Weight, power and traction – these are the three most important factors in drag racing. Of course, many other parameters also contribute to the end result in direct straight-line battles between two cars and that’s what makes drag racing so exciting. Today we would like to share with you a short but very interesting race featuring two very different sports cars.
This 1h30 video comes from motorsport magazine chain on Youtube and takes us to the track where a BMW M4 CSL meets a Porsche 911 GT3 Touring. Both performance coupes come from Germany and both feature six-cylinder engines, although there are only a few similarities between the Munich and Stuttgart cars. Let’s see the numbers.
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The M4 CSL features a twin-turbo straight-six engine which, in this application, delivers a maximum output of 550 horsepower (410 kilowatts). Or, at least, that’s the figure provided by the automaker, which according to a recent dyno test is a little conservative. The coupe tips the scales at 3,582 pounds (1,625 kilograms), making it the heaviest in this duo. Peak torque is 479 pound-feet (650 Newton-meters) and power is sent to the wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
In contrast, the 911 GT3 in Touring trim uses a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six engine good for 502 hp (374 kW) and 346 lb-ft (469 Nm) of torque. It may be down in torque, but it’s noticeably lighter at 3,285 lb (1,490 kg). In the video, we don’t see footage of the Porsche’s cabin, and we can’t confirm whether the car has a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch, but judging by the sound we mean, it’s most likely the PDK transmission.
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As you can see for yourself from the numbers above, it’s a pretty tight race. The BMW has more power and torque but is also heavier. The Porsche, on the other hand, has a higher rev limiter and fewer kilograms to pull off the starting line. Which wins the race? The answer is in the video at the top of this page.
