Nothing says “I’m a
wealthy petrol head” better than a coach-built car, and there are still several
big players covering this niche (or need, if you prefer). If you’re a BMW fan
with enough money in the bank, then you’ll want to remember this name: Gruppe5
Motorsport.
The Indiana-based
company has announced that it’s working on what is perhaps the most extreme BMW
2002 out there. It’s got a whopping 803 hp and 746 Nm of torque produced by an E60 M5-sourced and Dinan-stroked,
5.9-liter V10, coupled to a six-speed sequential transmission. A 5.8-liter
version of the S85 V10 is also being offered, with only 744 hp and 712 Nm of torque. Both require 100-octane fuel to achieve
these outputs.
They haven’t
actually built it yet, but Gruppe5 said they will make 300 examples. Out of
those, 200 will be offered with the smaller displacement engine and the rest
with the larger unit. The project represents a collaboration with two other
companies such as Bill Riley’s Riley Technologies, which provides the chassis
and construction, and CarBahn Autoworks, owned by BMW tuner Steve Dinan,
responsible with the engine.
Like every
self-respecting extremely powerful 2002s out there wait, there aren’t any;
okay, let’s rephrase that – Gruppe5’s insane project will have 4-way adjustable
push-rod racing suspension, carbon ceramic rotors, mono-bloc calipers and Bosch
racing ABS developed for the Porsche Cup and IMSA GTD racers. The 19-inch
wheels can be shod in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup2 or Pirelli Trofeo R tires for
street use, whereas the racing slicks are for the Forgeline GS1R 18-inch rims
and come from Michelin.
The bonded carbon
fiber body panels make for an extreme design. The car has been widened at all
four corners and features a large wing at the back. It also gets different
bumpers, big side skirts, new door-mounted mirrors and dual exhaust tips. The
company has reshaped the grille, taillights and other parts, and has added
different logos on the boot lid.
The cockpit has
been stripped out of unnecessary parts and features Recaro Pole Position N.G.
seats, a modern reinterpretation of the Nardi steering wheel, programmable
color instrument cluster, electric air conditioning and a mandatory roll cage.
The passenger compartment is lined with Dynamat to minimize noise and the
floors are upholstered in woven German carpet.
According to
Road&Track, a prototype will be built shortly after Bill Riley gets back
from the 24 Hours of Le Mans next month. As for the financial part, you know
the saying: if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it. And it couldn’t
be truer, as the ‘base’ model will start from US$ 875,000 whereas the other one
will burn a US$ 975,000 hole in your pockets.
In the 1970s, AC
Schnitzer came up with a couple of 2002 Turbos for the Group 5 rally, hence the
company’s name too, so they want to recapture the essence of those vehicles
with a modern and very powerful twist.
