Remember the words of performance guru Mr. Carroll Shelby: Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races. Mercedes Benz surely remembers and they have taken the queue to come out on top with the launch of their revolutionary 5.5L V8 twin turbo engine.

Slated to make appearances in the CL, CLS, S, and E class, this new development has got BMW shaking in their boots as this engine will make its way to the 2011 E class AMG, arch rival to the much fabled BMW M5->ke2922. With the number of horses increasing from 525 to 537, the real gain is the massive surge of torque which has gone from 630 Nm found on the previous 6.3 V8 to a whopping 900 Nm. These numbers will be able to make mince meat out of the 2011 BMW M5 which is powered by a 4.4L V8 engine, churning 555 BHP and 680 Nm of torque.

The M5 has already been caught testing months before the forthcoming Paris Motor Show->ke227 and BMW boffins are still focusing on improving its power-to-weight ratio, as the almost 300Nm of extra torque present in the 5.5 V8 engine would simply obliterate the M5 in a drag race.

With the temperatures soaring from the heat generating from the horsepower war between Mercedes->ke187 and BMW->ke178, expect fringe players like Jaguar->ke39 and Audi->ke14 to take queue and worsen the situation.

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