The BMW M3 and Audi R8 have few things in common as one is a performance version of a luxury sedan while the other is a proper mid-engined supercar. Despite being completely different cars, YouTuber Sam CarLegion decided to line them up for a drag race followed by a rolling race. It should be mentioned the speedy saloon rides on winter tires and has been modified whereas the coupe is standard and with summer rubber.
A 2023MY example in Competition guise with xDrive, the M3 has had its twin-turbo, inline-six engine dialed to 630 horsepower and 580 pound-feet (786 Newton-meters) of torque. In the other corner, the R8 uses the stock naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 with 610 hp and 413 lb-ft (560 Nm). Although the Audi is down on power, it makes up for the deficit by being a little over 100 kilograms (220 pounds) lighter. Another difference between the two is the transmission as the BMW uses an eight-speed, torque-converter while the model from Ingolstadt has a seven-speed, dual-clutch.
In the first showdown, the all-wheel-drive M3 proved to be the quicker car by doing 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 3.1 seconds or three-tenths of a second sooner than the R8. The high-powered sedan completed the quarter mile in 11.2 seconds at a trap speed of 129 mph (208 km/h). The two-seater coupe needed 0.2s to get the job done and crossed the finish line at a slightly lower 125 mph (201 km/h).
The supercar carrying the fabled Four Rings had its revenge in the subsequent rolling race when the M3 proved to be a bit temperamental. Despite a strong start, the BMW suddenly lost power and ultimately had to settle for second place. They couldn’t redo the rolling race because the Bavarian sedan never got its power back that day.
According to the car’s owner: “After we did the dig race I started to have a boost leak and eventually mid roll my charge pipe seal came off and gave me a drivetrain malfunction so we couldn’t continue. Just bad timing car has been great otherwise.”
Source: Sam CarLegion / YouTube
