Porsche 991 Turbo S Vs. Ferrari 488 Pista Drag Race Winner Leaves It Late

Granted, the turbocharged Porker is even more of a beast on shorter distances, as countless videos of it destroying much more powerful opponents will confirm, but it can hold its own in half-mile races just as well. The way it launches thanks to that all-wheel-drive system, though, means that very few vehicles can match its off-the-line performance or make up for it afterward before the end of a quarter-mile race.

Luckily for its opponent here, this is a half-a-mile event, which just happens to be the perfect distance for a Ferrari 488 Pista. The Italian supercar has vastly superior power (720 hp from its 4.0-liter V8 engine, compared to 560 hp from a flat-six, both turbocharged) and slightly more torque (568 lb-ft/770 Nm for the Italian and 516 lb-ft/700 Nm for the German), while also weighing less (2,822 lbs/1,280 kg for the red car and 3,538 lbs/1,605 kg for the black one).

Its only real drawback in this race is the rear-wheel-drive setup, which prevents it from deploying all that might effectively at the start. Once finding traction stops being a problem for the Ferrari, the extra 160 horsepower, as well as the lower weight, should give it an undeniable edge. Will that be enough to make up for the ground lost early on?

This is the part where we normally say, "we won't spoil it for you, blah, blah, blah." Well, if you've been paying attention to everything that's been said this far, title included, you'll know it's the Ferrari that finishes first. Only just. The 911 Turbo S is in front for most of the race - so much so that losing almost feels unfair - but the trap speed says it all: 255 kph (158 mph) for the Porsche and 270 kph (168 mph) for the Ferrari. Had the race gone on for longer, that gap would have widened even more.

(2:08 is when the race happens, though the rest of the clip is well worth watching as well)