The small three-door was given a large sports car heart by a Norwegian tuner. The end result is a true sleeper with 400 horsepower. BMW’s research and development department used to dabble in areas that looked ludicrous. Extremely when it came to installing particularly thick engines in sequence with engines that were not designed for them.
Consider the goldfish covert experiment, in which a V16 engine was crammed into the body of a BMW 7 Series E32 in Munich. In 2001, Hans-Joachim “Strietzel” Stuck chased the BMW X5 V12 Le Mans around the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in an astonishing time of 7 minutes and 49 seconds. However, the BMW engineers on the edge of crazy did not consider mounting a V12 engine in the bow of the first 3 Series Compact.
The M design of the 3 Series Compact gives it a sporty appearance. His bear strength, on the other hand, is not visible.
It doesn’t matter, though, because there are others outside of Bavaria who are car-savvy and like cockiness. Take, for example, Norway.
Tarjei Christiansen, the owner of the business SS Performance and a known specialist for BMW M GmbH goods, wondered aloud about 16 years ago what he would do with a BMW 316i Compact from the E36 series launched in 1994. And came up with the already-mentioned notion of swapping over the 102 horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with a BMW 850 CSi’s powertrain.
Instead of the 1.6-liter R4, a 5.6-liter V12 is used.
Its major specifications include twelve V-shaped cylinders with a total displacement of 5.6 liters!
However, even the factory-supplied 380 horsepower was insufficient for Christiansen’s new use in the small E36. As a result, the Norwegian used some unnamed steps to get the CSi engine to produce roughly 400 horsepower. It’s possible that the improved exhaust system played a significant impact in this. The driving sounds “surreal,” according to Christiansen, and you have to hear it to believe it.
Fits perfectly: where a 1.6-liter four-cylinder slumbered before, a 5.6-liter V12 now rules.
Further, far-reaching adaption procedures were, of course, necessary in order for the greatest engine available by BMW at the time to fit into the smallest model built by the Munich manufacturer at the time. Tarjei Christiansen stripped the 3 Series Compact down to its basic chassis, swapped in certain technological components from the M3 and M Roadster of the time, and widened the rear wheelhouses dramatically. As a result, an entirely new chassis was designed, giving the E36 a very wedge-shaped appearance.
Wedge chassis for the sleeper
The V12 crusher shows that this is not a mild-mannered 316i Compact in its original condition; after all, it has the full M style package on the body. The titanium silver painted BMW, on the other hand, does not betray what forces lay latent in it at first sight, not at second or third glance. It presently has Hartge rims on it.
Christiansen initially placed three-part AC Schnitzer wheels in the sizes 8.5 and 9.5×18 inches into the cutouts supplied for them, which displays a modest penalty in terms of originality.
The dashboard and seats come from the BMW M3 E36.
This extremely unusual BMW 3 Series Compact is also far from overblown on the inside. Nonetheless, he discreetly hints his capacity to achieve here as well. The dashboard and all seats, after all, are from the M3 E36. The cabling was previously given by the sporty model brother. The hut is made more cozier by the use of black leather on the chairs and the inside of the door.
Isn’t it about to be yours for little under 30,000 euros?
Tarjei Christiansen, by the way, did not always possess the V12-E36. There were “quite a few different proprietors who had made numerous excursions throughout our lengthy nation,” according to his own account.
Despite the fact that the automobile had gone through numerous hands and had now completed 106,000 kilometers, it was in fine shape, and Christiansen was able to reclaim his previous project car when the chance occurred. However, the routes are expected to diverge again in the near future: The Sleeper is presently available for sale on finn.no, a Norwegian secondhand automobile marketplace, for 299,000 kroner (about 30,000 euros).
It takes a lot of guts to construct a car like this. But it’s the same as buying it after all these years. German interested parties should also check with TÜV, Dekra, and other organizations to see what they think of the conversion. Anyone who purchases a car from a finn.no professional dealer, on the other hand, is entitled to a full five-year warranty. Under these circumstances, you’re free to take risks, right?
Keyword: BMW 3 Series Compact with V12 Engine from BMW 850 CSi