The BMW M8 hasn’t been getting the attention it deserves in recent times, but Edmunds is here to address the lack of coverage by featuring the coupe in one of their signature U-Drag Races. Its opponent is still a big luxury car but does things way differently since it’s a purely electric sedan. It should be noted that while the Competition Coupe from Bavaria is a loaner, the EV was actually purchased by the journalists.
Based on the mildly facelifted version introduced early last year, the M8 has a brawny twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 with 617 horsepower and 553 pound-feet (750 Newton-meters) of torque. It packs quite the punch, but then again, this is a large car that tips the scales at 4,295 pounds (1,948 kilograms). The Lucid Air is a Grand Touring model with a pair of electric motors making a combined 819 hp and 885 lb-ft (1,200 Nm).
The BMW is significantly down on power, but the Lucid is substantially heavier by tipping the scales at a hefty 5,226 pounds (2,370 kilograms). That translates to a significant difference in weight of 930 pounds (422 kilograms). Doing the math, the M8 still has a better weight-to-power ratio (6.96 lbs / hp compared to 6.38 lbs / hp).
The U-Drag Race isn’t all about accelerating in a straight line because the cars must perform a 180-degree turn and then go back to where the race starts. It means brakes also play an important role, and as you are about to see, the BMW fared way better than the Lucid. The M8 Competition Coupe was also way quicker at the start, but the Air got back in the game not long after. In the end, the combustion-engined car won the first duel.
It was more of the same in the subsequent U-Drag Race when the two drivers swapped seats as the M8 was still the first to cross the finish line. Some would argue it’s a bit surprising the Lucid lost given its colossal torque instantly delivered to the road but it goes to show good ol’ V8s are far from obsolete. However, if recent reports are any indication, the eight-cylinder engine is a dying breed within the 8 Series lineup since the next-generation 8er is rumored to go purely electric.
