BMW 760Li Drag Races Maybach 62 To Show Power Isn’t Everything

Cars equipped with V12 engines have typically been luxury cocoons created to devour miles in utmost comfort and silence. Models such as the Maybach S-Class and BMW 760Li certainly weren't built for drag races, and yet that's exactly what the good peeps over at carwow did with the two fullsize German luxobarges. They lined them up for a head-to-head comparison in a drag race, followed by a couple of rolling races and a brake test.

Looking solely at the power these two have, the Maybach would be the obvious winner since its twin-turbo 5.5-liter V12 packs 551 horsepower and a colossal 900 Newton-meters (664 pound-feet) of torque. The Bimmer has a larger 6.0-liter V12 also with a pair of turbos, but it's "only" making 545 hp and a significantly less 750 Nm (553 lb-ft).

Both send power to the rear wheels, but whereas the Maybach has a five-speed automatic, the BMW has an extra three gears. Without a shadow of a doubt, the biggest difference between the two is the weight. We're dealing with the big daddy of the double M model, the 62, which tips the scales at 2,805 kilograms (6,184 pounds). It makes the 760Li seem like a Miata by comparison, weighing in at "just" 2,275 kg (5,015 lbs).

Despite having a borderline perfect start, the Maybach 62 was no match for the BMW as all that extra weight reared its ugly head. After all, having to carry around an additional 530 kg (1,168 lbs) certainly has a negative impact on performance in a drag race. The Bavarian model completed the quarter mile in 12.9 seconds whereas the Maybach needed an additional 0.7 seconds.

It was the same story in the two rolling races, where even though the Maybach's gearbox appeared to kick down quicker, the 760Li managed to win in both instances without breaking a sweat. While the outcome of the brake test from 70 mph (113 km/h) to 0 shouldn't come as a surprise, we had expected the difference to be bigger.

Taking into account the Maybach was substantially heavier, it would've been fairer to pit the hotter 62S against the BMW. The spicy "S" version took power to 604 hp and a mountain-moving 1,000 Nm (738 lb-ft) of torque, although even that might not have been enough to beat the 760Li.