BMW M340i Drags Classic American Muscle. Care to Guess Who Won This Odd Skirmish?

But it doesn't have to be that way. Instead, the BMW 3 Series remains that stalwart of a compact executive car with traditional design – as it was imagined by the Bavarian automaker when it started the line back in 1975 as the successor to the famous 02 Series. Now in its seventh generation since late 2018, the G20 offers fewer reasons to have any controversial feelings about it.

Alas, that doesn't mean you're not going to hate it when trespassing on someone else's territory. For example, we all know that BMW severely underrates the performance specifications of its engines, especially the B58 mill that has 3.0 liters of desire to show as many ponies as possible. For example, in the M340i, the engine offers 'just' 382 horsepower and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft), but inside the M3 and M4, it can easily jump to anywhere between 473 hp and 542 horsepower!

As such, no one treats an M340i lightly when seen at the local quarter-mile dragstrip since everyone knows the potential for easy tuning. Here, let us give you an example – the good folks over at the racing-focused ImportRace channel on YouTube have an Old vs. New and America vs. Import two-in-one race from Island Dragway in Great Meadows, New Jersey.

After previously witnessing a modified Cadillac CT-V go all out against Audis, Camaros, BMWs, and even a 2024 Ford Mustang GT at a recent test and tune event, the videographer focused his attention on this M340i because it sounded so great and also was ready to try and deploy its 'import' skills against a classic American muscle car. The skirmish could have gone any way, as the two cars were side-by-side for most of the quarter-mile distance, but in the end, the classic American muscle representative won the day – if we are to believe the track's lights and not the 10.75s versus 10.79s ETs.

If that is not enough for your racing cravings today, then we also have an EV versus ICE-powered race next – courtesy of the SSDracer channel on YouTube. The host races his own cars at the Barona Dragstrip, and bear in mind that this is a 1/8-mile racetrack. On this occasion, he brought out his Honda Accord Sport mid-size four-door against a Tesla Model Y Long Range – but that wasn't enough to snatch a win. Maybe he should have tried to pit the new garage arrival – a 2023 Chevy Corvette Stingray Z51 and the excellent mid-engine sports car might have had a better chance of success!