What happens when Italian passion meets British precision on the drag strip? You get one of the most chaotic, hilarious, and downright thrilling supercar duels of the year. In this Carwow face-off, Mat Watson brings together two convertible heavyweights—the Ferrari 488 Pista Spider, tuned to near four-digit horsepower, and the McLaren 750S Spider, Woking’s latest weapon in the mid-engine wars.
On the chosen stretch of tarmac, one Ferrari from Maranello faces off against not one but two McLarens from Woking. But these aren’t simple head-to-head races—tuning plays a big role in how things unfold. The first duel pits a mechanically modified Ferrari 488 Pista Spider against a stock McLaren 750S.
The Ferrari retains its 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8, originally good for 720 hp and 770 Nm of torque, but after £17,000 worth of performance upgrades, it now churns out 920 hp and 870 Nm, weighing just 1,485 kg. Power goes to the rear wheels through a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
Facing it, the McLaren 750S remains completely stock—its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 delivers 750 hp and 800 Nm to the rear wheels through a 7-speed dual-clutch, with a lighter 1,438 kg curb weight. Once that battle concludes, a new challenger enters: a tuned McLaren 720S. Its V8 has been pushed from 720 hp to 1,115 hp, with torque jumping from 770 Nm to 1,350 Nm, all while weighing about 1,490 kg.
Which car ultimately wins? As always, we’ll let the video reveal that secret.
