I had a recent run-in with a very aggressive 1999 Porsche turbo heading northbound from Los Angeles on the 110 freeway approaching Pasadena. The race commenced with the Porsche approaching from the rear at about 80, approximately 2 miles from the end of the freeway in Pasadena.
As soon as I recognized it as a turbo, I knew a win on outright speed would be impossible. My M5 was running very strong that night. It was about 9 p.m. and traffic was a factor. I surmise that my car must be making an honest 400 h.p. SAE. I had my patented blend of Unocal 100 and Shell premium fuel, and a set of K&Ns. (I perforate the K&N filter on the passenger side with a very sharp needle in a concentric pattern around the intake cone in the air box. For some reason, this process yields a notable difference in mid-range power to high-end power. I know it sounds weird, but I can really notice it.)
He passes me on the right at about 80 and together we pull through light traffic. He instantly pulls at least 4 car lengths.
Since this is stretch of highway that I regularly practice on, I consider it my home course. I decide to stay in the fight because of this familiarity with the highway. All I remember is continuous full throttle acceleration from 80 to about 150 going uphill with gradual high speed turns. It seemed like quite a lot of time on the throttle, but the M5 (and some skill) kept me in the fight until the final long off-camber, sweeping turn that leads to the streets of Pasadena. There was no question that from the roll the turbo was faster, but at about 130 m.p.h. it seemed that his acceleration was no faster than the M5. He netted about 5 car lengths over the course of the prolonged uphill acceleration. At 130 m.p.h., he was no longer able to pull an inch. I was amazed. That kept me close enough to begin to set up for the last sweeper. I began turn-in and noticed that this aggressive driver was a bit tenuous in keeping his line in the #1 lane. I kept a steady throttle through the apex, selected the #2 lane to his outside and stayed with it. I made the pass and continued hard through traffic to ensure my victory. I think this guy must have been surprised to see those xenons on his tail in the final turn. This was high-danger freeway stuff that I usually try to avoid, but sometimes you just have to do it. That's life. I needed everything I had to stay with this guy. Driver skill and traffic were definitely factors here, but the M5 kept me close enough to make the pass before the highway ended.
I swear that the M5 is especially strong in acceleration over 120 or so. I was impressed. The Porsche is faster though.
Beats me every time.
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