On today's chart 542K views since yesterday

carwow asks a V8-swapped E30 to stop going sideways

Mat Watson's BMW M2 faces a Red Bull drift car whose straight-line speed comes with wheelspin, smoke and a crew inspection.

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carwow Story of November 13, 2026Trari Newsroom

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Why this story? One of the most watched videos since yesterday, with 542,299 views.

Does Size Matter? 7.4L V8-swap E30 v BMW M2 DRAG RACE

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Video summary

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0:20Watson introduces the stock M2 and Elias's Chevrolet V8-swapped E30 drift car.
1:46The first standing-start race tests whether the E30 can turn its power into grip.
3:38A rolling start changes the contest, while smoke pours from the older BMW.
6:00Both drivers rev their engines for a side-by-side sound check.
9:31Elias's crew inspects the smoking E30 before the standing-start races continue.
13:58The final quarter-mile times appear after the deciding runs.

Elias has a small qualification to make before lining up against Mat Watson: "Never, never gone in a straight line, so maybe you have to remind me how that works."

The Red Bull Driftbrothers driver brings a stripped-out BMW E30 with a huge Chevrolet V8 under its bonnet to carwow's airstrip. Watson has a stock BMW M2, complete with the comforts and electronic assistance the older drift machine lacks. The question isn't simply which has more power, but whether a car built to slide can put that power down.

About 542,000 views since yesterday have gone to a contest that keeps changing character. In the first standing-start race, the E30 spins its wheels while the M2 gets away cleanly. Start them already moving, though, and Elias narrowly holds Watson off.

Then there's the smoke. The E30 keeps producing enough of it to prompt comments from both drivers and, eventually, a look under the bonnet by Elias's crew. Between runs, the pair still find time for an engine sound check and some sideways driving, the part Elias needs no help remembering.

The modern BMW stops substantially shorter in the brake test. The E30 later manages a winning launch, but appears to lose power during the deciding standing-start run, leaving Watson to take it.

Viewers are discussing more than the finishing order: the E30's shape, its V8 soundtrack and Elias's on-demand drifting all feature in the comments. One proposes an appealing compromise: the older car's exterior with the M2's interior.

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