The Thrill of Adrenaline: A Test of Cars and Drivers

There's something special about getting behind the wheel of a car that makes your heart skip a beat. For this driver, it was the McLaren 720S, a machine with 650 horsepower and two turbos that seemed to defy the laws of physics. With its rear-driven wheels and maximum acceleration from zero RPM, this car was built for speed.

As I put the car in gear and prepared to take off, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and trepidation. The McLaren's launch control system was supposed to make it easy to get away, but as I pressed the pedal, I realized that it wasn't quite working as smoothly as I had hoped. There was no "on" or "off" switch - you just had to get in, put it in gear, and go. And when I did, something unexpected happened.

The McLaren surged forward with incredible acceleration, but not before a moment of hesitation. It seemed to stall for a fraction of a second before finally getting underway. I was taken aback by this sudden burst of power, but as soon as the car found traction, it was clear that this was going to be no ordinary drive.

As I cruised down the road, the McLaren's four-wheel drive system proved to be more than capable of handling the damp conditions. But when I put it into launch control mode and prepared for another attempt at the quarter-mile, things got even more interesting. The car was ready to go - or so it seemed.

"Five, four, three, two, one," I counted down in my head as I pressed the pedal to the floor. The McLaren shot forward with incredible acceleration, its tires spinning wildly as it devoured the asphalt. For a moment, it seemed like anything was possible.

But just when I thought things were under control, disaster struck. The car's speed dropped off sharply, and I found myself back in the real world once again. "Oh well," I muttered to myself, shaking my head in admiration of the McLaren's capabilities.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of respect for this incredible machine. Despite its relatively short wheelbase and lack of outright power, the McLaren 720S had proven itself to be more than capable of outclassing even the most powerful electric cars. And as I pulled back into my driveway, exhausted but exhilarated by the experience, I couldn't help but wonder what other surprises this car had in store.

The Tesla, meanwhile, was lurking in the background, its electric motor humming quietly as it waited for its turn to take on the McLaren. With 690 horsepower and four-wheel drive, this car was not to be underestimated - and it seemed that my earlier hesitation about its performance was well-founded. As I watched from the sidelines, the Tesla launched forward with ease, its speed and acceleration leaving the McLaren in its wake.

But despite its superior power output, there was something undeniably cool about driving an internal combustion engine car like the McLaren 720S. Maybe it was the sound of its exhaust note, or the feeling of weight and substance that came from driving a machine with real pistons and cylinders. Whatever it was, I couldn't help but feel drawn to this beautiful, noisy, old-fashioned machine.

As for the outcome of the two cars' battle of speed, I must confess that I'm still not entirely sure who won. The Tesla seemed to have taken the lead at one point, only to be overtaken by the McLaren as it found traction and began to make real progress down the track. In the end, it was a photo finish - but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

So there we have it - a thrilling test of cars and drivers that will leave you breathless and wanting more. Whether you're a petrolhead or an electric car enthusiast, this is a story that's sure to captivate anyone who loves the thrill of the drive.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enright so this is a very interesting drag race we have cylinders Pistons being driven by piston heads and over there my colleague Matt in the electric appliance well it's not really fair to call a Tesla and appliance that is really a blinding piece of Kit and here I am in my Tesla with launch control activated it's not launch control is it it's just it's just ready all the time and there's no on and off in this car which is bizarre there is no oh now it's on you just get in and it's and it's goodink you put it in D put your belt on and it's ready to go I've got 650 horsepower two turbos rear driven wheels and a greasy Runway what Tesla have you got there then uh ph5 D which has got insane not ludicrous just insane yeah not ludicrous just insane but it's what 6 690 6 670 690 it's a lot of it's a lot of power and I've got four-wheel drive and I've got maximum acceleration from zero RPM uh and and and it's wet so I will get away but is it SC mile you might come back I suppose you've got four-wheel drive I didn't know that okay well that's uh this this could be interesting okay lights in five four 4 3 2 1 that is unbelievable that is a tiny Speck still a tiny Speck starting to get a bigger Speck bit of bigger Speck but no that is a through 1/4 Mile this thing is unbelievable what a car oh well that I didn't expect I mean I expected I expected to get down off the line I didn't expect to maintain it all the way down it started to come back towards the end this is an important test for pistons and cylinders and internal combustion as the electric age looms is it the future it's part of it there's something to quite like about this even as a car Enthusiast there's something to quite like about a car that makes no noise emits nothing but power 5 4 3 two one get me launch control on that's cool could hear it through the uh uh and I can still see it in the mirror oh he's going gaining a bit quicker this time I have a feeling I have a feeling might have just pipped this at the last Dan do you reckon you got in front of me then cuz it looked very close from here I think that was was a photo finish wasn't it yeah I reckon I reckon you came past me very quickly in the end which surprised me cuz you in the mirror in the mirror in the mirror and all a sudden you're out of the mirror and alongside me and I think uh you might have just just done it at the last which is annoying Dan did you get noticeably less wheel spin that time um I no I I just kind of once it started to wheel spin I just lifted a fraction and then short shifted second and it seemed to hook up again and once I was in third it just took off yeah that's yeah cuz last time I I noticed you sort of slowly gaining ground but this time you would well while I say by the time you were in third you were absolutely flying yeah once it got third gear and some traction we were away right I make that one all in the damp let's try again 5 4 3 2 1 right where is he there he is in the mirror ah he's not going as far into the mirror as I would like it's coming past is past yeah done it so there we go a victory for pistons and internal combustion over the dedly electrical Appliance um I've got to say Tesla is pretty damn impressive and as Matt was saying on the radio just now he just has to press the pedal and go I'm kind of having to balance wheel spin and gear changes and all the rest of it and it's really quite difficult on these uh Dam dam Tac to uh get the car cleanly off the line but when it does hook up um the Tesla is off for the first 100 yards or so but after that once you get up to about 60 MPH or so third gear the McLaren is away right gone you're going to be annoying now aren't you cuz on balance after after a slightly faltering start when when me launch control didn't quite get going yeah well it's I mean it's it's damp as well isn't it but when that got traction there's no denying that it's the fast I mean if this was completely dry I think it would have beaten me every time I'd like to be magnanimous in Victory but I'm I'm actually delighted that the internal combustion engine With a Little Help from some turbos and a few other bits and Bobs managed to defeat even insane acceleration yeah I mean listen I like electric I like internal combustion engines I like Pistons I like all that nonsense I just don't like being in a car that loses uh but bear in mind this is a 7even seat hatch pack and it's pretty good going that is a super go that should have won really it should have done and it did but they will make a faster one of these so we'll be back and have another goright so this is a very interesting drag race we have cylinders Pistons being driven by piston heads and over there my colleague Matt in the electric appliance well it's not really fair to call a Tesla and appliance that is really a blinding piece of Kit and here I am in my Tesla with launch control activated it's not launch control is it it's just it's just ready all the time and there's no on and off in this car which is bizarre there is no oh now it's on you just get in and it's and it's goodink you put it in D put your belt on and it's ready to go I've got 650 horsepower two turbos rear driven wheels and a greasy Runway what Tesla have you got there then uh ph5 D which has got insane not ludicrous just insane yeah not ludicrous just insane but it's what 6 690 6 670 690 it's a lot of it's a lot of power and I've got four-wheel drive and I've got maximum acceleration from zero RPM uh and and and it's wet so I will get away but is it SC mile you might come back I suppose you've got four-wheel drive I didn't know that okay well that's uh this this could be interesting okay lights in five four 4 3 2 1 that is unbelievable that is a tiny Speck still a tiny Speck starting to get a bigger Speck bit of bigger Speck but no that is a through 1/4 Mile this thing is unbelievable what a car oh well that I didn't expect I mean I expected I expected to get down off the line I didn't expect to maintain it all the way down it started to come back towards the end this is an important test for pistons and cylinders and internal combustion as the electric age looms is it the future it's part of it there's something to quite like about this even as a car Enthusiast there's something to quite like about a car that makes no noise emits nothing but power 5 4 3 two one get me launch control on that's cool could hear it through the uh uh and I can still see it in the mirror oh he's going gaining a bit quicker this time I have a feeling I have a feeling might have just pipped this at the last Dan do you reckon you got in front of me then cuz it looked very close from here I think that was was a photo finish wasn't it yeah I reckon I reckon you came past me very quickly in the end which surprised me cuz you in the mirror in the mirror in the mirror and all a sudden you're out of the mirror and alongside me and I think uh you might have just just done it at the last which is annoying Dan did you get noticeably less wheel spin that time um I no I I just kind of once it started to wheel spin I just lifted a fraction and then short shifted second and it seemed to hook up again and once I was in third it just took off yeah that's yeah cuz last time I I noticed you sort of slowly gaining ground but this time you would well while I say by the time you were in third you were absolutely flying yeah once it got third gear and some traction we were away right I make that one all in the damp let's try again 5 4 3 2 1 right where is he there he is in the mirror ah he's not going as far into the mirror as I would like it's coming past is past yeah done it so there we go a victory for pistons and internal combustion over the dedly electrical Appliance um I've got to say Tesla is pretty damn impressive and as Matt was saying on the radio just now he just has to press the pedal and go I'm kind of having to balance wheel spin and gear changes and all the rest of it and it's really quite difficult on these uh Dam dam Tac to uh get the car cleanly off the line but when it does hook up um the Tesla is off for the first 100 yards or so but after that once you get up to about 60 MPH or so third gear the McLaren is away right gone you're going to be annoying now aren't you cuz on balance after after a slightly faltering start when when me launch control didn't quite get going yeah well it's I mean it's it's damp as well isn't it but when that got traction there's no denying that it's the fast I mean if this was completely dry I think it would have beaten me every time I'd like to be magnanimous in Victory but I'm I'm actually delighted that the internal combustion engine With a Little Help from some turbos and a few other bits and Bobs managed to defeat even insane acceleration yeah I mean listen I like electric I like internal combustion engines I like Pistons I like all that nonsense I just don't like being in a car that loses uh but bear in mind this is a 7even seat hatch pack and it's pretty good going that is a super go that should have won really it should have done and it did but they will make a faster one of these so we'll be back and have another go\n"