‘Elvis’ E30 BMW Leaves the Competition All Shook Up
Lightweight E30 325i packs a heavyweight punch with a turbocharged hammer pumping out 820 horsepower.
The first thing to come to mind when one mentions high-performance E30 3 Series BMWs is usually the M3, the wunderkind threw its weight around in many a racing series, racking up win after win, championship after championship. The 325i, meanwhile, had two more cylinders, but was more for handling the Autobahn than the corners or quarter-miles.
Not this one, though. YouTuber Gumbal captured a 325i named ‘Elvis’ duking it out on the half-mile against some heavyweight heavy-hitters at a recent Race 1000 event somewhere in Germany.
What’s the secret sauce behind the 325i? A turbocharged 2.5-liter M50B25 inline-six pumping out over 820 horses to the rear, and tons of fire to the right front fender exhaust. This 325i doesn’t mess around.
The first to fall to the 325i is a tuned Audi S4 making 1,000 horsepower, according to Gumbal. Despite the extra ponies, the Audi’s extra heft allowed the lightweight BMW to pull far, far away to snag the win with a time of 21.997 at around 158 mph.
The next race is the headliner of the video, pitting the 325i against a Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S prepped by GAD Motors. The big crossover also puts out bigger numbers than ‘Elvis,’ making 950 horses from its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. Despite the extra pair of cylinders, though, the AMG managed to only put down 165 mph down the half-mile, while the 325i got a bit squirrely on its way to 181 mph.
After the Audi and Mercedes-AMG, it was time for ‘Elvis’ to run up against younger members of its own family, starting with a red M4 with 740 horses under the hood. The little 325i bested its younger sibling with a time of 19.408 at 179 mph.
The next BMW up is a purple M6 convertible with 740 horsepower prepped by HPT. Maybe it was because of the fabric roof, maybe it was the 325i losing it a bit, but this time, the younger, bigger M6 beat the ‘King of Rock & Roll’ with a time of 18.468, despite going 10 mph slower than the E30.
Finally, the 325i wraps up its day against a silver M5. Turns out both were evenly matched, with “Elvis” besting the big sedan by .031 seconds with a time of 19.627 seconds at 167 mph. Now that’s leaving the building in style, and leaving the competition all shook up.
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