BMW E36 Race Car with a 1000 hp Twin-Turbo P63 V8

BimmerWorld entered Pikes Peak 2017 with a BMW E92 M3 and went 11:02.966. They followed that in 2019 with a BMW F82 M4 GT4 and went 10:39.786. They realized their dream of faster times would require a building a monster. They call it “Bergsteiger” and it’s one of the widest E36 race cars around.

The company started with a 1996 BMW E36 M3 that received a raised floor and a modified E36 M3 GTR (ALMS) carbon fiber body. This resulted in an estimated 3000+ lbs of downforce thanks to a full body underwing, modified Lola BK240 front splitter, Argo JM19 Camel Lights downforce tunnels, and lowered chassis. The car rides on an E36 unibody/partial-tube chassis with custom control arms, BMW E46 M3 trailing arms, BimmerWorld tubular aluminum rear arms, MCS 4-way dampers, and DCE power steering.

The car rides on Forgeline GS1R 18×12-inch wheels with Continental/Hoosier racing slicks. Behind the wheels are Performance Friction GT-spec endurance racing brakes with Bosch Motorsports anti-lock braking system. The front brakes feature 380 mm V3 rotors with ZR78 6-piston monoblock calipers while the rear use 380 mm rotors with ZR77 4-piston monoblock calipers.

The team estimated their engine choice would need to produce over 900 horsepower to handle Pikes Peak. They originally planned to use a built N54 inline-six but changed their minds after seeing a twin-turbo S63 V8 make 700 whp on their dyno.

After some research they chose BMW Motorsport’s race version of the S63, a twin-turbo 4.4 L P63 V8 (M6 GT3) built and tuned by Roush Engines. The engine features two Weistec turbos, ported heads, forged rods and pistons, and Bosch Motorsport ECU. The motor makes over 1,000 horsepower on E85 fuel and sends it to the rear wheels through a Hollinger six-speed transaxle mounted in back of the car.

Source: BimmerWorld (project page)