Friday 9th March 2018

M5 v. M3 CSL v. Gallardo v. 911 v. NISMO Z-Tune

Is the finest Best Motoring video ever also the greatest Time for Tea? Could well be...

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Nothing like a Friday afternoon treat from those lunatics at Best Motoring, is there? This particular video, seemingly filmed in the mid-2000s and put on YouTube back in 2011, really is one of the, er, best we've come across at PH. And we've watched a fair few. Weirdly, it's not on the official Best Motoring channel, but we'll not let that get in the way of enjoying a sensational race.

It would appear that the M5 is the focus of this track battle, given the title of the vid and its pole position. But the opposition is fantastically diverse and intriguing, as is the Best Motoring tradition. Who else would pitch a NISMO Z-Tune R34, just 20 of which were made, against a V10 BMW saloon? Making up the rest of the grid are an M3 CSL - which gives the M5 a great run for its money - a Lamborghini Gallardo and a Porsche 911 Carrera S.

Better than just seeing those cars together, though, is just how close the racing is. It's not decided until the very last hundred metres, when a car that's been languishing towards the back makes an inspired move for glory at the last corner.

Until then there are some fantastic dices, the Porsche making the most of typically weak BMW M brakes to gain ground and the Lamborghini v. NISMO battle close for large sections of the race. Oh yes, and the M3 CSL definitely sounds as good as you remember...

So get the kettle on - or something a bit stronger if you fancy; it's 5pm on Friday somewhere - and settle into one heck of a race. Enjoy!

 

[NITO]

The Skytrain had them at Hello!

[Bencolem]

Other then the Nizmonresult feeling a bit staged that was fantastic!

[Vitorio]

Bencolem said:

Other then the Nizmonresult feeling a bit staged that was fantastic!

The entire battle was a bit contrived, considering the ease with which the GT-R and Lambo overtook the porsche once they could actually be bothered

But still, great video, seeing that M5 going balls out trying to keep faster metal behind

[ZX10R NIN]

Enjoyed that

[cerb4.5lee]

ZX10R NIN said:

Enjoyed that

Me too.

[siovey]

Cheers. That was great!

[Munter]

Dear "So called" Top Gear....can we have some of this? Please. Perhaps around Coombe?

[Mike1990]

Love Best Motoring videos, staged but good fun.

[V10Ace]

Lovely...

[J2daG1990]

Love these videos. Proper racing drivers not scared to give it the beans.

My favorites are the Touge battles on the mountain roads - love watching the tuner demo cars being put to the test and they obviously love competing against each other to see which company has the fastest road car.

[anonymous-user]

amazing, four of my favourite cars

[jabiqq]

Nice work keeping that M5 sideways on the corners.

[outnumbered]

Great fun, loved the drifting M5

[rtz62]

Felt I was watching a WWE wrestling match played out on tarmac; entertaining but choreographed to the ‘n’th degree and the outcome was pre-decided, or at the very least, obvious.
I’ve watched several of the series and it’s always the same, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy it.
As a previous poster said, the so-called ‘Top Gear’ could do worse than running ‘races’ like this on every show, it would beat Matt LeBlancs humourless humour and Chris Harris’ wooden presentation (I love Harris in his own video series but he just looks petrified, eyes wide open like a startled rabbit and shoulders looking like someone left the clothes hanger in his top).
The eclectic mix of cars is a refreshing change, although I think we all could guess the outcome even though the NISMO was sandbagging so badly I’d be surprised if they don’t offer it a job in the Somerset levels when they are next flooded...

[smilo996]

Oh dear 911 in last place. Must have chosen the wrong one given that if you listen to people on PH about 911’s it should have gone straight to the front and put in a ten sec gap..

Nice M5 defending there by drifting across the entire track.

On balance the CSL or R34, good choices both.

[C.A.R.]

What was that made up excuse about the Z-Tune being the camera car?! They all had cockpit cameras?

Whilst the result is almost certainly staged the Nismo is realistically the most track-focused and has the greatest power to weight (310/ton) whilst only the Gallardo comes close to that.

[hondansx]

People always call it fake, but bear in mind these are road cars. Some of the drivers used to just go from it the first lap, others saved the brakes and tyres for the end of the battle.

Would hardly call it orchestrated; sometimes they'd go off track!

[Plate spinner]

hondansx said:

People always call it fake, but bear in mind these are road cars. Some of the drivers used to just go from it the first lap, others saved the brakes and tyres for the end of the battle.

Would hardly call it orchestrated; sometimes they'd go off track!

Agree to some degree.

Give a race driver aroad car and a race circuit and they’ll be actively managing tyres and brakes from Lap 1.
Driving at maximum attack wouldn’t see a road car last 5 laps.

[mwstewart]

I really enjoyed that despite the obvious gulf between some of the cars. Look at the Gallardo understeer!