Korean automakers offer two of the most exciting-looking electric cars on the market, the Kia EV6 an Hyundai Ioniq 5. They’re reasonably priced, have decent range, and are as practical as crossovers. According to this latest drag race from Carwow, you can also add being about as fast as a Ferrari to their list of qualities.
Mat Watson has put together a drag race that’s completely pointless yet totally entertaining. We’ve all seen how fast electric cars can be and know the Kia/Hyundai EV models have powerful dual-motor configurations. So what’s the point of humiliating a great Ferrari supercar?
In my opinion, any classic Ferrari with a manual gearbox is worth its weight in gold. In this case, we’re dealing with the Ferrari F355 Berlinetta, their mid-engined coupe from 1994 and 1999. Its Italian exotic engine is called the F129B and is a 3.5-liter with 5 valves per cylinder and flat-plane cranks.
The F355 is quite common, with 11,273 examples produced (including the Targa and spyder convertible). It’s also not that powerful by modern standards, rated by the Italians at 375 hp (380 PS) and 268 lb-ft (363) of torque. Interestingly, the F355 is also the car Brian O’Conner raced in his 1994 Toyota Supra back in 2001’s The Fast and the Furious.
Black Ferrari at the lights… “More than you can afford pal”… yeah, that’s the one
So does that mean the Kia EV6 can also smoke a MK4 Supra? Maybe a stock one. This particular version is equipped with dual electric motors and is basically the same as the GT-Line e-AWD sold in America: 77 kWh battery, 320 horsepower and 446 pound-feet of torque.
Besides being half the price of the Ferrari, it’s also got much nicer features like 2-inch wheels, a heated wheel, dual 12-inch screens, 14 speakers, and self-parking, to name but a few. It can also tow 2,300 lbs. What we care about is its ability to launch and reach the 1/4-mile marker, though.
During the first race, the 6-speed manual in the Ferrari proves to be an obvious disadvantage, as it loves ground to the EV6 at every gear change. But the second and third races go to the Ferrari. So the EV6 isn’t quite there yet, but it can probably take on an even older supercar and win.
About Ferrari EVs and manuals
The F355 Berlinetta came out in May 1994 and was initially only offered with a 6-speed. However, in 21997, it became the first series road car with an F1-style gearbox.
Of the total roster of 4,871 Berlinettas made (not including roadster and Targa), 3,829 were equipped with the 6-speed manual.
European legislators have just voted to ban the sale of all new internal combustion cars in 2035. Ferrari can probably delay that by another 5 years because it’s a low-volume automaker but the writing is clearly on the wall.
But Maranello has already lost something great which used to define the way driver and supercar interacted, and that’s the manual gearbox. Collectors are really beginning to value those beautiful gated manual boxes. And in case you want to buy one, here’s where to look:
- Last Ferrari manual: 2010-2012 California, but only 2 were made
- Last mid-engined Ferrari manual: 2005-2009 F430
- Final V12 Ferrari manual: 2007-2012 599 GTB, of which only 30 were made
- Honorable mentions: First-Gen Audi R8 (until 2015) and Lamborghini Gallardo
