Usually, in drag racing videos we see more or less evenly matched cars lining up on the start line. TopGear, however, has come up with a very unusual contest, pitting the Mercedes-AMG GT R versus the Renault Twizy.
Yep, that’s right: it’s a stock mid-range Twizy Dynamique, which costs nearly £7,500 ($9,470/€8,325) in the United Kingdom, tips the scales at 450 kg (992 lbs), and has an electric motor that produces a measly 17 PS (17 hp / 13 kW) and 57 Nm (42 lb-ft) of torque.
At £142,245 ($179,600/€157,900), the Mercedes-AMG GT R is a lot more expensive. It weighs 1,630 kg (3,594 lbs) and has a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 that pushes out 585 PS (577 hp / 430 kW) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque.
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You don’t have to be a car expert to know that this is a mismatch. While the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration might take forever in the French small electric car, the Mercedes-AMG GT R can do it in just 3.6 seconds and maxes out at 318 km/h (198 mph).
So, what’s the idea behind a drag race between these two cars? Well, it’s quite simple actually: instead of a usual drag race, which have been without interest, they decided to have the Merc going backwards! The German sports car has a top speed of only 61 km/h (38 mph) in reverse, whereas the Renault Twizy tops out at 80 km/h (50 mph) going forward. But even so, is the tiny EV really a match for the mighty GT R?