The long-reigning king of Toyota sports cars takes on a 2021 BMW M3 in Carwow’s drag race. The results show why horsepower matters more than age.

Technology comes a long way, but horsepower, torque, and weight matter. There is no launch control or ECU advancement that could make up for a 200-hp difference in a drag race. This was clear in Carwow’s YouTube video, in which a 2021 BMW M3 Competition takes on a Toyota Supra Mk4 from two decades earlier.

The Supra Mk4 needs no introduction. JDM fans have promoted the 90s Toyota sports car to legendary status as they modded it to unimaginable limits. The car Mat Watson is seated in interestingly has a BMW ZF 8-speed Automatic gearbox and a single turbo attached to a heavily tuned 2JZ engine.

The M3 Competition is no meek soul; The car stays true to its M3 bloodline with raw performance and European luxury. The enhanced S58 roars to life as Jodie, the driver, revs the engine prior to the race.

There is no surprise in seeing a newer BMW M3 Competition beat a Supra at launch. With launch control and decades of advancements to help put power on the road faster, the BMW was quicker at the get-go. Despite launching well, Mat took a couple of seconds to gain traction and move forward. The BMW was several meters ahead, but it failed to shake off the Supra that was catching up. The Supra won the race by a fraction of a second.

Toyota Supra Mk4Carwow Via YouTube
The Supra was one up on the scoreboard, but the M3 had its revenge in the second race. Mat fumbled the launch during the second round, performing a beautiful yet dreaded burnout. By the time the Supra pulled out of the wheel spin and started gaining power, the BMW was already halfway down the drag strip. M3 won the race as the aging Toyota failed to catch up in time.

With the score even, the drivers decided on a third race to name a winner. Both cars got off the line well, with the BMW still beating the Supra in the first few seconds. Yet, the Supra steadily inched forward and caught up to the new sports sedan. The race concluded with Supra on top, but only by a whisker.

Next up on the list was a rolling race from 50 mph. The initial hundred yards were not too different from the drag race, as Watson’s transmission suffered a delayed kick down. Yet, the Supra gained ground as the race progressed and shot in front of the BMW. Jodie Kidd finished behind Watson once more, leaving the Supra as the victor.

The drivers decided to change things up a bit for the second rolling race. Both cars were in manual mode, in third gear for the launch. The race produced a clear winner, but it was as tight as ever; the Toyota beat the BMW with almost no distance between the two vehicles.

The BMW M3 Competition will crush a stock Supra Mk4 any day of the week, but the narrative changes when you pop the old Toyota’s hood and make a few tweaks. The Supra Mk4 featured in the drag race had its twin turbo swapped for a single massive one, alongside receiving a few other modifications. The results? An insane 708 hp output and 523 lb-ft of torque from its 3.0-liter inline-six 2JZ engine. That’s more power than the top of the M car line 2024 BMW XM’s base model, which only generates 644 horses.

The BMW M3 is not feeble, but it lacks a modified Supra-style punch. The bone stock M3 Competition generates 510 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. That’s as good as its twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six gets, but the engine is not the only thing letting the BMW down.

The German sports sedan weighs significantly more than the Japanese sports car. The BMW M3 Competition tips the scale at 3,814 lbs, while the Toyota Supra Mk4 gets off at 3,285 lbs. That’s more weight for less power – not a favorable trade for the BMW. The loss on the spec sheet was clear as day when the numbers translated into race results. The 1997 veteran was technologically behind, but it was horsepower, torque, and weight that won the day.

With the races out of the way, there was one last test pending before the video ends. The two cars competed in a braking test, and the results gave the BMW a win to take home.

Yet, the Supra did not perform as badly as one may expect from a 90s Japanese sports car. The M3 was only about 4 meters behind the Supra, but it isn’t clear whether the Supra’s brakes were stock for the test.

Winning the drag race and rolling race, the Supra showed that some numbers matter more than others. And by that, we mean that horsepower and torque come before the model year.