Old Ferrari versus new Audi, what can you expect from this kind of clash? A lot, since the cars are worlds apart in almost every way, apart from the number of wheels. When I say “old,” don't think of a 330 from the 1960s or even an F50 from three decades ago. It's the legendary 458 Speciale, going up against a not-at-all-special Audi because unsanctioned drag racing knows no bounds.
An Audi RS 7 Performance takes on a Ferrari 458 Speciale (basically a 458 Italia on steroids) in this twin-V8 quarter-mile joust between two very different automotive paradigms. Its all-wheel drive versus rear-wheel drive, front-engine versus mid-rear-engine, sports car versus family sedan, track-oriented masterpiece versus daily, grocery-going commuter, lightweight two-seater versus people-hauling behemoth, naturally aspirated power battling forced-induction superiority.
But don’t let appearances fool you; the massive German steel assembly isn’t all show and no play, despite its obvious drawbacks. The Lord of the Four Rings has three aces up its sleeve and it plays them mercilessly. Let’s go over the specs of the two and see how they stack up on paper.
The RS 7 Performance is true to Audi’s credo of power and everyday performance, so it features a 4.0-liter eight-cylinder engine with a biturbo trick to unleash 621 hp (450 kW) and 627 lb-ft (630 PS and 639 Nm) – plenty of power to propel more than two tons of German engineering off the starting line.
Photo: YouTube/carwow
Ferrari is showing off one of its best V8s ever, the 4.5-liter that inspired the C8 Corvette Z06's flat-crankshaft engine. However, the “Speciale” badge means that the fabulous naturally aspirated eight-cylinder is pushed to higher numbers than the 458 Italia's base powerplant. As such, it makes 597 horsepower and 398 lb-ft (605 metric ponies and 540 Nm), all of which is sent to the rear wheels via an F1-derived eight-speed gearbox.
It may be down on power, and the two-wheel drive disadvantage is a serious handicap, but this is the Ferrari, not grandma’s old sports car. And it loses badly in all the drag races because the 4,550 pounds (2,065 kg) come off the line like a scalded cat and put the Prancing Horse so far back from its exhaust pipes it’s almost surreal. The Quattro is doing its job with German precision, and the visibly sliding Speciale gets mauled in all three races.
The 9,000 rpm redline is at its best in roll races, when the aerodynamic Ferrari simply pulls away from the Audi, hitting the sweet spot in the power curve and getting the tires to grip the track properly. It’s a small compensation for the supercar’s bitterness from the 440-yard brawl, but it speaks volumes about the advances in automotive engineering that have been achieved in the last decade (the 458 Speciale was introduced in 2013).
Photo: YouTube/carwow
The big Audi laps the quarter-mile in 11.3 seconds, three-tenths faster than the high-revving Ferrari. Unfortunately, the guys at carwow (who organized this showdown) didn't say the trap speed, but they did bring a meter to measure the overall performance of the badly defeated Ferrari.
Keeping things in the family, another Audi represents the “normal car” standards of 2024 compared to the Ferrari’s peak performance of eleven years ago. The latest Audi S 3 steps up to take on the Italian rocket’s severely blunted ego. Powered by a turbocharged two-liter inline-four, the little Audi makes 328 hp (328 kW) and 310 lb-ft (333 PS (330 hp) and 420 Nm (317 lb-ft) of torque.
Like every self-respecting high-performance Audi of the past four decades, the S3 is all-wheel drive via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. The 3,550-pound (1,610-kg) body mass index is a huge drop from the big RS 7, but it doesn’t help much against the Ferrari.
The Speciale proves just how “Speciale” it really is – sure; it's also on hot tires when it races against the little Audi. The S 3 crosses the finish line in 12.9 seconds – not bad, but it goes to show that the red Italian isn't holding back even after all these years. It's just other cars that have caught up – a puzzle that is destined to haunt every single vehicle ever made.
