This One Goes To Eleven

Back in 2007 I took part in a Cannonball style motorcycle race that lapped Europe over six days. It was pretty tough going and I learned a lot, both about myself but also about Scandinavians. I won’t bore you with ‘my story’, but what I will tell you is that Scandinavians are a) genuinely lovely people and b) genuinely mental! This was partly why I wasn’t surprised that the preposterous BMW I’m now looking at was concocted by a Scandinavian. Preposterous is possibly the most apt term in which to describe this car. 

What started off as a 1987 BMW E30 has changed into a car which now has performance figures more akin to cars that command seven figure price tags. Apologies if the following begins to sound a bit nerdy, buts its important to get across just how much work has been carried out to this car. Its main talking point is the engine which has been replaced with a BMW s36 engine from an M5 which is set way back from the front. It weighs in at 3.6l, and added to that is a twin turbo setup by Turbonetics. Virtually everything else has been changed including a custom oil cooler which has been located in the boot, custom O-rings around all water and oil channels, as well as custom camshafts and forged pistons. The result? Running on Racefuel and at 1.8 bar, this beast has been recorded on the rolling road at 1,048 bhp. Thats one thousand and forty eight brake horsepower! In an E30. With everything stripped out of it and the only form of traction control being the angle of one’s right foot.

Even on ‘normal’ unleaded petrol its producing over 700bhp with 1.2 bar of boost. To handle all of this power and attempt to transfer it to the road through its rear wheels is a custom made rear diff transplanted from an M5. But its not just a car with a bonkers engine implanted into it. Serious attention has been paid to both the brakes, suspension and steering. The car hasn’t simply been lowered, it has also been carefully setup so that the car remains as stable as possible whilst all that power is being put down.

What’s it like on the road? Sheer lunacy is probably the best way to describe it. The turbo’s begin to spool up at around 4,000 rpm and when they kick in it could be best described as pushing the button on a detonator. The car will ignite, moreso than light up rear tyres, and will do so in every single gear. Its sound is like nothing else I’ve heard before, it sounds angry. With the bonnet off, you can literally hear it sucking in the air in the garage. The throttle response is instantaneous and its single large exhaust spits, pops, crackles, and shoots flames out. This really is a brute of a car and the fact that there is no real driver aids, not even a sequential ‘box adds to it. The car’s owner refuses to even consider ever driving the car in the wet such is the ferocity of it. So often performance cars are described by all kinds of superlatives, but in this case, they rather apt. Its silly, crazy, fascinating and totally over the top. Its the Spinal Tap of BMW E30’s. Completely over the top. If this were an amplifier, it would be go all the way to eleven.

For even more detailed info on this car’s build, you can visit here . Special thanks to Jason @ Kelly’s Car Centre in Rathdrum