2008 BMW M3 vs. 2008 Lexus IS-F vs. 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG

Life was Hard. Money was scarce. Competition was fierce, if not ruthless. Figure in a pinch of greed and an ounce of scandal. We're talking about the birth of the oil business in California, circa 1920. And, strangely enough, the car business, circa 2008.

Although the film that gave this story its name was nominated for Best Picture at the 80th Academy Awards, its literary inspiration was penned more than 90 years prior. Author (and later, California gubernatorial candidate) Upton Sinclair was born in Baltimore in 1878 and, at age 15, began writing dime novels to pay for his education. His breakthrough effort came in 1906, with the publication of "The Jungle," which portrayed the miserable health and working conditions in the meat-packing industry. But it was Sinclair's "Oil!" published in 1926 that paved the road for last year's smash flick, "There Will Be Blood."

In the spirit of Sinclair's seminal novel, we gathered three fast, new-to-market, bloodthirsty sport sedans and set out for CenCal's oil country-although nobody died, was scammed out of his land, or amassed vast fortunes in the making of this road test. We also traveled east of the oil patch for a few laps around Reno-Fernley Raceway (see sidebar, page 68).

The members of our wildcatting trio are remarkably alike. Each wears its maker's performance brand: BMW's M, Mercedes-Benz's AMG, and the new F label from Lexus. All are four-doors with hopped-up V-8 engines. All have aggressive front and rear fascias, unique hood stampings, big cross-drilled disc brakes, flared fenders, aggressive rolling stock, lowered ride heights, HID lighting, and stiffer springs and shocks than their standard counterparts. Their racier cabins contain leather sport seats, power nearly everything, and buttons that give you varying levels of control over shock damping, throttle tip-in, automatic trans shift points (where applicable), and how much-or little-traction or stability management you wish. In the name of exclusivity, they're built in limited quantity, and all test out at around $63,000.

BMW launched its M3 last fall in two-door form and unveiled the four-door variant shortly thereafter. It packs the same M-spec, 4.0-liter, 414-horsepower V-8 as the coupe. The sedan is about three inches shorter overall than the coupe but weighs about the same. A six-speed manual is the only transmission offered so far, but a dual-clutch automated manual joins the lineup later this year. The M3 has the least horsepower of the group, but carries the least weight per horsepower and the only one available with an honest-to-clutch stickshift.

For some time, Lexus has threatened to launch a performance sub-brand, and it's signified by the letter F. Beneath the IS F's bulbous hood panel is a 5.0-liter V-8 rated at 416 horsepower. This engine-the largest offered in a Lexus passenger car-is backed by the same eight-speed automatic transmission as in the LS 460, but it's reworked for high-power duty, including a manual mode and paddle shifters on the steering wheel. All four fenders are flared, although the side vents in the front appear to be only for style. The IS F is this fight's middleweight contender in power and poundage.

Mercedes-Benz has built several generations of super C, but none has put the right body together with the right engine at thesame time. Until now. The new-for-2008 C-Class is larger, wider, and more aggressive looking than before. And no more smallish V-8s or supercharged sixes for the AMG version; it gets the same purpose-built, 6.2-liter V-8 you'll find in an E, S, or R-Class AMG model, although detuned to "just" 451 horsepower. Behind it sits a seven-speed automatic trans-SpeedShift in AMG speak-which offers Comfort, Sport, and Manual modes. The C63 has a 1.4-inch-wider track than standard C-Classes and an exhaust note that'll vibrate your sternum in a good way. At 4004 pounds (with a full tank), the Mercedes is the heaviest, but most powerful, gas-burner here.