BMW Hybrid Features a 2JZ Engine and Loads of Power
One man in Georgia has a very different kind of hybrid car: a third-generation BMW M5 with a 2JZ I6 under its hood.
Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire recently got some time behind the wheel of the awesome oddity and was kind enough to film the experience. The boosted engine may not be apparent from the outside, but the hand-fabricated steel wide-body fender flares certainly are. They make the M5 look like a touring car – and able to fit 335/30s front and rear.
Those tires – especially those in back – need to be rubber steamrollers because they have to put down more than twice the amount of horsepower the E39 originally produced. The owner of this M5 bought it when it already had a 2JZ in it, then decided to improve upon the build. It now features 3.4 liters of displacement, upgraded internals, and a huge turbo that helps generate an equally large amount of power. At 20 pounds of boost, the I6 cranks out 800 horsepower and 637 lb-ft of torque – at the rear wheels. When the ambitious build is finally complete, that first number will be in the neighborhood of 1,200-1,400. Sounds like our kind of place.
It also sounds like Farah’s kind of place. Once the giant turbo spools up, Farah giggles like a schoolboy and hoots about how nuts the power is. It makes sense because the idea of a Supra engine in a BMW is a little crazy to begin with, but, as the video shows, it’s also an insanely fast one.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
