Can the all-electric Porsche beat Ferrari’s hybrid – and how does Yamaha’s top-tier superbike fare against them?
6 hours ago
- Both the Porsche and Ferrari have around 1,000 hp, but the EV has the added advantage of instant torque.
- The Taycan Turbo GT and SF90 Stradale are very well matched when launching off the line.
- In a rolling drag race, the combustion-powered duo start to pull away.
Not too long ago, there was a time when supersport motorbikes were by far the quickest road-legal vehicles on the planet. However, while most flagship bikes from the past decade have remained capped at around 200 hp, the horsepower wars among carmakers have continued to rage.
First, flagship hypercars like the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder started giving bikes a run for their money. Now, we’re living in an era where all-electric sedans are among the quickest-accelerating cars on the planet. To demonstrate this, CarWow recently lined up the new Porsche Taycan Turbo GT alongside a Ferrari SF90 Stradale and a Yamaha R1M. The results are eye-opening – although not unsurprising.
Read: Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Becomes First Car To Break 2-Second Barrier In C/D’s 0-60 Test
The Ferrari SF90 Stradale is the only true supercar on test and its twin-turbocharged V8 and three electric motors combine to deliver 986 hp. However, that’s less than the 1,019 hp mustered up by the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT with its launch control system enabled. The Yamaha R1M is good for 200 hp by comparison, but is also much lighter.
In the first race, all three competitors got a great start but the Ferrari edged ahead. However, the Porsche soon closed the gap and was neck-and-neck with the SF90. The rider of the Yamaha did a good job of hanging with the Ferrari and Porsche but finished slightly behind.
The SF90 got the jump off the line in the second race, but just like in the first race, the Taycan started to pull slightly away as the speeds started to build, taking the victory. In the third, the Porsche and the Yamaha got the best launches as the driver of the Ferrari turned off all the assistance systems and got a bunch of unwanted wheelspin, impacting the hybrid’s getaway.
The tables are turned in a rolling drag race from 10 mph. While the Porsche has the power advantage over the Ferrari, it doesn’t perform as well in a roll race and is left behind by the other two.
