Can a McLaren Senna keep up with a helicopter in a highly unusual drag race?
There’s no denying the power and performance of the McLaren Senna. We’ve seen the Senna post astounding performance numbers and beat every other vehicle around any track it’s placed against. It’s 4.0-L twin-turbo V8 produces an eye-watering 789 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque which allows the car to launch from zero to sixty in just 2.7 seconds. Top speed is a drag-limited 211 mph, which at that speed, produces over 1,750 lbs of downforce.
That’s almost enough for the car to drive upside down.
Without peer among terrestrial vehicles, the Senna must look to the skies to find worthy competition. Thanks to DailyDrivenExotics (by way of Motor1), we finally get to see the Senna take on a chopper in a drag race.
Its opponent is the MD 500C. Based on the original OH-6 Army scout helicopter manufactured by Bell, this tiny helicopter can seat just two people and has no air conditioning. It weighs significantly less than the Senna with an empty weight of just over 1,000 lbs, which will be a great advantage when it accelerates off the line.
However, the MD 500C is woefully underpowered compared to the Senna. Its Allison 250-C20 turboshaft produces just 278 hp, allowing the MD 500 to reach a top speed of 175 mph. Zero to sixty is comparable to the Senna, but reaching its top end requires a bit of assistance from gravity, if you catch our meaning.
As part of the festivities of the Hublot Diamond Rally charity event, over 200 supercars were driven from Vancouver all the way to Pemberton Airport to take part in drag racing and general frivolity. DailyDrivenExotics managed to snag a drag race with the MD 500C when their Porsche opponent blew a gasket and needed to be pushed off the strip.
Check out the video above to see which vehicle comes out on top. Keep in mind, the helicopter can fly over those mountains you see in the background.