You can buy a dozen or more examples of the Porsche 911 Turbo S for the price of a Bugatti Chiron—even without a special edition, the latter will still cost you around $3 million. So, you would expect the hypercar to trash the supercar in just about any scenario, especially since we’re talking velocity here. Well, that’s not always true and we’ve brought along a drag race that shows that the Porsche can give the Bugatti a headache in a real-world scenario.
For this straight-line adventure, we’ve got a stock example of the current 992 Turbo S (hey, this full-carbon example costs $550,000) battling a standard Chiron, if such an adjective is ever fit for a Molsheim machine. And to develop the real-world mention in the intro, we’ll tell you that the machines were raced on an airstrip, which meant a non-prepped surface with plenty of rocks.
The temperature didn’t help with the launches, either. As stated by the organizers, the gearheads over at the Triple F Collection, the standing start confrontation took place at 45 degrees F, or 7 degrees C. And while we’re not sure about the 911, we can tell you that the Atlantic Blue Bug belongs to the Ohio-based family behind the said label.
The idea was to have the two competing in a half-mile drag race that would see the beasts trying to hit 200 mph (322 kph). The Triple F Collection’s Brett would drive the Porsche, while the Bugatti would be manhandled by Jordan. And yes, both drivers used Launch Control.
Porsche 911 Turbo S = mini Bugatti Chiron?
In an oversimplification, one might try to argue that the 911 Turbo S and the Chiron (not this home-brewed example) are alike. After all, they’re both heavily turbocharged AWD beasts that use their hefty scale footprint to their advantage when getting off the line.
Of course, if we look at the specs, that idea seems a bit ridiculous. You see, the Bug packs a 1,479 hp (1,500 PS) 8.0 liter W16 with four turbos, while the 911 Turbo S’ 641 hp (650 PS) 3.8-liter flat-six packs half the number of turbos. Sure, they both use dual-clutch transmissions, but the Bugatti’s behemoth status (think: 4,400 lbs or 2,000 kg) means this is some 770 lbs (350 kg) heavier than the Porsche.
However, the conclusion of this drag race seems to be that, if you’re aiming for quick stunts (think: gears 1,2, and 3, up to around 120 mph or 190 kph), the Porsche can give the Bugatti a good view of its taillights. Of course, that involves a brilliant launch from the Turbo S and a poor one from the Chiron (as they like to say at the drag strip, spinning ain’t winning).
Of course, different driving surface and atmospheric conditions, as well as other factors (for one, we’re not aware of the Bugatti tires’ state) can change the outcome. And, once the Bugatti got traction, it easily proved that it plays in a different league. But the said initial leap of the Porsche happened three times in a row, and nothing can take away that kind of spectacle.
