This Supra-Powered E39 M5 Might Be The Ultimate Super Saloon
Straight down to business: this is a 98,000-mile BMW E39 M5 powered by a Garrett-turbocharged Toyota Supra 2JZ-GTE engine. It is also currently for sale for $22,000 - that's less than £14k in Brit-speak.
So, should you pop on a plane Stateside and snap this dream-tune-machine up, or is this half-Japanese Beemer a crime against motoring?
If you're finding the loss of a 4.9-litre V8-powered M5 hard to stomach, take comfort from the fact that this conversion has been well-thought out. For a start, the engine is a peach. Bigger injectors, a custom ECU and custom exhaust system help add up to 500 rear-wheel horsepower - 100 more than a stock E39 M5. That's sent through a Supra twin-turbos' six-speed manual gearbox, custom driveshaft and racing clutch.
The Supra-M5 rides on lowered KW coilovers and new anti-roll bars, and a rather tasty set of 19-inch Varrstoen alloys. The builder also adds a cheeky footnote that though the car's heater and air-con work with the new engine, the DSC doesn't! So then guys, the ultimate super-saloon, or is there something we're missing?
We could do without the carbon bodykit action and tarty new angel-eye headlights - the E39 M5 is one of the smartest M cars ever. But it's a touch of the car's modded Japanese heart on the outside, so we'll forgive it.
So, modding masterpiece or a crime against M Cars and Supra-kind? Comment below!
Comments