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V12 Drag Race Between a Maybach and a BMW 760Li Also Has Luxo Limousine Drifting

Driving all the cars that come out before anyone else and either writing or speaking about them sounds like the dream job, doesn't it? We're sure nobody who does this can complain, but that doesn't mean it can't get a bit... repetitive after years and years.
Maybach vs. BMW 760Li drag race 1 photo
Photo: YouTube thumbnail
That's when you come up with ideas like this one: bringing two luxury limousines together on the track for a series of challenges that include a standing drag race, a rolling drag race, and a braking test. There is absolutely no practical reason to do it, and yet we all want to see the result.

The two cars in question are the first-gen Maybach following the brand's revival in the early 2000s and the most expensive BMW model money could buy back in the 2010s - the 760Li. They are both powered by turbocharged V12 engines and they're both meant to be driven almost anywhere else other than the track. Well, we probably shouldn't have said that because we could almost hear carwow's Mat Watson shouting "challenge accepted" as he begins to devise an off-road course for the pair.

For now, though, their ordeal is going to be limited to the challenges possible on a straight strip of asphalt. The two are nowhere near a close match: the Maybach trumps its Bavarian friend on power despite having a smaller displacement (551 hp and 663 lb-ft/900 Nm for the Maybach, against the 545 hp and 553 lb-ft/750 Nm for the BMW), but it all comes crashing down for Stuttgart-based contender during the weigh-in: 6,184 lbs (2,805 kg) compared to the 5,015 (2,275 kg) of the Bimmer.

They both send their power to the rear wheels alone but they do it through very different transmissions: the Maybach uses a five-speed auto that seems plucked from the last century while BMW sticks to the ZF eight-speed that we've come to know and love. In all honesty, it would have been a lot fairer from BMW to send a V12-powered Rolls-Royce model for this contest, but we'll have to make do with what's available.

After the usual introduction, it's time for Mat's now usual tire warming session. The owner of the BMW said "pass" to this part, but the Maybach valiantly steps up to the challenge. It's definitely a sight to see, though not necessarily something you'd want to see again once you ticked it off the list. Then, it's time for the actual trials. As always, we're not going to spoil it, but let's just say there'll be a pattern emerging quite quickly.

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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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