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Drag Race: Toyota GR Supra Vs Porsche Cayman GTS Vs Alpine A110 S
Can the French, mid-engine Alpine A110 S play with some of the best sports cars Germany and Japan have to offer? Find out below
by Dim Angelov, onCarwow is back with another one of its epic drag races and this one actually makes quite a bit of sense. Ever since the Alpine A110 S came out, we have been wondering how the French mid-engine sports car would fare against some of the hottest sports cars, currently on sale. The British YouTube channel provides the answer, courtesy of a Porsche 718 Cayman GTS and a Toyota GR Supra.
Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0
The Porsche is, arguably, the most exciting of the bunch, as it features a 4.0-liter, normally-aspirated flat-six engine, which is actually based on the 911 Carrera 3.0-liter, twin-turbo flat-six, also used in the 911 GTS (not the 911 GT3 engine). This means 400 horsepower at 7,000 RPM and 310 pound-feet (420 Nm) at 5,000 RPM. The 718 GTS 4.0 also comes with a six-speed manual and weighs in at 3,097 pounds (1,405 kg).
Alpine A110 S
When it comes to the engine, the Alpine is severely outgunned, at least on paper. Its 1.8-liter, turbocharged inline-four produces 290 horsepower at 6,400 RPM and 236 pound-feet (320 Nm) at 2,000 to 6,400 RPM and is mated to a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic with launch control, which sends power to the rear axle. The A110 S is, by far, the lightest here – 2,456 pounds (1,114 kg).
Toyota GR Supra
The GR Supra doesn’t need much introduction. Its 3.0-liter, inline-six engine, with a twin-scroll turbocharger that’s rated at 340 horsepower and 369 pound-feet (500 Nm). The gearbox is a ZF, eight-speed automatic with a torque converter and launch control. At 3,296 pounds (1,495 kg), the GR Supra is the heaviest of the three.
The Drag Race
Despite Matt being behind the wheel, the manual Porsche won the race, completing the quarter-mile at 12.3 seconds. That said, the Alpine was right on its tail, throughout most of the race and crossed the line after 12.6 seconds. The GR Supra let both Germany and Japan down, as it was the slowest off the line and couldn’t catch up to the Alpine. It finished the quarter-mile in 12.7 seconds.
From 50 mph (80.5 km/h) and third gear, the Porsche has a slightly better chance, as it sits at around 3,400 RPM. The Supra still dominated the half-mile, but Matt in the Porsche finally managed to pass it at 142 mph (228 km/h). The Alpine still performed exceptionally well up to the half-mile, but after that the more powerful Porsche and BMW increased their lead.
The Braking Test
All bets are on the Alpine as it is the lightest of the three sports cars. At 100 mph (161 km/h) the three drivers jump on the brakes. However, it’s Porsche that stops the quickest, followed by the Supra, and then the Alpine. That said, all three cars were within one car length of each other, so they all performed well.
Conclusion
In the end, the French retro-inspired, mid-engine sports car proved it can play with some of the best German and Japanese sports cars, currently on offer. Despite being the least powerful of the bunch, it managed to keep up with the speed of the other two, at least up to the half-mile mark. We are still not sure about the asking price, though.
