This is an E30 BMW M3. No doubt about it! …or isn’t it? It depends. Looking at it from the outside, it’s clear that’s the truth. But the second you pop up the hood – bam! A V10 engine raises.

That’s the moment you look again at the body and ask yourself: could this be an E60 M5? Well, stop being confused: no matter what’s the version you chose, you’re right. That’s because this item is half E30 M3, half E60 M5.

The whole package costs 47.000 euro. Maybe it seems much, but keep in mind that transplanting an elephant heart into a cheetah chest isn’t simple at all. The original powertrain is a 2.3 liter engine, capable of 195 hp. It isn’t much, but, combined with the body weight, it’s quite a lot.

Now, let’s look at the new engine. It’s a V10, capable of 535 hp. Having that amount of power in such a light body must be terrifying! To imagine the brute force, let’s look at the numbers on the M5’s technical specifications: weight – 1855 kg and 0-100 km/h – 4,2 seconds. If you cut about 550 kg, you can imagine that the new car must be incontrollable!

However, the M5’s transmission couldn’t be fitted in the small engine bay. Therefore, a much usual 5 speed manual transmission, from a 525 TDS was matted to the engine. No worries about its reliability: it can resist the torque delivered by the mighty V10.

The car is stopped by a brake system from a BMW M3 CSL. The original suspension has also been replaced: now, the car is kept on the road by the new, coilover suspension and sport strut bars. Sending all the power to the ground is the BBS wheels and Kumho tires’ job, while the driver is held tight by the Sparco Evo racing seat.