Last week we showed you a BMW E30 M3 thrashing a brand new Jaguar F-Type R on the drag strip. And while the outcome of the race was indeed surprising to many, it started to make sense once you learned about what the BMW beast actually hides under the hood.
That was no ordinary M3 but one which uses the “heart” of a much more powerful creation of the M division. The engine used on the E60 M5 – the S85 5-liter V10 – is good for about 500 HP. The engine swap was performed in Sweden and this E30 M3 now has one of those engineering marvels working the wheels, with the power output even massaged to reach a bit more – 535 HP and 400 lb-ft (542 Nm) of torque.
So, what will happen when this little Tasmanian Devil takes on a modern M5? Well, the weight difference between them should pose a big challenge for the F10, as the uber-sedan is close to weighing no less than 2 metric tons. On the other hand, the E30 M3, even with the larger V10 engine under the hood, tips the scale at close to 1,300 kg (2,866 lbs) so we have about 700 kilos (1,543 lbs) between them.
But the pundits might says that the torque of the twin-turbo 4-4-liter V8 should make up for some of it, right? Also, the 7-speed DCT gearbox might have something to say in the final outcome of the race! Both of them are valid points but considering that the F10 M5 has only about 100 lb-ft of extra torque and just 25 more horsepower, it definitely doesn’t seem enough to compensate for 1,500 lbs of extra weight. However, the current M5 did prove to be a lot faster in a lot of drag races before so this might be a nail biter.
