A desolate strip of asphalt is the kind of place where dreams of speed are born and egos are shattered. On one side, a 2025 BMW M5, a plug-in hybrid super-sedan that’s been poked and prodded by tuners to unleash over 1,000 horsepower. On the other, a Ferrari SF90 Spider, Maranello’s open-top masterpiece, a hybrid supercar with a pedigree that screams untouchable.
First, let’s meet the players. The 2025 BMW M5 (G90) is no ordinary sedan. It’s a plug-in hybrid beast, marrying a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 with electric assistance to produce a factory-rated 717 horsepower. But this isn’t your showroom M5. Tuned to within an inch of its life, this particular example boasts over 1,000 horsepower, though exact figures are murky—let’s just say it’s got enough grunt to make the asphalt quiver. It’s a heavy hitter, though, tipping the scales at around 2,435 kilograms (5,368 pounds), a figure that makes even the most optimistic tuner wince. Rolling on Hankook Ventus high-performance tires, it’s a family hauler with the heart of a dragstrip demon.
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Then there’s the Ferrari SF90 Spider. This is Maranello’s love letter to speed, a hybrid supercar that combines a twin-turbo V8 with three electric motors for a total of 986 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. It’s lighter than the BMW, with a curb weight of 1,770 kilograms (3,902 pounds) according to CarWow, though Ferrari claims a dry weight of 1,670 kilograms (3,682 pounds). Clad in an all-black livery that makes it look like it rolled out of a villain’s garage, the SF90 Spider is a technological marvel, designed to slice through the air and dominate any track—or dragstrip—it encounters.
CarWow’s Mat Watson and Sam Maher-Loughnan are behind the wheels, with Watson piloting the M5 and Maher-Loughnan in the SF90. The rules are simple: a standing quarter-mile on an unprepped surface, a rolling start from 50 mph, and an emergency braking test to see who can stop shortest. It’s a classic David vs. Goliath setup, except David’s been hitting the gym and Goliath’s got a prancing horse on its hood.
