A lot of people are saying that BMW is losing a lot of business by not including a supercar in its line-up. The Bavarians never had such a car in their 100 years of history except, maybe, the M1. But that’s a debate for another time.
On the other hand, its rivals have had such models for quite some time now. Mercedes had the SLR and still has other models that can claim that title while Audi boasts with the R8. Not any R8, mind you, the V10 model to be fair.
In case you didn’t know, the original version used a 4.2-liter V8 that simply wasn’t up to the task to keep the chassis pushed to the limit all the time. Sure, it had the looks and the handling of a supercar but lacked the punch needed to take on worthy rivals.
To amateurs it makes no difference as they both look roughly the same on the outside but to die hard enthusiasts like us it is paramount to specify the size of the engine.
It’s also one of the reasons why the four-ringed badge gets defeated by an M3 in the video below because, as you might see, the Bimmer blows the Audi out of the water.
Looking over the specs, it makes sense as well. The R8 has 420 HP coming out of that V8 along with 430 Nm (317 lb-ft) of torque and is hooked up to a manual gearbox with 6 speeds. The M3 on the other hand has 431 HP and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque and a 7-speed DCT gearbox.
On the weight front, they are neck and neck with just over 1,500 kg (3,300 lbs) but the torque and the gearbox of the BMW will claim the win here. Defeating this R8 doesn’t prove that the M3 is on supercar level however because of the engine of the Audi.
We wonder what the outcome would’ve been if the DSG-equipped 5.2-liter V10 was here...
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