In the video above, YouTuber Joe Achilles puts his BMW M2 Competition up against his friend and fellow YouTuber Stef ABTV's Alfa Romeo 4C. The two go head to head at the Bruntingthorpe drag strip in typical soggy British weather.
While many petrolheads would say "of course the BMW will win because it has more power," the cars are closer than you'd think. Yes, the 4C has a measly 240 horsepower (179 kilowatts) but it only weighs 1,973 pounds (895 kilograms). The BMW is much more powerful at 405 hp (302 kw) but is nearly twice as heavy at a herculean 3,655 lbs (1,662 kg). That said, in ideal conditions both are capable of getting to 60 mph in the same amount of time at 4.4 seconds.
In the first heat, the 4C had the edge over the M2. Not only did it get a better start, but the 4C had great traction throughout the run while the M2 couldn't get the power down as efficiently. Achilles piloting the M2 also made the mistake of short-shifting into second gear too early which helped the 4C.
Before the second heat, Achilles made sure to get some temperature in his tires of his M2. Along with getting the tires up to temperature he turned the traction control and other systems on for the second run. After all of the preparation the M2 was closer but didn't have it in the end.
The M2 proved victorious in the third heat. However, Stef in his 4C apparently made a mistake off the start and bounced off the rev limiter going nowhere. The fourth heat being another photo finish proved the close numbers of the cars.
After the runs, the two reconvened and talked about the handling characteristics of the cars. Stef was impressed with the M2's balance in the wet conditions. He couldn't believe the accuracy of the drifts that Achilles was doing in his M2 in between races. Stef tried to do the same in his 4C but struggled with the snappy mid-engined nature of his Alfa Romeo.
Handling characteristics aside, this video proves the different design philosophies of both manufacturers and how they produce such similar results. Even though all of the races were essentially dead heats, the two had an absolute blast which is all a petrolhead could ask for.
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