Most drag racing videos posted online fail to bring up quite possibly the most important detail: tire choice. And yet, that doesn't make them any less fun, especially when the cars in question represent some of the most potent performers on Earth. In today's era, when a four-door Tesla commuter can head down to the strip and challenge legit supercars, the most basic assumptions about racing have changed. A case in point now comes from the UK-based YouTube channel CarWow, which just posted a video featuring three hardcore all-wheel-drive sports cars, albeit all with different layouts, as a front-engined Nissan GT-R Nismo takes on a mid-engined Audi R8 V10 Performance and a rear-engined Porsche 911 Turbo S.
All-Wheel-Drive Traction Makes Its Case
Of course, the benefits of all-wheel-drive traction have inspired Nissan, Audi, and Porsche to equip their most impressive vehicles with the technology for decades now—Audi arguably pioneered the benefits of AWD with the Quattro rally cars of the 1980s, while Porsche proved the 911's rear-engine layout could become equally as effective with the 953 and 959. And then, Nissan's Skyline GT-R joined the herd.
Two Turbo-Sixes And A V10
The Nissan and Porsche both employ twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter six-cylinder engines, though the GT-R's is a V6 mounted ahead of the passenger compartment and the Porsche's flat-six hangs off the rear axle. The Audi, meanwhile, retains a more traditional naturally aspirated V10 shared with its Lamborghini Gallardo and Huracan siblings.
Launching Off The Line And Rolling Races
In a series of hard launches off the line, only the Porsche seems to effectively put its 640 horsepower to the ground efficiently. The Audi R8 consistently bogs down due to electronic interference, while CarWow host Mat Watson jumps the gun with the GT-R. In the rolling race, the R8's V10 manages to perform effectively, possibly because its factory-rated 602 horses don't require any turbo boost to spool up. And the GT-R Nismo once again proves how desperately Nissan needs to revamp this aged sprinter, which has evolved very little since first hitting the market way back in 2007.
Sources: youtube.com and porsche.com.