Watch a McLaren P1 Drag Race its McLaren 650S Sibling

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2016 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell

                                     

Shopping for a fast car this January—a really, really fast car? Provided you’ve got the cash, you could do well to cross shop a McLaren. 

 

Two of the brand’s hardest hitting performers—the McLaren P1 hypercar and 650S supercar—recently hightailed it to a runway in California for a half mile drag race showdown, pitting raw mechanical power against hybrid agility.

So how did it all go down? Well, the results may surprise you, initially.

Both the McLaren P1 and 650S make a clean getaway from the line, but despite the hypercar’s glut of low-end hybrid torque, it’s the 650S that dashes to the lead. It is a momentary win.

 With twin turbos a spoolin’ and its electric motor cranking at full chat, the 903-horsepower P1 screams past the 650S, ending the half mile with trap speeds of 179 mph to 160 mph, respectively. Not a surprising win, but a good bit of sibling rivalry nonetheless.

Both cars call the San Francisco Bay Area home, and the P1 is a bit of a celebrity itself. Said to be chassis #7, the hypercar now features striking orange skirts, calipers and splitters along with a pair of James Bond-themed “007” decals.

Sadly, all 375 P1s have long been accounted for, though examples of the not-so-street legal McLaren P1 GTR are still making their way to US shores.