There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that the newest kid on the performance sedan block is quite the bully. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde is not playing around and went straight for the benchmark in its segment, the BMW M3. And while a lot of reviewers found it superior to the German, there are some enthusiasts out there still rooting for the M car.

The thing is, the BMW is currently the least powerful model in the segment and yet, due to careful tinkering around the engine bay and the suspension, like nifty add-ons such as the Competition Package, the Bimmer can keep up just fine. That’s good news for fans of ‘the most powerful letter in the world’, but what would happen in a drag race?

That question has been asked and answered time and time again and looking at the specs on paper doesn’t leave a lot of room for wonder. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde comes with proper racing DNA already infused into it, especially under the hood. It uses a Ferrari-developed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 making no less than 503 hp (510 PS). At the same time, the Italians claim it is lighter than the German, pushing it to the number one spot in its segment, in terms of power/weight ratio.

The BMW M3 even with the Competition Package on doesn’t come close in terms of power output. Admittedly it has a bit more grunt than the ‘regular’ model, the 3-liter twin-turbo straight six mill putting out 444 HP (450 PS). Combined with the changes done to the suspension, the ZCP M3 should be a bit faster in a straight line than its brother, claiming a 0-60 mph time of 3.8 seconds flat, still 0.2 seconds behind the claims of the Italian thoroughbred.

But what happens when you also throw an American in the race? After all, they basically invented the ¼ mile drag race. The one contender from North America that can hang with these two is the Cadillac ATS-V which comes equipped with the biggest engine of the three, a 3.6-liter V6 that’s been twin-turbocharged to make 464 HP (470 PS). It’s the heaviest of the bunch though, making it slowest to 60 mph by 0.2 seconds compared to the BMW.

The race below though, doesn’t pan out exactly as you’d imagine. Yes, the Alfa wins it but then again, it can’t get away from the BMW which is stuck to its rear end like glue. It’s actually quite impressive how well the M3 holds its own against the QV being just marginally slower. If only it had 60 more horsepower.