I can also confirm that an M3 will slaughter the S.

Although driven by a complete nutter friend!

I had quite a head start and went right upto 130 (kph officer) and the car rocked as it passed me.

100 bhp more - what do people expect? - oh and the price difference too........

Edd

 

On the Bedford GT circuit in 2001. I went round 8 seconds faster than E46 M3 & he was trying...

as he did cross the start / finish line backwards, literally at about 80 mph..

M5 Motorsport was 2 seconds faster than me, and a good hand in his 3.8 M5 was 20 seconds faster !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Fettled me thinks!!!!

Its a lot about the driver if it aint a traffic light grand prix.....like I said before the instructor who knew the cct back to front got round quicker in the std S2000 than a city gent in his 911 GT3....

 

Its fast...way fast...but in a pimp, drug dealer, gangsta sort of way......not for me though..

 

They don't always seem as fast as you think because they are quite cossetting. I find this in my 996. I open the window and listen to the sports exhaust if I want it to be less cossetting!

 

Don't agree with all the comments on this thread. Certainly the JDM S2000 on a 40-100 run its even, but after 100 the M3 really takes off.

The M3 is ALOT easier to drive on the limit making it a quicker car for the 'averge joe' driver, but there are many videos on the Web that show the S will out handel and outbrake the M3.

Chris

 

Take a read of this from an M3 owner:

M3 v S2000

 

If you can't be bothere to click on the link:

[QUOTE]Well up to 100mph the two cars are very closely matched. In fact I thought my car was running on four cylinders but at 100 it will pull away. We played this game several times but there was nothing I could do to get rid of him from slow speed up to 100 ish.

Thankfully I saved face by driving away from him when we got to the bends but that normally comes down to balls not the cars ability.

Before anyone asks maybe his car was not standard I know it was cos I bought him a pint after our little race

at least I had the joy of taking him out for a spin and scaring the crap out of him when the tail started sliding

 

RACE.

Watch the above video, around a track the S2000 can corner faster due to less weight.


Luckly i get to go out quite a bit in an M3 and there's no doubt in my mind which one is faster. The M3 is a beast.

 

Ooooh I'd love to see it on the Nurburgring....did you see that German bint on Top Gear in a Diesel transit burn up the ring flying past fireblades, and all sort of performance cars driven by people who didn't know the ring and or how to drive their wheels etc.....absolutely awesome...

Schumacher in the Focus 2.0TDCi & you in the M5.....I'd have all my money on him mind.....
(No offence but a) he can drive no matter what it is
b) I'm sure he knows the ring well, both negate all your extra BHP in the M5??)

 

Perhaps the comparison should be with the M3 open top which in my experience the S does far better !

The M3 is one mean machine but has the associated costs of running a high performance BMW.