[VIDEO] Watch a C8 Corvette Tangle with a McLaren 650S on Track Attack

Canada-based YouTube channel, Track Attack, is at it again! About one month after pitting an Accelerate Yellow Stingray Z51 against a Lamborghini Huracan, presenter, Colin Caissie has a new sparring partner in mind for America’s new golden boy.

Caissie wastes no time before introducing us to the Corvette’s challenger in the 26-minute video posted on Monday. It is none other than McLaren’s 2014-2017 “Super Series” offering, the 650S. This predecessor to the current, otherworldly 720S was an update on McLaren’s initial attempt to reenter the road car game, 2011’s MP4-12C.

The example featured in the Track Attack video appears to be the Spider, hard-top convertible variant and, like the Stingray, it was ordered in Yellow (though McLaren’s hue, dubbed Volcano Yellow, is a much more traditional take on the color). McLaren’s ubiquitous twin-turbo V8 displaces 3.8L for 650S duty and brings a 641 HP state of tune to the fight with the naturally aspirated, 495 pony Corvette. The McLaren also easily beats the ‘Vette at weigh-in; 3,236 lbs. to as much as 3,637 lbs.

By the time the actual competition starts at the 14:40 mark, things aren’t looking too good for the Crossed Flags but the host and a special guest from Yokohama talk up the special track alignment and a new tire that could help bridge the $220,000 starting price-gap between the two competitors. The four rounds of the matchup that Caissie has cooked up to find out which car is superior are; an “auto-slalom” handling test, a drag race from a stand-still, a 50 kph (31.0686 MPH) roll race, and a hot lap (of a damp track).

In spite of its on-paper short-comings, Bowling Green’s finest comes out swinging and handily wins the first test by more than a second. This contest might actually get interesting!

The 650 strikes back in the pair of drag races, starting at 18:22, but the Kentucky thoroughbred gives the high-tech Brit all it can handle, easily taking the holeshot and out accelerating the McLaren for the first third of the runway in the standing quarter. The rolling start isn’t nearly as flattering for the Z51 as it heavily favors the physics of power-to-weight. After a quick rundown of the festivities up to this point, it is time for the main event; the setting of lap times!

For this portion, starting at 20:50, Cassie heads out in the Mac first and stops the clock after 1 minute and 21 seconds, flat. Next he grabs the ‘Vette’s key fob and hits the track in manual mode. After what feels like an excruciating amount of time, the checkered flag comes out and a 1:22.2 is revealed, putting the working-man’s sports car within 1.2 ticks of the supercar from Woking.

Interestingly, C8s now make up the bookends of Time Attack’s leaderboard. When the same Z51 took down the Huracan in the previous test, its slip read; 1:16.9 (to the Lambo’s 1:17.8) but the major discrepancy this time was the weather. The day of the first test it was 22 degrees Celsius, which translates to a perfect 71.6 degrees in the Corvette’s homeland. This time around the mercury was sitting at 7 (just 44.6 Fahrenheit!) and the asphalt was far from dry.

In the end, it is safe to say that the Corvette’s engine relocation has only furthered its giant-slayer reputation but we are chomping at the bit to see what the Stingray’s forthcoming big brothers will be capable of; the high-end Europeans of the segment should be very nervous!

Source:
Track Attack Canada / YouTube

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