BMW E46 M3 Vs Miata Drag Race Doesn’t Make Sense But Looks A Lot Of Fun

4 years ago - 27 October 2020, motor1
BMW E46 M3 Vs Miata Drag Race Doesn’t Make Sense But Looks A Lot Of Fun
These cars are decades apart, mind you.

Here in Motor1.com, we love drag races. Our incessant coverage of these straight-line tests of acceleration has us discovering some odd matchups floating around the interwebs. We've recently seen a mid-engine Corvette C8 face Rolls-Royce Wraith, while not so long ago we've witnessed a Suzuki Jimny try its luck against a massive Hummer H1.

I think we've just found a new matchup to add to that oddball list. Throttle House decided to pit their hosts' cars into a straight-line duel – a BMW E46 M3 versus a Mazda MX-5 Miata ND.

The hosts pretty much know that the race doesn't make sense at all. One's a two-seater roadster, while the other is a more massive vehicle armed with a bigger, more powerful engine. Probably the only thing similar between the two is that they're both convertibles.

However, it's pretty obvious that these guys are in on this duel just for fun. It's their personal cars anyway, and we can imagine the banters that lead to this blue matchup.

To put things in perspective, this E46-generation BMW M3 was launched in 2000 and is powered by an inline-six that makes over 300 horsepower.

The Mazda MX-5 Miata, on the other hand, isn't really known for speed. With a four-banger under its hood, this Miata ND can only make 180 horses in stock form. However, it weighs substantially lighter than the German convertible, so there's the rub.

You probably know the result of this race, but the final race was actually the kicker. Nothing like old school fun with your own cars.