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BMW M8 Competition Fights Mercedes-AMG GT R and Audi R8 in German Track Battle

It seems as though these days any comparison test has to include an electric vehicle, essentially turning the whole thing into an internal combustion engine versus electric motor thing.
BMW M8 Competition Convertible 11 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
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So, seeing this track battle between three German vehicles that have made a name for themselves over time by turning gas into very large amounts of power is quite refreshing. EV fanatics will probably frown while Tesla fanboys will immediately post comments like "if only there was a Tesla there to show these dinosaurs how it's done" or "wait until the new Tesla Roadster comes along," but the more balanced among us will simply sit back and enjoy three magnificent machines at work.

We're talking about an Audi R8 V10 Performance Spyder, a BMW M8 Competition Convertible, and a Mercedes-AMG GT R Roadster. These are all the best possible incarnations of their respective models, and they all share one other key characteristic: a roof that folds away.

Indeed, the Germans at Auto Bild chose the open-top versions of all three models for a racetrack outing, and even though they admit the coupes variants would have normally made more sense, with summer here and all, it makes sense to give the convertibles a chance too.

We're not going to spoil the outcome of what you could call the Battle of Lausitzring, but we will reveal this much: the most powerful of the bunch, the Bimmer, finishes last. But if there's one loser here, it's got to be the Audi R8 V10 Performance Spyder. That's a mid-engine sports car on the fringes of being a full-blown supercar that's only one second quicker than a front-engined GT with two fewer cylinders and worse tires. Not very impressive, if you ask us.

Granted, the Ingolstadt citizen is also the only combatant with a naturally aspirated engine, but fitting that wonderful 5.2-liter V10 in the R8 was Audi's choice entirely. It's not like the Volkswagen-owned brand didn't have plenty of great turbocharged units to pick from, but instead, it went for the higher cylinder count at the expense of torque.

If this test is anything to go by, it proves it was by no means a bad choice, just probably not the best one either, performance-wise. Enjoy the very different sounds of these three greats in the clip below.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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