BMW’s official performance figures have, at times, been rather conservative. However, the company does not list performance times or speeds for the quarter-mile drag strip, so it is up to BMW owners to find those out for themselves. Conventional wisdom is that the new F80 BMW M3 is probably good for quarter-mile times in the low-to-mid twelve-second range.
Low twelves eventually may turn out to be the norm, but this past weekend, Bimmerpost.com member MGWally took his 2015 M3 to the Atco Raceway in Atco, New Jersey. In two of his runs he was indeed in the twelves, but in two others, he did much better.
In his best run, he tripped the clock at 11.66 seconds; in another, it was 11.84 and he has the time slip—and for his 11.66, the video—to prove it.
MGWally describes his DCT-equipped M3 as bone stock, including the tires. He fed the engine 103 octane unleaded, set the launch control at 3,500 rpm, and the rest is video history.
Atco Raceway is an NHRA drag strip considered to be one of the fastest in the country, a claim we tend to believe since a number of NHRA Super Stock Eliminator and Stock Eliminator class records have been set there.
While a cool evening and a fast track may have helped, the bottom line is that this M3 driver posted a superb time and deserves the credit, both for accomplishing the sub-twelve runs and for demonstrating that the new M3 is truly an outstanding, multi-talented car. BMW enthusiasts should salute MGWally and we do—especially those of us who suck at drag racing.—Scott Blazey
[Photos and video courtesy of MGWally through Bimmerpost.com.]
