YouTube channel Lovecars has just posted a video featuring a quarter-mile drag race between the hybrid-powered McLaren P1 and the purely electric Porsche Taycan Turbo S. You would think the outcome would be obvious to the owner of the heavier and less powerful German sports car, but you would be wrong.
Both vehicles should be able to launch within 2.8 seconds, according to their passport specs. From the start, the McLaren looks the clear favorite of the race with its 3.8-liter V8, 916 hp (683 kW) and 900 Nm (664 lb-ft) of torque. It weighs in at just 1,490 kilos (3,285 lbs), sends the momentum to the rear wheels and doesn’t hit its speed limit until as high as 350 km/h (217 mph).
The Porsche weighs whopping 880 kg (1,940 lbs) more, only manages 761 hp (553 kW) and 1,050 Nm (774 lb-ft) in time-limited Launch Control mode, and maxes out at 260 km/h (162 mph). On the other hand, it benefits from dual-engine AWD and instant torque.
When the race starts, the Porsche instantly pulls ahead and reaches 100 km/h in 2.7 seconds, while the McLaren lags behind with 3.65 s. In the end, however, the British supercar gains headway and just barely wins by crossing the finish line in 10.68 seconds, followed by the Taycan 0.14s later.
The one remark we would like to make here is that the McLaren P1 is not a normal production car in any sense, but rather an extremely expensive hypercar. The company produced 375 units priced above $1,000,000 and discontinued the model five years ago. The Porsche Taycan Turbo S feels much more democratic in comparison: it is a mass-produced electric sedan priced at $185,000 and above.