Manufacturers love to throw numbers about that really don’t have any real-world application. Chief among these are the infamous 0 to 60 times.
There is only one place where that would really matter, and CarWow decided to pit the new 2021 Porsche Type 992 911 Turbo S against a 2020 McLaren 720S in a head to head drag race.
In the red corner, the 911 Turbo S comes to the line with 640 HP and 590 lbs-ft of torque. It also has variable all-wheel drive and launch control modes to maximize its performance.
In the white corner, the 720S brings 720 HP and 568 lbs-ft of torque. It is rear-wheel drive only and has a launch control mode as well.
Both cars also bring twin-turbochargers to the battle.
On paper, this match looks like it should be a clear win for the 720S, as all-wheel-drive cars have to launch gently to not blow up their center differential.
However, real life is not paper, it’s pavement. And the engineering wizards at Porsche have sorted the launch control system out to the point that the 911 Turbo S doesn’t just launch from a standstill, it goes to warp speed.
Half a second after launch, the Turbo S goes to warp…Before the 720S even has a chance, the Turbo S is just… gone.
However, from a roll at 50 MPH, the field is leveled out a bit and the 720S can claim at least that it’s on-power acceleration is marginally better than the Turbo S.
The 720S pulls harder with a rolling start, but can’t fully escape the 911 Turbo SIn the end, however, as can be seen in the video, the Turbo S can keep up and it is fairly close. But from a standstill? Porsche has redefined what launch control is all about for 2021.
