Drag race: new Ford Mustang GT vs BMW M2

What will win when you put good old-fashioned American muscle up against a precise and carefully-honed German sports car? That’s what we’re here to find out, as we pit the brand-new Ford Mustang (in its more powerful US spec) against the BMW M2.

Both cars are similar on paper in terms of power, weight and even price (well, if you’re buying the Mustang in the UK anyway), but how does that translate to performance on the drag strip? Let’s take a look at the cars and their stats.

BMW M2

The BMW M2 is one of the highest-rated sports cars on our site, and for good reason – it’s a proper performance thoroughbred, pairing the perfect recipe of straight-six engine at the front, rear-wheel drive and a good-looking coupe body in the middle.

Its 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged engine puts out 480hp and 600Nm of torque. It sends all that to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic. It weighs in at 1,805kg, and in this spec costs £63,360.

Ford Mustang

This is a rather special-sounding Mustang, because it’s been lent to us by an American serviceman who’s had it imported for their personal use. That means it gets slightly more power and, because it has fewer emissions control systems in the exhaust system, it’s much, much louder.

In this spec it puts out 486hp and 567Nm of torque, with a ten-speed automatic driving the rear wheels. It weighs in at 1,738kg. In the US, it costs from just £35,000 (est) but in the UK that figure is £55,275 – and it’s less powerful, too, with 453hp and 540Nm.

So what takes the trophy – an American hot dog or a German bratwurst? Watch the video to find out.

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