In our first ever series of Flat Out Friday, which is out on YouTube, so go watch it, we had a bit of a shocker, no puns intended. The MG Cyberster, it turns out, is a proper sportscar that can hold its own against some of the best in the business. Of course, when it thumpingly won against the Mercedes AMG SL55, some people on the internet had a meltdown. How can an EV be pitted against a petrol powered car? How can you race a car that is much cheaper than the Mercedes? And many other such frankly ridiculous questions were raised, including some people claiming cheating too. LOL!
So we thought, for our first ever Flat Out Friday Special, we would call back the MG Cyberster for a run against some of the best. The Cyberster makes 510hp, gets two seats, gets doors that scream drama and a soft top that pops down and makes people stare. We know it is quick. It has already proven that fact. We also know it can take corners like a pro. So what better way to shoo the naysayers than to put it up against six enthusiast cars? And to remove any sort of notion of cheating, we put the owners of these enthusiast performance cars behind the wheel. Strap in then, this is about to get very interesting!
RACE 1: 12.10s @ 178kmph VS 12.19s @ 179kmph
RACE 2: 12.02s @ 181kmph VS 13.28s @ 171kmph
The apple of the eye for most well heeled Indian auto enthusiasts currently is the BMW M340i. When new, it costs about the same as an MG Cyberster and although it is much lower on power at about 375hp out of the box, a bit of tuning turns these into real powerhouses on wheels. The one we have here today has also gone through a bit of fettling. A downpipe, a tune, some wheels, what you would expect out of a typically tastefully modded M340i making a claimed 450hp.
This was also the first race of the day. Dusty surfaces, morning dew and everything in between making sure our all wheel drive systems were put to the absolute test. And since it was also the first race of the day for me, the big bumbling idiot behind the wheel, I suddenly forgot how the MG got a sport mode and left it in standard. Lights go green, the BMW gets the perfect start and even though the MG hooked up well, it did just a tad bit later. Now if you see this race on our YouTube channel, you will actually see how the MG finishes behind the BMW on track but on our instrumented devices, the Dragy, a global standard in performance metric measurement, the MG is actually faster. 12.19 for the BMW with a trap speed of 179kmph and 12.10 for the MG with a trap speed of 178kmph, almost nothing between them at the end of the 402 metre straight! But since we had not used the full potential of the MG yet, we lined up again and went for another go.
Race 2 was perfect for the MG. Once you put this in sport mode, it buzzes with an excitement that makes it want to jump out of its own skin. Zero hesitation off the line, a perfect launch and the BMW simply could not recover. In fact, the BMW did have a little hiccup between shifts causing it to drop over a second in pace overall but as they say, in racing, there are no second chances. That said, that BMW is a quick little four door sportscar with those basic mods on it but against the 725Nm of torque on the MG, the German stood zero chance. Race 2 went to the MG at 12.02 seconds with a trap speed of 181kmph as compared to the M340i’s 13.28 second quarter mile with a trap speed of 171kmph.
RACE 1: 11.97s @ 181kmph VS 12.59s @ 183kmph
RACE 2: 12.05s @ 180kmph VS 12.41s @ 166kmph
This is when things start getting serious. 750hp, the most powerful car here, is a four door, five seat luxury sedan with a bunch of serious muscle of course. This Mercedes AMG C63S is a rare facelift C63 with some ultra rare factory options. Carbon ceramics, carbon buckets and a lot more stuff thrown at it aftermarket than any other C63S in India making a claimed 750hp. The disadvantage? Rear wheel drive. Especially on a surface like the Aamby Valley airstrip where getting off the line is a little tricky!
Drag racing is all about two things, horsepower and grip. While the AMG had the advantage on horsepower, it held zero chance against the MG Cyberster when it came to off the line performance. The MG shot off like a rocketship, perfect launch this time around too, while the AMG struggled to put its power down. From there, it was a no contest. The MG surged ahead, crossing the line at a blistering 11.97 seconds at a trap speed of 181kmph while the C63S clocked a 12.59 second run at 183kmph.
Race 2 was pretty much the same. The MG dug its heels in at the start and made a dash for the finish line, completing the quarter mile in a quick 12.05 seconds while the Mercedes ran a 12.41 second quarter mile at 166kmph. Now, some of you might of course want to choose the C63S for its V8 soundtrack but remember, this is motorsport and in motorsport, nothing is more important than crossing the finish line first. And the MG is a better drag weapon than the Mercedes is, period!
RACE 1: 11.71s @ 185kmph VS 13.65s @ 187kmph
RACE 2: 11.75s @ 184kmph VS 13.31s @ 188kmph
When it comes to a proper enthusiast rear wheel drive sportscar, the BMW M2 has been on the forefront in India in the last few years. So we decided to put the MG Cyberster up against not one, but two. The first one, as with our first two cars in the list, has gone through some very tasteful mods. Some very high end bespoke suspension, ultra lightweighting with a rear seat delete and a host of carbon parts, a bunch of very cool power upgrades, lightweight racing seats replacing the heavier stock seats and of course, some sticky tyres.
But when the flag dropped, Race 1 showed the BMW a set of tail lights like we could not believe. At the end of the quarter mile, the MG’s sheer brutal acceleration off the start line meant that it covered the 402 metre distance in just 11.7 seconds at a trap speed of 185kmph. It does not matter what lens you look at this under, this is fast! The tuned BMW M2 in comparison was nearly two seconds slower. 13.65 seconds for the quarter mile and a trap speed of 187kmph.
Should we even run Race 2? That was the burning question but for the sake of fairness we did. While none of us expected a different result, the BMW did get quicker here. A 13.31 second run with a trap speed of 188kmph is quick but not as quick as the MG’s 11.75 at 184kmph. Now, some of you might have noticed how the BMW actually has a higher trap speed than the MG. That is because while the MG accelerates much, much faster, something one needs in a drag race, it does slow down its rate of acceleration in later stages. And even though it wins comfortably, it does have a lower trap speed at the end compared to some of the other cars in our list. Right, time to bring another M2 to the blacktop!
RACE 1: 11.67s @ 186kmph VS 12.09s @ 201kmph
RACE 2: 11.63s @ 186kmph VS 12.12s @ 201kmph
The G87 BMW M2 straight out of the box is a quicker car than its predecessor, the F87. It is also a more modern car with more grip off the line as compared to the older one and more straight line speed too. So while the F87 was banished easily, with the G87, I was taking no chances, especially since behind the wheel was someone who is an accomplished racing driver.
As expected, when the flag dropped, the MG bit into the tarmac with all the grip in the world and had a perfect start, something that would haunt the BMW in both races. While the MG completed the quarter mile run in 11.67 seconds with a trap speed of 186kmph, the BMW M2 did it in 12.09 seconds with a trap speed of 201kmph.
Race 2 was similar. 11.63 for the MG, making it the clear winner here, with a trap speed of 186kmph while the BMW ran a slightly slower 12.12 second run with a trap speed of 201kmph. Notice how both the cars are almost identical in terms of timing with a few hundredths of a second between each run and how both the cars have the exact same trap speed logged in both races. That there is the power and magic of modern tech. Of course, if all that modern tech would help the BMW launch a little better!
RACE 1: 11.63s @ 186kmph VS 12.81s @ 184kmph
RACE 2: 11.70s @ 185kmph VS 12.17s @ 181kmph
Ramesh, our Editor in Chief, felt a little left out of all the fun which is why he pulled up in an RSQ8 and that is a worry. Now, this might seem like a normal Audi to some but underneath the skin, this thing has some major trickery, partly because Audi, Lamborghini and Porsche all use this platform to make total rocketships. So, time to find out if this twin turbo V8 all wheel drive behemoth can hold a candle to the sleek and quick MG Cyberster.
The one thing I can safely say is that the RSQ8 is as much of a sportscar as any of the cars on our list today. Between the Cyberster and the RSQ8 launching, we are shocked at how we have not reversed the rotation of the earth! But as with other races, the result here too was inevitable. The MG blitzed it at 11.63 seconds with a trap speed of 186kmph while the RSQ8 came in over a second later at 12.81 seconds and a trap speed of 184kmph.
The second run however saw the best launch of the day from the RSQ8. Squatted down, gripping hard and with a purpose, something the MG had managed to do with every single run and with ease. 11.70 flat for the MG and a trap speed of 185kmph versus the RSQ8’s 12.17 at 181kmph. That is fast for an SUV but remember, this SUV costs about three to four times more than the MG!
RACE 1: 11.46s @ 189kmph VS 10.91s @ 203kmph
RACE 2: 11.53s @ 188kmph VS 10.95s @ 203kmph
This is when things get serious. This is when racing gets close and cut throat. The MG Cyberster is a Rs 77.5 lakh car going up against a 911 Carrera 4 GTS that costs about Rs 3 crore. That is a good 400 percent more than the MG but can it beat it?
The MG has 510hp and 725Nm of torque. The Porsche has 541hp and 610Nm of torque. Both have all wheel drive too and both are in the hands of potent drivers, albeit one slightly larger than the other. If the MG had a chance, it had to get everything right and just to make things absolutely even, we even charged it up all the way to make this as fair a fight as it would be.
And for a moment, it seemed like it would happen too. The MG Cyberster launched off the line faster and harder than it had all day, the perfect launch and for about 100 metres or so held the lead till the 911 fought back hard. At the end of the quarter mile, there was a difference of only about 0.5 seconds. The MG finally losing a race and posting an 11.46 second quarter mile with a 189kmph trap speed while the Porsche came in at a staggering 10.91 second quarter mile and a 203kmph trap speed!
Run 2 was identical, albeit a little better at launch for the MG. Similar to run 1, the MG held the lead for about 25 percent of the race till the Porsche inched ahead and then made a run for it. 10.95 seconds and 203kmph for the 911, 11.53 seconds at 188kmph for the MG. Close! But finally, I had to concede. The MG Cyberster was finally beaten by the most storied, most sold and one of the most popular sportscars in history, a Porsche 911.
But you know what this proves? It proves, once and for all, that electric can be fun. It proves electric is fast and it proves without a shadow of a doubt that the MG Cyberster is a performance sportscar that stands toe to toe with some serious rivals. It also proves that to beat it, you probably have to buy a car that is about four times more expensive, at least a couple of crores in this case and that might just make the Cyberster a real bargain!
