Porsche made sure to ship the new 992-generation 911 Turbo S all over the globe in advance of its debut so that reviewers could experience the potent performance on tap from Stuttgart's flagship model. And after proving the 992 Turbo S was equally happy in traffic or sprinting through canyons, Porsche then released it to the general public where it proved even more spectacular than expected. But whether a 992 Porsche Turbo S truly belongs in the supercar club is another question, as proven by a new video from the YouTube channel DragTimes featuring a tuned Cabriolet attempting to take down the venerable McLaren 720S in a series of quarter-mile drag races.
McLaren's Longstanding Champ
DragTimes host Brooks Weisblat always manages to pit the 720S against some worthy foes, though on paper, the Porsche clearly needed a little bit of help. McLaren equips the 720S with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 that pumps 710 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Meanwhile, it benefits from the mid-engined layout, tips the scales at just over 3,100 pounds, and rides lower than the new Turbo S.
Performance Enhancements
The 992-gen Turbo S would have left the factory with a twin-turbocharged 3.7-liter flat-six that produces 640 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque—critically, that grunt is routed to all four wheels through Porsche's new eight-speed version of the PDK dual-clutch gearbox. But that all-wheel-drive layout and the fact that the Turbo S does have a back seat (no matter how small it may be), plus this car's convertible design, all attribute to a curb weight of nearly 3,800 pounds. Luckily, this example benefits from upgraded downpipes and an ECU tune, which gives it a bit more oomph.
Not Really Close
And yet, despite the Porsche's mods, the races aren't ever particularly close. The McLaren regularly cracks down into the nines, despite spinning a bit off the line, while the Porsche actually logs its best time without a competitor lined up for a race. But of course, the 720S also costs almost $100,000 more and solidly sits in the supercar stratosphere, so Porsche fans shouldn't come away from this video too disappointed—perhaps a 992 GT2 would be the more apt opponent here.
Sources: youtube.com and porsche.com.