- Oh!
[MUSIC PLAYING]
- 3, 2, 1, go!
[ENGINES ROARING]
- Hey, this is a 2021 BMW M4 Competition.
- And this is our 2020 Shelby GT500,
and it's a long term car.
- Would you believe that both of these rear drive coupes
actually start at roughly the same price?
KURT NIEBUHR: Yes, but as equipped,
this one is about $81,000.
- One, I think you're lying that you would actually
believe that.
But two, this M4, as equipped, is $102,000.
And yes, it's down on power by a lot versus that GT500.
But, but given the track record of that GT500 in our drag
races, I think it has a good chance of winning.
- You know what?
I don't read history books.
History is made in the present.
- I like that method of thinking, being in the present.
Well, for the record, we've tried
all we can to get that GT500 to go fast in drag races.
Now we've actually put Kurt, who is
one of Edmund's test drivers, in the driver's seat
of that GT500.
He is the guy who got the acceleration time at our test
track.
So if there's going to be a chance that it's going to win,
it's definitely going to be with Kurt at the wheel.
So no pressure.
- No pressure at all, and I don't have any feelings.
So yeah.
- So comment away, and also give us a like and subscribe.
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- This car's lost way too many times,
and because I need a little bit more help--
shh don't tell anybody--
I'm going to put in rice gas.
Is this cheating?
No, it's being resourceful.
All right.
So I'm sitting inside our 2020 GT500.
You guys might already know this,
but this is powered by a 5.2 liter V8 engine
with a super Charger bolted to the top of it,
and it makes 760 horsepower, which is crazy.
It's a 760 horsepower Mustang.
Something interesting to note, the engine in that
BMW M4 is nicknamed the S58.
That's the internal name for the car.
The internal name for this engine is the Predator.
So I kind of already won before I left.
All right.
So how do you get this car off the line?
Well, this car does have a drag strip mode.
It has a launch control, but that launch
control, it's better suited for a treaded surface,
a nice sticky surface.
This is not.
This is the complete opposite of a great surface.
So I could use launch control, but instead I'm
going to kind of pedal it manually, probably
not do a lot of throttle brake overlap,
and just try and not have the rear tires ignite.
- Launching the M4 is fairly easy
as far as BMW launch controls have gone historically.
You do have to set some modes.
You've got to be in the harshest shift sitting in manual.
Stability control has to be off.
And then it's a matter of just holding the gas
and the brake pedal waiting for launch control to start.
The only thing that's kind of annoying
is that, when you're holding the brake pedal, when you're
holding the gas, it does take a few seconds for launch control
to engage.
In fact, when you count down like 3, 2, 1,
it actually takes those three seconds
before it tells you launch control is actually ready.
Still though, it's consistent and easy and quick,
and it's more than what we can say about that GT500.
RADIO: All right, Kurt, you ready?
- Just wait one second.
- Oh he's going to warm up the tires.
So previously, when the GT 500 has lost,
we haven't shown our efforts to work the tires on camera.
Now we're going to do it, and if anyone's
going to do a good burn out, it's going to be Kurt.
Good thing we've got cameras on the car.
[ENGINE REVVING]
KURT NIEBUHR: I'll warm the tires up.
- OK, Kurt.
So you've topped off with race gas.
You've got cup two tires.
You've done a burnout.
You better win now.
- You know, I don't need this kind of pressure.
I really don't.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
RADIO: OK, drivers, you ready?
Race in 3, 2, 1, go!
- Whoa!
[ENGINES ROARING]
- Damn, damn, damn, damn.
- Hold on.
I don't see you in my rearview.
I don't see my rearview.
It's creepy.
He's in my blind spot the whole way.
- That's disappointing.
CARLOS LAGO: Oh!
You were in my blind spot the whole time.
- That was really disappointing.
My feet are too heavy.
- Did you spin too much off the line?
- I spun off the line.
I spun through second gear.
I'm not going to be able to make this u-turn because I
have the turning radius of a box truck.
- But it seemed like once you were underway,
you basically kept pace with me the entire time.
- Yeah well, I don't want to keep pace with a 500 horsepower
car.
I have 760 horsepower.
- That's a fair point, Kurt.
That's a fair point.
I will say it is nice hearing that thing, versus this thing.
So the launch control on this is fairly easy.
You weren't using your launch control, right?
- That's correct.
I was not.
I was in track mode.
With the track mode stability and traction control,
I kind of figured that might help me out a little bit.
It did not.
I guess I just have to be a little bit more
gentle on the rollout, but it's hard
watching you pull away because that car does launch correctly.
- Yeah, I mean, it does what you would expect the launch control
to do, right?
And on an unprepped street surface like we're on,
that's really the advantage, isn't it?
- It absolutely is.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
RADIO: Drivers race in 3, 2, 1, go!
- Come on.
- Come on, give me the traction.
CARLOS LAGO: He's still in my blind spot.
KURT NIEBUHR: Dammit.
CARLOS LAGO: That's the weirdest thing.
He just disappears my blind spot.
[ENGINES ROARING]
- That's really annoying.
- What's so creepy is that, like, I inch ahead of you,
and then you're in my blind spot the entire time.
So I have no reference if you're gaining on me or not.
- The frustrating part is that I'm really not closing
in on you at an appreciable speed.
CARLOS LAGO: It's just that overcoming that wheel spin off
the line, it just leaves you with that much
of a disadvantage, doesn't it?
- Yeah, I mean, you just--
you're into it.
You've got full boost and full throttle,
and that car is managing its traction so much
better than this one does.
You just got to be so patient in this car.
But the more time you spend being patient,
the further behind you get.
- That totally makes sense.
Well, in fairness, this car is as tested about 20 grand more
than that, so maybe that kind of electronic sophistication
makes sense, are the difference between them.
But I'd say, like, valiant effort on the launch.
I think you've gotten the best launches that we've
seen on any of the drag races that we've
done because you're obviously better than myself or
Alistair
- Aw.
- So as we like to do, we'll take the launch out
of the equation.
We're going to roll up to-- let's
roll up to 40 miles an hour this time
to give that GT500 a chance.
And then as soon as we pass the start line,
we're going to both nail the throttle.
And by removing the launch from the equation,
that GT500 stands to win.
- Boy, I sure hope so.
CARLOS LAGO: I just want to get behind it, so I can hear it.
RADIO: All right, drivers, go for it.
- I'm going to put this in manual mode
so I can control what gear I launch in, really
hit the throttle in.
- So right at the top of second gear.
They're near the top of second gear.
- Come on, Shelby.
[ENGINES ROARING]
KURT NIEBUHR: There we-- oh, the turbos.
Look at the turbo.
Woo, hi there.
- Whoa!
[CARLOS LAUGHING]
- Oh!
- Hey, turbo boost.
- Oh, that is so cool.
- That car's got some top end doesn't it?
- Oh man it's, like, initially it's all good,
and then that power difference really starts to show up.
But I do feel like this may have a little bit more
than 503 horsepower.
You started in third gear?
KURT NIEBUHR: Yeah, I could have probably done it in second,
but I mean, I won.
So whatever.
It worked.
- That's the confidence I like to hear coming from that GT500.
I got to say it was so cool, like,
seeing that initial surge, me pulling ahead slightly,
and then you just sort of inching away, inching away,
inching away.
That's so cool to watch from my window.
- I mean, it was cool to see that boost hit on your car
because I saw the car come back.
But you know, I've got a super charger,
so I'm making power all the time at any RPM.
You need a little bit of exhaust to help kind of spool
off those snails.
CARLOS LAGO: Yeah, at 40 miles an hour
I'm launching probably at 5,000 RPM,
so yeah, that delay is noticeable.
But man, this thing moves so quickly
once it fills its lungs with turbo boost.
- I think I might actually start this one in second.
That's assuming you want to do another forty pull.
CARLOS LAGO: You don't have to ask twice.
We're doing this again.
But yes, and you have a win in the roll on race.
So that is official.
It is official.
We can count that.
So the second race is now just for the sake of science.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
RADIO: All right, drivers, go for it.
- It should be noted this car weighs about 4,200 pounds,
so I think he weighs about 500 pounds less than I do.
So we're going to see if I don't get too much wheelspin here.
Here we go.
Come on, buddy.
[ENGINE ROARING]
- Oh yeah.
Oh my God!
- One handed.
CARLOS LAGO: Oh my God.
That is a fast car.
I mean, this is a fast car, but that is a fast car.
- Mm, mm, that's satisfying.
- Oh my God.
That is a fast car.
So I tickled the limiter in second gear, just tickled it,
and then you disappeared.
But you know what?
I'm so glad you got in front because that thing is
so awesome to listen to.
The test track results here are interesting.
At the test track where we have all the time in the world
to extract the most performance from each vehicle,
these two were actually tied in the 0 to 60 run.
The difference grows by the quarter mile, but not by much.
This either demonstrates the sophistication
of the enforced launch control system,
or that it's making more power than BMW says.
Maybe both.
So the GT500 finally gets a victory.
And boy, what a victory.
Because man, when you can see the power difference
between this car-- which is already
a really fast car-- and that GT500, it's really impressive.
Anyway, thank you guys for watching.
If you like what you saw like, comment, and subscribe.
And if you're going to sell a car, hey,
why not go to edmunds.com/sellmycar to get
an instant cash offer on whatever you want to sell,
provided it's a car, truck, or SUV, of course.
We'll see you next time.
[MUSIC PLAYING]