The M3 Competition xDrive is – without a shadow of a doubt – the performance sedan to have nowadays. Not only does it sound much better than AMG's four-pot C 63 S E Performance, but it makes a bit more power and torque than BMW says it does.
For model year 2025, the Bavarian automaker bumped up the maximum output by 20 horsepower, which is a 20-hp increase at the crankshaft over the pre-facelift M3 Competition xDrive. The black-painted sedan in the featured clip is a pre-facelift with aftermarket wheels and tinted windows, but under the skin, the car appears to be stock.
Pictured at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania, this G80 asserted dominance over a helluva lot of hi-po vehicles from a 65-mph roll. For those who prefer the metric system, 65 miles per hour is 105 kilometers per hour. Its first challenger was a drag-prepped C7 Corvette Z06, which – as you're well aware – packs a 650-hp supercharged V8.
For some reason or another, the Corvette's driver braked long before the finish line, thus clocking 94.76 miles per hour (152.5 kilometers per hour) as opposed to 154.94 miles per hour (249 kilometers per hour) for the Bimmer. In bone-stock form, the C7 Z06 is good for 196 mph (315 kph) compared to 180 mph (290 kph) for the four-door model.
Subsequent competitors included an S650 Mustang GT with drag radials and race wheels out back, two M3s, an M5, a race-prepped Camaro SS, a 997-series Porsche 911 Turbo, plus a red-painted Mustang SVT Cobra. Only two challengers managed to better the black M3, those being a white-painted M3 and the aforementioned Cobra.
Photo: ImportRace on YouTube
In the rolling start race against the white M3, the starring M3 ran a very impressive 156.06 mph (251 kph) versus 157.41 mph (253 kph). As for the Cobra, make that 155.30 mph (250 kph) compared to a jaw-dropping 170.06 mph (274 kph). A ridiculously high speed for such an old Mustang, but then again, those Cobras do mean business.
The closest thing to the SN95-era Mustang SVT Cobra would be the S550-series Shelby GT350. The New Edge-era Terminator Cobra is closest to the philosophy of the S550-gen Shelby GT500, which still is the most powerful series-production Ford to date. But what about the S650 Mustang GTD?
Good question! The 2025 model year Ford Mustang GTD is hardly a series-production vehicle because of two things. Firstly, it's produced by Multimatic in Canada rather than the United States. But more importantly, around 1,000 examples of the breed will be made in total at $325,000-plus apiece.
The beating heart of the GTD is an evolution of the 5.2-liter Predator supercharged V8 that premiered in the S550-generation Shelby GT500 with 760 horsepower on deck. The GTD packs over 800 horses, and this engine could very well be used for the yet-to-be-revealed S650 Shelby GT500. Over at BMW, the most powerful vehicle Munich's favorite son makes is the 738-horsepower XM Label.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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