Implementing a V12 under the hood of a BMW has been held for a few examples over the years. Way back in the 2000s and early 2010s, the only car that would get that approach was the BMW 760Li. Now, the V12 is gone in the BMW series but it lives on under the hood of Rolls-Royce models. The people from CarWow chose to take a walk down reminiscence lane and they brought together two V12-powered brutes to see which is faster.
The point is, when one of these cars actually claimed remarkable sportiness back in the day, the other was clearly aimed for something else.
The Mercedes-Maybach, or just Maybach, was and still is an ultra-luxurious car, centered on comfort and smooth cruising more than anything else. Sure, it had a V12 under the hood with 551 HP and a huge 900 Nm of torque but it only had a 5-speed automatic so catching some speed was a clear issue.
The BMW, by the opposition, was a bit of an unusual beast. It was noticeably tinier and the center was also on the driving dynamics. It couldn’t equal an M car but, for a car of this volume, it wasn’t really that terrible to drive.
It too had a V12, a 6-liter to be extra precise, with 545 HP and 800 Nm of torque. Unlike the Maybach, the BMW has a more advanced gearbox doing the gear swapping, an 8-speed to be more specific. Both vehicles are rear-wheel drive.
For the race itself and how they hold up, the drag race starts with a bit of tire warming. The BMW didn’t participate in this craziness as tires meant to be conserved but the Maybach was game. And it’s quite something to see such a big car doing drifts.
When it went to the actual race, the mass difference between the two couldn’t be neglected. Having to carry about over half a ton extra was compelled to have an effect.
