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Everyone’s favourite trainspotter in an AMG GT 63 Races Mat Watson in a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

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Everyone’s favourite trainspotter in an AMG GT 63 Races Mat Watson in a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

With over 3.2 million followers on TikTok and 2.4 million on Instagram, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where, if you’ve used a social media app in the last four years, you haven’t come across Francis Bourgeois’ trainspotting videos. The world-famous content creator uses a fisheye lens camera pointed at his face as he gets overly excited and whistles at passing trains. It turns out, however, that he’s also a car enthusiast, and this time he’s racing Mat Watson over the quarter mile.

Francis describes trains and tube stations with the same passion and enchantment that Jeremy Clarkson brought to his storytelling on the Top Gear and Grand Tour car enthusiast shows. But train and tube serial numbers aren’t the only thing he knows. As a true enthusiast, he could tell you how many valves and horsepower locomotives produce and what speeds they can reach.

In this race, he’ll be behind the wheel of a 2024 Mercedes-AMG GT 63. With so many YouTube videos of it, it seems like everyone has been racing this Merc since it came out, but that’s not surprising considering how incredible it looks, feels, and drives.

The AMG The GT 63 comes well-equipped with what Mercedes brags is a “hand-built” AMG 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, developing 577 hp and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque. The AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 9G 9-speed automatic transmission sends all that power to the AMG Performance 4MATIC+ four-wheel drive.

Francis Bourgeois drives a Mercedes\-AMG GT 63 vs Mat Watson in a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

Photo: carwow

Sitting across from car enthusiast trainspotter is “carwow’s” Mat Watson in a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. Using two electric motors, the N version can normally develop 601 hp with 568 lb-ft or 770 Nm of twist. However, thanks to the fancy-schmancy N Grin Boost function, those rookie numbers are increased to 641 hp or 650 psf for up to 10 seconds. It also makes a strange digital revving noise in “manual” mode.

It’s 84 kWh The battery pack can last 221 miles, or 356 kilometers, according to the EPA. A 2025 Ioniq 5 N starts at around $66,000 in the US. That MSRP, of course, excludes freight, taxes, title, licensing, and other nonsense. Previously, the Ioniq 5 N lost out to a Lamborghini Aventador SV LP750-4, which had a base price of $493,095 in the US, versus the $66,000 Hyundai, so did it really win, or was it just faster?

The $175,900 (MSRP) Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Coupe was also put through its paces recently, racing against the 2017 AMG GT S, 2022 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and 2017 Nissan GT-R. In short, it beat them all. However, it comes up short against the Porsche 911 Turbo (non-S), BMW M8, and Audi R8 V10 Performance Quattro.

Back to our part of the forest: Mat and Francis, the trainspotter, participated in two drag races, which the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N won each time. electric beat the Mercedes in the first race and widened the gap until it crossed the finish line. In the second race, the AMG took a menacing lead and looked to have it in the bag until the end, when the EV overtook it and won by just inches. Both cars finished in 11.4 seconds. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a 0 to 60 mph time.

Francis Bourgeois drives a Mercedes\-AMG GT 63 vs Mat Watson in a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

Photo: carwow

Now, since the winner has some sort of electric manual mode that simulates revving and shifting, they went for a few 1/2 mile roller races for fun. The Mercedes ended up taking the win, proving it was worth $176,000. Unfortunately, it turned out the AMG won because the Ioniq 5 N was in manual mode and not using the N Grin Boost. So after another go in automatic mode with the boost, the Hyundai knocked it out of the park.

Finally, it was time for the usual braking test at 100 mph, or 160 kilometers per hour, which showed that the $66K EV had better brakes than the Mercedes sports car. After Mat invited Francis over to see how the N felt in the passenger seat, the rail enthusiast was so taken with the EV launch that he wanted to swap cars and do another drag race.

Unfortunately for him, the AMG won, albeit by a fraction. But after experiencing how the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N felt, it didn’t matter, win or lose, with Francis Bourgeois finishing in, “A real piece of racing, that.“In American translation, that meant he was nothing short of ecstatic about drag racing such a powerful EV. And that’s saying something, considering he’s fresh off the 2024 Mercedes-AMG GT 63, which isn’t half bad either.


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