Carwow is once again outdoing themselves with a bonkers drag race. On this occasion, we’re dealing with an unleveled playing field comprised of a German sports sedan, a Japanese legend, and an American pony car.
Let’s begin with the only stock vehicle on the starting line, the BMW M3 Competition for the 2021 model year. The G80 is rocking 503 horsepower (510 PS) and 650 Nm (479 pound-feet) of torque from a force-fed sixer, and most of that oomph is going to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Thanks to fancy electronics and a curb weight of 1,730 kilograms (3,814 pounds), it’s pretty ballistic on the quarter-mile.
Japan’s representative comes in the guise of a Nissan Skyline GT-R from the R34 generation, the final GT-R based on the Skyline. Fitted with a 2.7-liter sixer according to Carwow although the R34 features either a 2.6 or a 2.8 from the factory, this particular model is a single-turbo land missile with 740 horsepower (750 PS) and 800 Nm (590 pound-feet) on deck. Augmented with all-wheel drive, Godzilla is rather hard to launch because it’s equipped with a manual rather than a torque-converter automatic or a DCT.
A Mustang from the S550 generation is wearing the Red, White, and Blue in this drag race, a fixed-head Fastback with the double-overhead Coyote V8 engine and a thumpin’ great supercharger for good measure. The pony car also sweetens the deal with super-sticky Michelins up front and even stickier drag radials for the rear axle. Capable of 725 horsepower (735 PS) and 690 Nm (509 pound-feet) on full song, the pre-facelift ‘Stang features the older six-speed box instead of the newer and quicker 10-speeder.
In the first showdown, the modified R34 scoots off the line better than both rivals although it finishes the run dead last. The BMW did not impress either because it had launched before the launch control procedure was completed. Second time out on the track, the GT-R and Bimmer are in a league of their own until the quarter-mile mark although the Nissan fails to boost properly because of the driver’s mis-shifting from third to sixth gear.
The G80 hunkers down like nobody’s business in the third race, and the R34 leaves much to be desired because of a boost issue. For the final showdown, the BMW and Nissan cross the quarter-mile line pretty much neck and neck.
11.4 seconds is the E/T for the Bavarian interloper and GT-R while the Mustang couldn’t do better than 12.2 seconds despite its fancier tires. The S550 fails to impress from a roll as well because of the weaving rear end.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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