Some men just like to watch the world burn, while others take great joy in transforming an E39 BMW M5 into a piece of Frankenstein Motoring. Matt Farah has recently had an encounter with a member of the later camp and is ready to give us all the spicy details of a Bimmer that can be considered a drag racing fetish.
The journo got behind the wheel of one of the wildest E39 M5s we've see, a car that will split opinions like few others.
You don't even have to be a car aficionado to figure out that there's something unusual about this BMW and it's all due to the polarizing widebody approach of the sedan, one that's meant to accommodate 335 rubber at all four corners.
The owner of the car, who rode shotgun during Matt's one take video, explains that the naturally aspirated V8 motor of the Bavarian four-door had already been replaced with a Toyota engine when he bought it. The guy decided to take things to the next level, so the engine compartment has been given some serious attention (read: it now packs a fully loaded 2JZ).
This M5, which has received a tech massage from Georgia-based Technica Motorsport, now sees its Toyota Supra motor using an 80mm turbo, while the thing also features a Supra manual gearbox supplied by Getrag.
In its current setup, the double sacrilege machine delivers around 800 hp, but the owner explains that, once everything is tuned correctly, the said tech setup will allow this Bimmer to pack north of 1,400 hp.
And while it's normal for a driver to praise his vehicle, given the tech goodies this E39 features, that output figure seems plausible.
Matt puts that into perspective by comparing the potential half-mile performance of this BMW M5 with that of the Porsche 918 Spyder. And, for yours amusement, we've added a second clip below, one that shows a 1/2-mile brawl involving the Zuffenhausen halo car and a McLaren P1.
You don't even have to be a car aficionado to figure out that there's something unusual about this BMW and it's all due to the polarizing widebody approach of the sedan, one that's meant to accommodate 335 rubber at all four corners.
The owner of the car, who rode shotgun during Matt's one take video, explains that the naturally aspirated V8 motor of the Bavarian four-door had already been replaced with a Toyota engine when he bought it. The guy decided to take things to the next level, so the engine compartment has been given some serious attention (read: it now packs a fully loaded 2JZ).
This M5, which has received a tech massage from Georgia-based Technica Motorsport, now sees its Toyota Supra motor using an 80mm turbo, while the thing also features a Supra manual gearbox supplied by Getrag.
In its current setup, the double sacrilege machine delivers around 800 hp, but the owner explains that, once everything is tuned correctly, the said tech setup will allow this Bimmer to pack north of 1,400 hp.
And while it's normal for a driver to praise his vehicle, given the tech goodies this E39 features, that output figure seems plausible.
Matt puts that into perspective by comparing the potential half-mile performance of this BMW M5 with that of the Porsche 918 Spyder. And, for yours amusement, we've added a second clip below, one that shows a 1/2-mile brawl involving the Zuffenhausen halo car and a McLaren P1.