McLaren 720S vs Ferrari 488 GTB 1/4 Mile Drag Racing

Yeah the 720S appears to be an animal but these are not really drag race cars.


Just a generation ago sports car 0-60 and quarter mile speeds were not much considered

 

What do you mean by a generation ago? When I watch top gear from the mid 2000's they always mention 0-60 times and top speed first (and they were pathetic by today's standards obviously). I do however, think that the Veyron changed the way we view performance. It's numbers were so absurd and beyond everything that it created a super car performance arms race that we are still in the middle of today.

 

I suspect the track time results would be similar drivers/conditions being equal.

 

I'm somewhat biased because I'm a 720s owner, but I really believe the 570 is the McLaren competitor with a 488 - not a 720s. And just as Pista is the track weapon version of the 488, the 570LT will be the track weapon version of the 570. While it's possible the Pista will end up slightly besting the 720s a class up, when the 720LT comes out I think we know what the result will be.

 

I think you are 100% correct but I doubt the Pista will top the 720 especially if fitted with the appropriate tires. The 750LT wont be out for 2+ years, there will be no answer to this from anyone from a performance standpoint. But who cares about performance when you spend $300k to $400k on a sports car? Haha

 

Well said. The latest/newest car is usually faster.

 

The 720S will likely still take the Pista in a straight line, although hopefully it's close. But around a track the Pista should be the car that takes it. More downforce, race focused. Now when the 750LT arrives, forget it.

 

I have been a HDPE instructor for 20+ years, and I can count on 1 hand owners of anything exotic (if we could get them to a track), that should be let loose with much more than 100hp.... let alone 600--700+. I hope most of the owners enroll in driving schools, rather than just scare themselves or just point these things in a straight line and pray. There is just so much more to explore in the performance envelope than just going straight.

Every time I hear, "this car is faster than that car around 'X' track". When corners are involved, the variable behind the wheel is the real difference. An experienced driver/racer in a Golf would probably beat any punter in any exotic.

 

Agree. As I spent several minutes adjusting the seat, steering wheel, mirrors, etc in the last car I test drove, the salesman commented " looks like you've done a few driving events which is rare to see". I understand not every driver does, but it did make me laugh thinking about allowing someone to drive a 700+ hp car without any real performance driving experience. Pretty scary when you think about it. Every sports car I've purchased over the last 15 or more years has been taken to a track before I really laid into it on the street... if for no other reason than to understand how it will react while driving with anger or evasively to avoid an accident. On the other side, YouTube is full of the ones that automatically believe the keys to a car unlocks their true ability as a race car driver.

 

Fun to watch people get lapped in Dodge Neons.

 

As a 15 yr hpde driver amd 5 yr instructor, I agree the rare exotic that shows up is usually driven at 4/10s. I have no problem with that either. What annoys me is they never give a point by to faster cars! Anyone else notice that? I gave up on fca events after being stuck at street speed behind enzos, 333sp, etc for lap after lap.