Here at Carscoops we love a good old quarter-mile drag race, and we’re definitely not alone. So, when the crew from Autocar set up a rather unusual drag race, we were interested to see take a look.
The lineup is made up of three very different machines: there’s a hardcore track monster – the 475bhp rear-wheel drive Ariel Atom V8, a 560bhp rallycross four-wheel drive Citroen DS3, and a 193bhp BMW HP4 superbike. Which of these three do you think is fastest over a standing quarter-mile sprint?
Considering the drag strip was wet, most people would put their money on the all-wheel drive Citroen DS3 rallycross car. However, there’s another factor one needs to consider when assessing situations like these: the power-to-weight ratio.
With 757 bhp per ton, the BMW HP4 is just ahead of the Ariel Atom, which boasts 748 bhp per ton. The Citroen DS3 rallycross machine has 577 bhp per ton, but its four-wheel drive system helps it compensate for its lower power-to-weight ratio. Will it be enough to win this race? You’ll just have to hit “play” on the video below to find out.
By Dan Mihalascu
VIDEO