BMW enthusiasts would argue the M850i is not a real M car but it still has a brawny V8 engine with plenty of punch. It’s one of the surviving eight-cylinder performance models with “pure” gasoline engines outside of the supercar world. In a series of drag races, we can see it fighting other sporty machines with different takes on the V8 recipe. The Lexus LC500 uses a naturally aspirated mill whereas the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat boasts a supercharged heart.
Of the three cars, only the 8 Series has all-wheel drive as the other two send power to the rear wheels. With 523 hp and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) on tap from a 4.4-liter twin-turbo engine, the M850i packs more punch than the 471 hp and 398 lb-ft (540 Nm) of the 5.0-liter unit inside the stunning LC. The Bavarian coupe is substantially down on power compared to the 717 hp and 656 lb-ft (890 Nm) of the American muscle car with its massive 6.2-liter engine. All three have automatic transmissions, with eight gears in the case of the M850i and Hellcat while the LC has two extra gears.
At 4,478 pounds (2,031 kilograms), the BMW is 42 lbs (19 kg) heavier than the Dodge and 107 lbs (49 kg) chubbier than the Lexus. As you are about to see, numbers don’t tell the whole store in a drag race. The M850i xDrive Coupe rocketed off the line to gain a massive advantage at the start of both races.
You’d think the outcome would be a bit different in a roll race where launch control is taken out of the equation. However, the Bavarian bruiser was still much faster from 32 mph (50 km/h) and in the subsequent roll race from 50 mph (80 km/h).
The M850i and all the other combustion-engined 8 Series models are believed to be living on borrowed time. BMW will reportedly simplify the 8 Series for its third iteration by retaining only the more practical Gran Coupe and selling it exclusively as an EV. That won’t happen until around the middle of…
