Günter Manhart has a BMW V10 fetish. We’re not talking about those limited-use ticking time bombs they run in F1. Rather, he has put the street version, the 507 hp/384 lb-ft torque S85B50 5.0-litre V10, into various models including the Z4 and the last-generation M3.
The 2009 Tuning World Bodensee show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, witnessed the awesomeness that is Manhart-Racing’s latest wonder wagon. And I do mean wagon. While I’m fairly sure this isn’t the world’s first E91 M3 Touring, I have no doubt this is the first example powered by a BMW V10 said to be squirting out 550 hp.
As a side note, Manhart-Racing also has a propensity to stuff the previous-generation (E39) M5’s 5.0-litre V8 into things like vintage 3-Series and 6-Series, which seems like a very good idea. You could probably get him to strap a Motorsport engine into just about any BMW. The man is obsessed, and an evil genius in the absolute best sense of the term.
Not surprisingly the bodywork on the so-labeled M3 T V10 looks to have been swiped from a new M3 sedan, right down to hood vents (only one actually works) and quad-exhaust ports. Subtle! The BMW Performance seats are available out of the parts catalog, but we can’t have them in North America because of all those pesky side airbags. The rest of the interior is awash in leather and carbon fibre. The pictures show something finished well enough that it looks like the boys in Bavaria bolted it together.
The closest competition for this 5-door party wagon include the 571 hp/479 lb-ft torque Audi RS6 Avant with its twin-turbocharged Lamborghini-derived 5.0-litre V10 and the 507 hp/465 lb-ft torque Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG wagon packing a normally-aspirated 6.3-litre V8. Of course BMW’s own M5 Touring joins the fray. However, Manhart-Racing’s M3 Touring must weigh in a good 250-350 kg less than any of those.
Acceleration capabilities probably alter time and space, assuming the massive rear meats don’t simply vaporize. Zero to a hundred clicks should happen two minutes ago and the top end should be north of 330 kph. The dog will be amused, but she better not try to stick her head out the window.
This car will always get you to foosball practice or your dinner reservations on time. It will make those mundane Sunday chores all the more interesting. Manhart-Racing has created something that can kick ass on the autobahn as well as in the Home Depot parking lot. Production estimate? Now, please.
[ Manhart-Racing ]