 650S lost some time due to experiencing wheelspin during the take-off phase, which obviously cost it, since the McLaren was already at a disadvantage.

Those of you who are willing to see the 650S Spider at its full sprinting potential can check out the second piece of footage below.

However, as we mentioned in the intro, the one thing that stands out here is how nonchalant the open-top vehicles have infiltrated the top of the go-fast realm.

While the Porsche can always let your hair enjoy the wind, the McLaren driver here is the kind of guy who ordered a Spider, but decided to bring his car to the drag strip anyway. And the best part of it all is that you can't hold it against him.

That's because the British automaker itself has sent Spider to comparison tests before. Mclaren knows all too well that its open-air models perform so close to the fixed roof incarnation in terms of road testing that the difference becomes irrelevant.

This is obviously possible thanks to the carbon tub McLaren uses for all its cars, but we've seen similar street test results with the Ferrari 458, which uses an aluminum construction.

We can't help but be glad about engineering reaching an era that allows our go-fast machines to leave the performance drawbacks as well as the rattles of yesterday's convertibles behind.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
Andrei Tutu profile photo

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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