BMW's lineup of straight-six powered M cars have gained serious popularity thanks to the engine's ability to make big power reliably. One tuner seems to have pushed the envelope a bit too far, though, and the results are catastrophic.
The folks at New Jersey-based Maximum PSI recently attempted to squeeze more power out of their M4 drag car when things went horribly wrong. The car was already making 1,100 horsepower to the wheels, but with competition heating up in the world of Roundel-badged drag cars, that wasn't good enough. So the team added a new intercooler, an upgraded transmission, and Nitrous to the mix.
The M4 didn't grenade itself immediately. The new intercooler setup meant the first run, tested without Nitrous, resulted in a healthy 1,300 hp to the wheels. The Maximum PSI team then added some Nitrous into the mix, where they made another 76 hp. They then decided to "turn things up," and that's when the engine gave out. The video above shows the high-strung S58 come apart in spectacular fashion, with lots of smoke and a seriously scary glow coming from the bottom of the car.
With just 48 hours to go before the car's next planned outing, the Maximum PSI crew wastes no time getting the M4 back to good, running condition. Amazingly they get it done, thanks mostly to a healthy stock of spare parts and same-day shipping for parts they didn't have on hand.
Maximum PSI is able to make it to the event, but because the team didn't have any time to test the car, they had to run it for the first time in qualifying. With the boost turned down Maximum PSI again turned to Nitrous, which caused the engine to misfire. The next run they decided to use boost alone, but transmission problems stopped them from getting a representative time.
While the car wasn't very fast, we're still supremely impressed with the team's ability to turn a catastrophic failure back into a running car in such a short time.
