Manhart Racing BMW M3 E92

Manhart Racing BMW M3 E92 Compressor

OK, the BMW M3 is a pretty damn impressive car, so why monkey with it? Give me one good reason, you might ask. OK, how about I give you 655 reasons? Because that’s the horsepower figure for the Manhart Racing tuned BMW M3 E92 Compressor. 655 HP! That’s a whole lot for a car that small (comparatively speaking).

The Manhart Racing presser calls head man Günter Manhart “the undisputed motor pope.” Look I’m not going to argue with the PR department, or Günter for that matter, but “the undisputed motor pope” has got to be the funniest phrase that has crossed my desk all week long, work-wise.

So what did the “the undisputed motor pope” bestow upon the M3? Manhart offers a 3 stage power package for the current M3, and the range topped seems to offer a whopping 655 HP. Which is about what a NASCAR stocker puts out. I’ll let you ponder that for a bit.

Manhart Racing’s stage one level of tuning gets you a small compressor that runs at a pressure of 0.35 bar, which gives you 515 HP. Which is pretty darn good right off the bat. If you go up to stage two (or stage II Manhart Racing terms it) the supercharging output is enlarged to 0.50 bar, resulting in 585 HP.

Stage III, which is all that really matters, if you think about it. It’s sort of like steeling from Tony Soprano. Who in their right mind is only going to rob the guy for $24.96? No, might as well go all the way. Likewise, why get just the garden variety Manhart Racing stage one level of tuning that only gives you 515 HP, when you can go with stage III and get 655 HP?

Manhart Racing BMW M3 E92 interior

Manhart gets you there via a large compressor from ASA resulting in a supercharging pressure of 0.67 bar. There is also a specially developed exhaust system with 70 millimeter pipe diameter and two 200 cell race catalytic converters as part of the stage III package. Oh, and did I mention that the complete exhaust is made from titanium? No, that’s because I don’t have to, because Manhart’s presser says ” … and the whole thing is made from TITANIUM.” Yes, all caps. Why do I need to tell you when you can hear them screaming all the way from Geilenkirchen?

The bottom line is that Stage III gets you from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.7 seconds, and tops out at just over 350km/h. ee-YOW!

Chassis-wise, Manhart gives you Bilstein PSS10 threaded suspension, BBS challenge rims in black wrapped in 245/30ZR20 at the front and 295/25ZR20 Continentals out the back end. Whoaing it up is done by 365mm brake discs from the BMW M5 E60 on the front axle with floating calipers. And on the rear axle there’s the M3 E92 with 345mm discs are used on the rear axle.

And on the inside there’s a full Alcantara/leather combination, performance seats with heating and an exclusive performance steering wheel with LED display.

Photos: Manhart Racing