Camaro LT1 Six-Speed Steps Up to Race Stock BMW M3 DCT, Makes Michigan Proud

You also don’t want to see an LT4-powered Camaro take on an M3 because it would be too much of a walk in the park for the former. This race, however, was fair and square, aside from the gearbox discrepancy.

Looking at the specs, we have a 2020 Chevrolet Camaro LT1, fully stock with a six-speed manual gearbox. The 6.2-liter V8 unit puts down 455 hp (461 PS) and 455 lb-ft (617 Nm) of torque, with everything going to the rear wheels, just like in the BMW.

In the F80 M3, you get a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six unit with 425 hp (431 PS) and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque. According to the uploader, this is a stock 2016 M3, and not a Competition Package model, so there’s no reason to suspect it makes any more power than it usually does. As for the gearbox, this car is equipped with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, which on paper should give it an upper hand over this particular Camaro.

The pair raced twice, once from 40 mph (64 kph) and then again from 60 mph (96 kph). The first pull allowed the Camaro to showcase that little bit of extra torque, as the driver shifted gears as late as they possibly could. The second time around, the pull seemed to favor the BMW, albeit by very little. We can honestly say that these cars look about even in terms of straight-line performance.

Would we have enjoyed a race between this M3 and a 10-speed automatic LT1 Camaro? Absolutely, and the same goes for if the BMW was a manual. Still, in the end, this too was fun.