Drag races when an electric vehicle always shoots off ahead of an ICE vehicle are not that fun to watch - they show just how much quicker EVs are, but it doesn’t really enthrall spectators like a closer race would. This race staged by carwow between a new Porsche 911 GT3 RS and a 1978 Volkswagen Beetle running a Tesla Model S motor is anything but dull, though.

The Porsche does have more power than the Beetle, 520 horsepower versus 450 horsepower, but the VW makes more torque, 675 Nm (497 pound-feet) versus 470 Nm (346 pound-feet) and it’s also considerably lighter too, 1,050 kg (2,315 pounds) versus the Porsche’s 1,430 kg (3,152 pounds).

Porsche quotes the 911 GT3 RS as being able to sprint to sixty in exactly three seconds, very impressive for a naturally-aspirated engine and only the rear driven axle. That’s why on the first run, when the Beetle messes up its launch, the Porsche has no trouble leaping ahead and then staying there.

For the second run, though, the VW gets a much better start, although the Porsche still seems to sprint off the line better (it can put more power down from standstill), and by the end of the run, the Beetle is still around one car length ahead. Had the two vehicles been allowed to run for longer, the Porsche, with its 310 km/h (193 mph) top speed would have probably won in the end.

The third run goes to the Volkswagen, the overall winner, and you can really see how it pulls in front with each gear shift that the Porsche makes, leaving it with no chance to catch up. The GT3 RS does seem to start reeling the Beetle in towards the end of the run, but again, it can’t do it quickly enough to win.

More ICE vs EV races

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