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Drag Race: Porsche 911 Carrera vs BMW M3 Competition - Which Car Will Claim Supremacy?
Is the entry-level Porsche 911 fast enough to beat the more powerful, top-spec BMW M3?
by Sidd Dhimaan, on LISTEN 03:55The Porsche 911 is known to be a driver’s car. Lately, we’ve seen various 911 models dominate the drag strip as well. But, is the base 911 Carrera also in the same league? Mat Watson from Carwow finds out by pitting it against the BMW M3 Competition for a series of straight-line races. The BMW makes 125 horses more than the Porsche, but it is also almost 500 pounds heavier. Which car do you think will win?
125 Horses More And 500 Pounds Heavier Than The Porsche, Is The BMW
The Porsche 911 Carrera is powered by a 3.0-liter, flat-six, twin-turbo engine that makes 385 horses and 332 pound-feet of torque.
An eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox powers the rear wheels. It weighs 3,318 pounds.
The BMW M3 Competition comes with a 3.0-liter, straight-six, twin-turbo mill under the hood that puts out 510 ponies and 479 pound-feet of torque.
The rear wheels are powered here by an eight-speed automatic gearbox. It weighs 3,814 pounds, 496 pounds more than the 911 Carrera.
The 911 Carrera Shows Power Isn’t Everything
In the first drag race, both the cars suffered from a not-so-great launch. But, the Porsche was way quicker and left the BMW far behind. It eventually went on to win the race. They gave it a shot again, and both the cars had a much better launch this time. The Porsche was off much quicker, but the BMW started catching up with it. It managed to erase quite a bit of distance by the finish line, but couldn’t get past it. The 911 Carrera took 11.7 seconds to finish the quarter-mile race whereas the M3 Competition took 11.8 seconds.
Well, The M3 Competition Proves The Porsche Wrong!
They moved on to rolling races next. The first one was from 50 mph in comfort settings and the gearbox in automatic mode. The BMW’s power advantage came into play here as it flew past the Porsche at kickdown. The gap between the two cars only increased as the race proceeded, thus giving the M3 Competition a solid win.
The second rolling race was from 50 mph too, but this time, locked in the Sport settings and gearbox in manual mode. The BMW performed even better this time and the 911 Carrera’s was done at the kickdown itself. This doesn’t mean the Carrera was slow. It went through the paces very well, but the BMW’s extra horses and torque were too much for the entry-level Porsche to handle. That said, had this been a mile race or longer, things could’ve been different because the M3 comes with a speed governor that limits the top speed to 155 mph, whereas the 911 Carrera goes all the way up to 182 mph.
The final round was the brake test from 70 mph. There was no doubt the 911 Carrera would win this, and it did. But the BMW did pretty well, too, as the margin between the two cars when they came to a complete halt wasn’t a lot.
Conclusion
So, that means the Porsche 911 Carrera won the standing drag races and the brake test, while the BMW M3 Competition dominated the rolling races. If you had to pick one of these cars for yourself, which one would it be? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
