Porsche 918 v Ferrari SF90: Here's How $1.2 Million Isn't Enough To Win a Drag Race

The Veyron stood as the milestone for a decade, its 400+ kph / 250+ mph top speed becoming the holy grail of every pretentious hypercarmaker. While not everyone succeeded in dethroning the almighty 1,000-hp sixteen-cylinder luxo-missile in sheer terminal velocity, some broke the acceleration barriers and dropped the zero-to-sixties in the mid-twos.

Remember the holy trinity of Porsche 918, McLaren P1, and Ferrari LaFerrari, the apostles of the hybrid times we live in now? They each sired spectacular offspring that dominate the tracks with their blitzing performances. But how would one of the original preachers of electrified motoring stack up against one of the young guns that emerged from that revolution?

The Porsche 918 gained street form in 2013 and immediately blew the crown of the Veyron head in the quarter-mile sprint. At the time, it was a revolution similar to what the Bugatti had sparked when it ousted the McLaren F1 an entire decade before the Porsche mutiny. The hybrid architecture proved so successful that it is now the norm for top-tier makes.

That’s how we now have the Ferrari SF90 – a formidable supercar with outrageous performance figures and classic Ferrari prices. With its astronomical specs, the SF90 could easily sit at the hypercar high table without making a fool of itself. That’s how things go in the dog-eat-dog automotive world – there’s always a top predator that challenges a momentary master of speed.

That’s what we have in the latest video from carwow: the original hybrid hypercar – the Porsche 918 – picks up the gauntlet laid down by the younger Ferrari SF90. Regarding technology, six years separate the two platforms (2013 Porsche, 2019 Ferrari). That’s the equivalent distance between a T-Rex and the moon landing by automotive standards.

The Porsche is powered by a 4.6-liter free-breathing masterpiece in eight cylinders, seconded by two electric motors. The 600-hp (608 PS) combustion engine drives the rear wheels, while the dual electric units spin the front with 286 combined hp (290 PS). The 918 puts down 887 hp (898 PS) and (944 lb-ft) 1,280 Nm. Theoretically, it hits 62 mph (100 kph) in 2.6 seconds and keeps pushing until the speed reads 214 mph (344 kph). The regular version tips the scale at 3,700 lbs. (1,675 kg), but the example in the video received the Weissach Package treatment and is a tad lighter (about 100 lbs. / 45 kg).

The Ferrari is lighter and more powerful (3461 lbs. / 1,570 kg and 986 hp /1,000 PS) but down on torque (590 lb-ft / 800 Nm). The 4.0-liter turbo fires 770 hp / 780 PS, while a triad of electric motors completes the rest of 216 hp / 220 PS. With this setup, the SF90 shoots to 62 mph (100 kph) in 2.5 seconds, one-tenth faster than the Porsche 918. Ferrari probably didn’t want to enter the aviation business and limited the SF90’s top speed to just 211 mph (340 kph).

The biggest difference between the two racers is the price: the German claims a heart-stopping £1.3 million ($1.65 million at the time of writing exchange rate). For that amount, one could buy four SF90s (£376,000 / $477,000).

The Ferrari SF90 has quickly made a name for itself and beat anyone it raced over a quarter-mile, and today is no exception. The Italian spear blasts the track in 9.6 seconds, half a second faster than the 918’s personal best of 10.1. things are no different in the rolling races – the Prancing Horse gallops ahead of the Rearing Horse and puts acres of track between them at the half-mile finish line.

For what it’s worth, the Porsche takes satisfaction in winning the electric-mode-only drag race (in 17 seconds, appreciably faster than the 17.8-second Ferrari).