You get what you pay for.
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The popularity of drag racing on the internet has been growing for the last few years and has reached the point where every second automotive channel on YouTube races cars on an improvised drag strip. You don’t even have to race performance cars – as long as the two or more contenders are relatively equal in power and weight, you can drag race them for fun. Sometimes, however, you don’t even have to feature cars that are well matched in their performance.
The folks over from the Throttle House channel on YouTube decided it would be fun to drag race three luxury limos from the early 2000s. They got a 2004 Toyota Century, a 2005 Rolls-Royce Phantom, and a 2007 Maybach 57S. All three vehicles have V12 engines with the Maybach being the only one with a twin-turbo setup. The Phantom has the biggest displacement at 6.75 liters and the Century is the least powerful. Let’s take a look at the numbers.
Bought for approximately just $22,000, the Century comes with a 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine, which has a peak output of 276 horsepower (206 kilowatts) and 340 pound-feet (461 Newton-meters) of torque. It tips the scales at 4,520 pounds (2,050 kilograms).
Next is the Phantom with its 6.75-liter NA V12 mill, generating 453 hp (338 kW) and 531 lb-ft (720 Nm) of torque. The large 12-cylinder has to deal with a weight of 5,577 lbs (2,530 kg).
The Maybach is the most powerful model in this trio with its 604-hp (450-kW) 6.0-liter twin-turbo engine. The peak torque is 738 lb-ft (1,001 Nm) and the curb weight is 6,050 lbs (2,744 kg).
You can probably tell which car will win this race by just looking at the numbers. However, there are some surprises during the run, and not everything goes exactly as you’d expect. Who said drag races are for performance cars only?
Keyword: Luxury Limo Drag Race: Toyota Century Meets Rolls-Royce Phantom, Maybach 57S