Porsche 991 Turbo Beats New BMW M5: Track Time Thursday Presented by Yokohama Tire’s All-New ADVAN APEX

Porsche 911 Turbo and M5 are both tuned, making for an interesting drag race between German titans.

The Porsche 911 and the BMW M5 are arguably the biggest names in their respective segments. The 911 is known around the world as one of the greatest sports car nameplates ever while the M5 has become one of the top performance sedans in the world. These two powerful German machines are very different in their form, but their performance capabilities are relatively similar.

More importantly, with both the Porsche 911 and the BMW M5 being turbocharged, they both respond well to engine-tuning upgrades. In the video above from the Road Test TV YouTube channel, we get to see just how fast each of these high performance legends is with a little extra power from the aftermarket.

Porsche vs. BMW

The competitors in the video include a 2016 Porsche 911 Turbo (non-S) and a 2019 BMW M5 Competition, and both feature a self-shifting transmission and an advanced all-wheel-drive system.

The 991 Porsche 911 Turbo is powered by a twin turbocharged, 3.8-liter flat-six that delivers 520 horsepower and 524 lb-ft of torque in stock form, but it is not stock. The owner has added a BMC drop-in air filter and a Cobb engine tune. We don’t have any power numbers with the tune, but we can rest assured that this 991 is packing quite a few extra ponies.

As for the 2019 BMW M5 Competition, it is powered by a twin turbocharged, 4.4-liter V8 that offers 621 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque in stock form, but once again, this car is not stock. The owner has added a JB4 tune and an open-cone air filter system, leading to roughly 700 horsepower, so the M5 has more power, but it is also considerably bigger and heavier.

Dual Track Duels

These two German legends go head-to-head at Palm Beach International Raceway on a day where the density altitude was around 2,200 feet, making two runs to see which is quicker.

On the first run, the BMW driver does not use “M Mode” or Launch Control, but as the two stage, we can hear the engine of the Porsche and the engine of the M5 rev in preparation for the race. When the green lights drop, the 911 gets out first with a better reaction time, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back, with the 991 winning by a comfortable margin.

On this first pass, the 911 Turbo ran a 10.95 at 126 miles per hour to the BMW’s 11.05 at 128 miles per hour.

On the next run, the M5 driver used all of the gadgets, and it made a big difference on the top end, but not at the starting line. Once again, the Porsche driver grabbed the early lead with the reaction time advantage, this time getting out to a huge early lead. The BMW is charging hard on the top end and actually runs the quicker elapsed time, but due to the terrible start, the Porsche 911 takes another win.

On this second run, the 991 ran a 10.93 at 127 miles per hour to the BMW’s 10.79 at 130, so had the M5 driver gotten off of the line better, it would have won, but with the sharper skills at the starting line, the Porsche took back-to-back wins in the battle of the tuned German performance cars.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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