This was a worthy comment on Jalopnik
I call shenanigans.
The math just isn't adding up here. To start with, what really matters in a drag race is torque, and there are no torque numbers posted for the Switzer GT-R, so we'll just have to go off HP numbers, which still offer a reasonable measurement.
A stock GT-R weighs roughly 3800 pounds. I'd add another hundred to that for the modifications bolted to it. So, that leaves us with a 3900 pound car making 735 hp.
Switzer GT-R HP/lbs ratio: approximately 5/1.
A stock Veyron weighs 4,162 pounds, with a power rating of 987 hp.
Veyron HP/lbs ratio: approximately 4.2/1
Without getting into any more details, something sounds fishy. But what the hell. Let's get into a few more details.
The Veyron's W16 is a little more than double the displacement of the Switzer's GT-Rs V6, which necessarily gives it a huge torque advantage. Both cars are Turbo'd to within an inch of their lives, and without knowing the boost levels of either, I can't say much about either. My guess is, though, it likely wouldn't matter.
Both cars are also AWD. You could make the argument that the GT-R's AWD is superior to the Veyron's, but I doubt it. You don't develop an AWD system capable of handling 987 hp without necessarily engineering it to the highest possible standard. While I have no direct evidence to support or discredit any claim that one is better than the other, I do have some anecdotal evidence: The Veyron retails for $1.7 million, and it is documented fact that VW loses money on every Veyron sold. That means that every Veyron has the equivalent of over $1.7 million dollars worth of materials and engineering invested in it. I really somehow doubt that a car with that much money thrown at it has anything less than the best of everything that is available.
Now let's talk about vehicle layout. The Veyron is a mid-rear-engine car, meaning it transfers the effect of its weight to the rear-biased AWD faster than the front-engine, rear-biased AWD GT-R. This translates into exceptional traction. I'm somehow supposed to believe that a vastly more powerful car with better inherent traction characteristics lost the race?
Yeah, no. That doesn't add up.
Next point: Aerodynamics. Just don't even try to argue that crap with me. I've already referenced the amount of money and effort that went into the Veyron. A fair chunk of that change went to tuning the Veyron's aerodynamics, and much of the reason behind the Veyron's monster performance is its aerodynamics. On the other hand, the GT-R, while quick, is not the most aerodynamic brick in the box, and nor could it be with the comparatively small development costs afforded to it. I doubt aerodynamics was a factor here.
Gearing? I doubt it. Both cars use automated manuals, but the Veyron has the added advantage of a seventh gear, allowing the Veyron closer ratio spreads than can be achieved in the GT-Rs six-speed. Maybe the GT-R can shift faster? Maybe. But even if it could, go back to the point about engine displacement. At some point, having double the displacement and the associated torque advantages more than makes up for a millisecond or two.
The amount of money that would have to go into the GT-R to so much as attempt to remedy its disadvantages would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and amount to nothing less than a brand-new, custom built transmission and engine at the bare minimum. Even then, it's still wouldn't quite measure up to the Veyron.