What with stricter emissions regulations, V8 engines are not long for this world. Car enthusiasts are enjoying them while they still can, with some deciding to take their performance vehicles to tuners for a boost of power. This German luxury trio may look stock on the outside, but all three have had their eight-cylinder engines massaged to extract more oomph.
Carwow lined up the BMW M5 against the Audi RS6 Avant and the Mercedes-AMG E63 for an exciting drag race. Of the three models, only Ingolstadt’s super wagon is still available as the other two are currently between generations and therefore can’t be temporarily ordered. Affalterbach’s ultimate family car is the most powerful of the lot, packing a whopping 810 hp while its contenders have to make do with “just” 750 hp.
Coincidentally, all three have a mountain-moving 1,000 Nm (738 pound-feet) of torque and the M5 is the lightest of the lot. At 1,865 kg (4,111 lbs), the BMW is a little over 100 kg lighter than the AMG and more than 200 kg (440 lbs) lighter than the Audi. All three have automatic transmissions sending that immense power to both axles.
The pre-LCI M5 rocketed off the line in all drag races to beat the RS6 and AMG E63, which had to settle for second and third place, respectively. The BMW had its work cut out for it in the subsequent rolling races from 50 mph to the half-mile mark, but it still managed to cross the finish line first. It was yet another win for the M5, although that’s hardly a surprise since it’s the lightest of the three cars.
The next-generation models will be entirely different beasts as all three automakers will resort to electrification. Only BMW has confirmed the new M5 (G90) will be a plug-in hybrid V8, but all signs point to the future E63 and RS6 being electrified to some extent. Expect even more stock power from these cars
Source: Carwow / YouTube
