In Episode 1 of Llandow Laps, Chris Harris takes to the track to pitch the Aston Martin DB12 against the BMW M5 CS. The Aston packs a mighty punch of 680PS from its 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8, helping to propel it to a top speed of more than 200mph – but it puts that power down through the rear wheels only. The BMW is heavier and less powerful, but all-wheel drive gives the car phenomenal traction, and a supercar-baiting 0-60mph time. The DB12 looks like the definitive ‘grand tourer’, with generous coupe proportions and elegant styling. In Chris’ words, the M5 CS “looks like a taxi”, but it punches well above its numbers. Matching it up against a Ferrari or Maserati might sound more appropriate, but in Chris’ view, going head-to-head with the BMW represents “the ultimate test”. Around a rain-soaked Llandow, the Aston’s weight helps it find grip, impressing Chris with the amount of power it can put down through and out of the corners. Will the BMW’s all-wheel drive help to level up to the DB12 around the circuit and belie its on-paper statistics? Watch Llandow Laps Episode 1 to find out! --- Llandow Laps is our exciting new series, hosted by Chris Harris at the 'legendary' Llandow Circuit in South Wales. The concept behind Llandow Laps is to pitch two vehicles from the same genre against one another to see which is faster; and the first series will feature grand tourers (with a twist), hot hatches, supercars, roadsters, and restomods. As well as showcasing the cars’ performance on track, the films will also reveal the behind-the-scenes work required to produce the end result, introducing some of the personalities from the Llandow Circuit and the Collecting Cars team. The science bit: All cars featured in Llandow Laps will be unmodified from the specification seen on screen, they’ll be running with a full tank of fuel, and they’ll be fitted with sensible tyres available on the road cars from the factory. Lap times will be recorded, and a winner of each head-to-head will be revealed – although there’ll be more focus on the driving experience and character of the cars than on the numbers alone. --- Looking to sell your collectible car and put it in front of a wide-reaching global audience? Enquire now: https://collectingcars.com/sell/ --- Follow Collecting Cars on: Website - https://www.collectingcars.com/ Instagram - / collectingcars Twitter - / collectingcars_ Facebook - / collectingcarsltd TikTok - / collectingcars #collectingcars #chrisharris #llandowlaps #astonmartindb12 #bmwm5