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Stock McLaren 765LT Drag Races Tesla Model S Plaid With Unexpected Results

The regular McLaren 720S has proved its worth by taking on some of the quickest cars on earth in a straight-line battle, often humiliating them. Thus, it is only natural that its more extreme version, the 765LT, does the same, and in this case, it met the big bad Tesla Model S Plaid at the drag strip.
Tesla Model S Plaid vs. McLaren 765LT 6 photos
Photo: Screenshot Youtube | DragTimes
Tesla Model S Plaid vs. McLaren 765LTTesla Model S Plaid vs. McLaren 765LTTesla Model S Plaid vs. McLaren 765LTTesla Model S Plaid vs. McLaren 765LTTesla Model S Plaid vs. McLaren 765LT
But wait a minute, is the ICE-powered machine quick enough in order to even stand a chance against the electric hyper sedan? Well, if we compare the official specs of both models, that would be a no. However, McLaren is known for underestimating the performance of its machines, which is a different way of saying that they’re usually more powerful than advertised.

Ask the British automaker how quick the 765LT is in a straight-line sprint, and they will tell you that it needs 2.7 seconds to hit 60 mph (97 kph) from rest and that it will top out at 205 mph (330 kph). Powering it is a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine, with 754 hp (765 ps / 563 kW) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque, which is mated to a seven-speed SSG, and rear-wheel drive.

In the opposite corner, the Tesla Model S Plaid is one of those cars that needs no introduction. You’re looking at the previous quarter-mile record holder for production vehicles until the Rimac Nevera gave it a black eye, and with a lot of pre-race prepping, it will hit 60 mph (97 kph) in a neck-snapping 1.99 seconds, albeit not from a standstill, as we’re sure you already know.

So, which of the two ultra-powerful rides is quicker down the quarter mile? The answer lies one mouse-click away in the video that’s almost 9 minutes long and shows the two engage in five short battles. That said, you know the drill, don’t you?

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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
Cristian Gnaticov profile photo

After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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