Downsizing has taken the BMW M3 back to a six-cylinder engine. But this custom M3 wagon (they never made M3 wagons) goes even beyond what the E90 generation had with a V10 swap from the legend that was the E60 M5.
Old cars are usually not better than new ones, but the Germans have been compromising a bit lately. V10 engines are so rare these days that they should be considered more exotic than any Lamborghini, especially when they aren't in the chassis they were designed for.
Manhart Racing has been doing crazy stuff like this for many years. Want a V8 inside your 1 Series? They can help with that. That being said, the MH3 T V10 is a classier act.
Whatever engine this E91 had has been replaced with the 5.0-liter everyone knows as the S85, probably the coolest lump of steel BMW has ever made. It's also got some software remapping, a carbon fiber airbox with open filters and stainless steel exhaust with 200 cell racing catalysts and a total output of 560 hp plus 550 Nm of torque.
Want to know why the tuners made such a weird car? We want to quote their press release from 2009 for a funny answer: "At Manhart Racing, we noticed a gap in the market for precisely this performance problem and developed an M3-V10-Coupé with 550 HP – not only comfortably keeping in check the Porsche Turbo with its 480 HP but also its big brother the GT2 with 530 HP. What is particularly interesting here is the fact that Günther Manhart almost exclusively sourced original parts from the BMW corporate group."
So they made an M3 wagon that could keep up with a Porsche 997 Turbo because... BMW didn't. While the sequential gearbox is also from the E60 M5, there are plenty of Manhart parts. For example, the coilover suspension system. But the 380x32mm front brakes and 6-piston calipers are from Porsche.
The old M3 also contributed with its front fascia, rear bumper, and bulging hood. Its 0 to 100 km/h time of 3.9 seconds puts this in the same league as the RS6, but it's not as impressive as the 1,550-kilogram weight, which is similar to a modern M3 with a much smaller engine.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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