The BMW M3 E46 is considered one of the greatest driving machines of all time, and its predecessor, the BMW M3 E36, wasn’t that far behind. The two M3s from yesteryear are largely responsible for turning BMW’s M division into a household name. That legacy lives to this day now that the all-new M3 G80 has arrived.

But this isn’t about the M3 G80 or its roots to both the E36 and E46. This is about the two M3 legends taking on a different M car: the equally all-new BMW M2 Competition.

You might think that this is a lopsided race since it features two BMW M3s that are at least two decades old — at least that’s the case for the M3 E36 — and a BMW M2 Competition that’s barely two years old.

In addition to its 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six engine that produces 405 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, the M2 Competition also comes with all the new technologies, safety features, and driving aids that neither of the two M3s have at their disposal. It’s a wipeout waiting to happen, right?

Well, to be fair, Carwow didn’t just bring two old M3s to compete against the M2 Competition.

The BMW M3 E36 comes with ECU and exhaust upgrades that bring the output from its 3.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-six engine to 300 horsepower. Meanwhile, the 2005 M3 E46 that host Matt Watson is driving comes with its own set of upgrades that puts the output from its inline-six unit close to 350 horsepower. It also has a kitty air freshener, which is of no use in the race but is nonetheless important to point out.

A betting man would still favor the M2 Competition, but is the coupe’s status as a favorite in this race enough to beat the two legendary M3s? It takes a bit for the three cars to actually race, but it did happen — three times, in fact — and the results were, let’s just say, not what we expected.