Drag Race: 800HP BMW M5 Competition vs. Ferrari 488 Pista

The YouTube team of CarWOW has pitted a lightweight Ferrari 488 Pista against a chip-tuned BMW M5 Competition. Would the Bavarian coupe be able to pull forward thanks to its power advantage and AWD, or would it fall behind due to its sheer bulk?

The 3.9-liter turbocharged V8 that the Ferrari 488 Pista comes equipped with produces 720 PS (710 hp, or 530 kW) along with 770 Nm (568 lb-ft) of torque. Its seven-speed DCT sends the momentum to the rear axle. The coupe weighs in at 1,390 kg (3,064 lbs) and starts from £300,000 in Great Britain.

The 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 of the BMW M5 Competition normally churns out 625 PS (616 hp / 460 kW) and 750 Nm (553 lb-ft) of torque, but this one comes with a new intake system, an Eventuri exhaust and an ECU tune. This makes it capable of 800 PS (789 hp / 588 kW) and 950 Nm (700 lb-ft). The superior number are offset by the curb weight of 1,940 kg (4,277 lbs), but you could grab an M5 in the United Kingdom for as little as £60,000, making it five times as affordable as its rival.

In the end, the two completed their quarter-mile sprint with less than a half-second gap. A rolling start from 80 km/h (50 mph) evened things out even more, but Ferrari won the braking test from 113 to 0 km/h (70-0 mph).