World Record-Setting McLaren 720S Runs a 9.15 Quarter Mile
Upgraded turbochargers lead to 943 wheel horsepower, allowing this McLaren to run low-9s on a warm day.
The video above comes to us from the DragTimes YouTube channel and it features the world’s quickest McLaren 720S. Well, it became the quickest in terms of elapsed time in the quarter mile on the run showcased in this video, with the lightly-built-and-tuned supercar packing nearly a thousand wheel horsepower. Even though it was a warm, humid day with positive density altitude, this monstrous McLaren still grabbed two quarter mile world records.
The Record-Setting Supercar
The McLaren 720S in the video above is provided by Wheels Boutique, but this isn’t just any 720S. The factory turbochargers were removed and sent to Pure for upgraded internals, along with a full Velocity exhaust system, a catalytic convertor delete and an engine tune from DME. The result of the upgrades and the custom tune is 943 horsepower and 690 lb-ft of torque at the wheels.
As DragTimes video host Brooks Weisblat points out, those numbers allow this worked McLaren to crush his stock 720S in a half-mile battle, during which time the tuned car set the world record for the highest speed in a half-mile by the British supercar.
Setting the Record
The video above begins with Brooks explaining the day’s events before driving to Palm Beach International Raceway, where he meets up with the crew from Wheels Boutique. We watch as the track is prepped, the car is filled with four gallons of 100-octane leaded race fuel and the new Toyo tires are carefully heated. The air conditions were in the range of 800 to 900 density altitude, but that doesn’t stop this McLaren from setting a couple world records.
The driver revs the 720S a ton as he creeps to the line for what will be a world record-setting run, and it sounds pretty great, but that tone is nothing compared to the way this McLaren sounds under full throttle.
As the green lights drop, the engine speed soars and the 720S rips away from the line, rocketing down the track and sounding more like a jet than a car. Really, the sound is amazing, so we shouldn’t have to tell you twice to have your speakers up when watching the track action.
The sleek supercar stops the timers on this first run with a 9.15 at 155.56 miles per hour, setting the world record for the quickest and fastest McLaren 720S in the quarter mile. We get to watch this run from a few different angles, along with seeing the numbers recorded by the VBox and a phone app.
The second run doesn’t go quite as well, with the driver short-shifting second gear while running into some traction troubles, but it still lays down a 9.22 at 154 miles per hour. As was the case with the first pass, we see the second from several different angles and while this run didn’t reset the record, it never gets old listening to this McLaren soar down the drag strip.
Crank up your speakers and enjoy!
