As the Olympics are currently underway, the folks at Carwow thought it would be a fun idea to put on a sort of automotive Olympics. In these games, they will pick a car to represent different countries and them put them through various odd games and see who wins. The first game is quite strange and frankly useless, but that’s the fun of it. In this first even, we take a look at four cars, representing their respective countries, racing each other. Pretty straight forward, until you realize that they’re going to race in reverse.
Representing Germany is the BMW M2, packing a 365 hp 3.0 liter turbocharged I6 engine, a six-speed manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive. For Great Britain is the ultra lightweight Caterham 620S, which boasts a 310 hp 2.0 liter supercharged Duratec Ford engine. In America’s corner is the massive Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8, with a whopping 475 hp 6.4 liter V8 and all-wheel drive. From Japan is the brand-new Honda Civic Type R, with a surprising 306 hp from a 2.0 liter turbo-four and front-wheel drive.
Each of these cars are extremely different, don’t compete with each other in any real way and are now competing in a completely meaningless test. Sounds like fun.
The first heat is the BMW M2 vs the Caterham 620S. Right off the line, both cars are pretty close. But soon after, the Caterham’s ridiculous power-to-weight ratio takes over and blows the doors off the M2. While the M2 is a fast car, it can’t touch the simply insane speed of the Caterham.
The second heat sees the Jeep SRT-8 take on the Civic Type R. Genuinely a David and Goliath type deal. With the Jepe packing way more power and all-wheel drive, you’d think it would crush the little Civic. But people underestimate the new Type R and it packs a serious punch. Enough of a punch to eliminate the Jeep.
Now it’s just the Honda Civic Type R up against the Caterham 620S. It’s Great Britain vs Japan for the gold. Right off the line, the Caterham spins its wheels and struggles to put down its power. However, the Civic grips well and fires off the line. While the Caterham’s spectacular power-to-weight keeps it in the race, it’s not enough. The Civic Type R, and Japan, takes the win and the gold medal, while the Caterham and Great Britain take home silver.
That leaves the BMW M2 and Jeep Grand Cherokee going home without a medal. However, there are plenty more games to come from Carwow, so both USA and Germany have a chance to redeem themselves. We’re looking forward to how silly and ridiculous the next games are.
