Both are performance cars at heart, but other than that, the BMW M5 and Shelby Mustang GT500 couldn’t be any different. The executive sedan comfortably seats up to five people and pampers them with lots of leather, soft-touch materials, and the latest tech. In the other corner, the hardcore pony car is a thoroughbred sports coupe offering far less practicality and refinement than its Bavarian challenger.

That didn’t stop YouTuber Road Test TV from lining up the two machines at a drag strip to decide which one is quicker in a quarter-mile race. The GT500 is no ordinary version of the range-topping Shelby model as it has the optional Track Package with carbon fiber wheels, thus shaving off some weight. The M5 is also an upgrade over the standard model since it’s the more potent Competition variant.

It’s worth mentioning the American muscle car featured in this video belongs to none other than YouTube sensation Tim Burton (aka Shmee150), but it was driven by yet another star of the video media platform, Brooks Weisblat from DragTimes. Some would be tempted to say the ‘Stang has the edge here because it packs more horsepower and torque while being lighter, but numbers aren’t everything.

To understand what we’re dealing with here, the ultimate Mustang has a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 with 760 horsepower and 625 pound-feet (847 Newton-meters) of torque in a rear-wheel-drive car that weighs 4,250 pounds (1,928 kilograms). As for the M5 Competition, it uses a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 rated at 617 hp and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) responsible for carrying around 4,400 lbs (1,996 kg) of weight. Both rely on different types of forced induction for the extra boost, sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission in the case of the Shelby and to both axles through an eight-speed, torque-converter auto for the BMW.

Despite having the advantage of xDrive, the M5 Competition wasn’t necessarily quicker off the line in either drag race, but the driver’s reaction time and the Mustang’s DCT also played important roles. The two cars were neck and neck for the better part of the first duel, with the Mustang being the first to cross the finish line in 10.9 seconds at a trap speed of 129.4 mph (208.2 km/h). The BMW had to settle for second by completing the quarter-mile run in 11.2 seconds at 123.8 mph (199.2 km/h).

The second battle was even closer, and the BMW M5 Competition managed to win by only 0.036 seconds or roughly 7.05 feet (2.1 meters).

[Source: Road Test TV / YouTube]