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This project began life in a facility in SoCal as a 10-12 week project however after 14 weeks and numerous less then truthful statements from the facility in Socal and no forward progress we were contacted and we were requested to pick it up and complete the project. The motor was picked up in many boxes with numerous pieces missing. Most of these have still never been recovered hence had to be replaced. The original project resulted because the engine appears to have been over-rev'd and bent a few valves.

The customer decided to upgrade the motor as a low compression motor with Carrillo rods, specially engineered Arias pistons, custom spec'd rings, and a race prepped block. The block was inspected and found to be damaged, a crack in one of the cylinder bores so a NEW block was purchased from BMW and then the process began. The block was fully blue printed and the OEM Alusil coating was cut out of the bores. Then finish machining was completed for the insertion of Darten flanged steel sleeves. This was done to eliminate the concerns with the OEM aluminum cylinder bores.

At the same time we are installing a new completely redesigned Supercharger system. The original system was a proto-type at best lacking in many refinements required for high horsepower and durability. At the present time all of the key pieces such as the rods, the pistons, cams, etc. are in the shop awaiting the completion once the block returns from the machine shop.

 

As the motor must have looked early on in the project before we took possession of the pieces.

This the what we picked up from the company in Southern California after they claimed the project was moving forward on schedule.... a mess...

And so the project begins with this new Block

Here is the Fedex air freighted box of misc pieces to complete the project. The box included such items as brembo brakes

10/22/04 She's Arrived!!!

Here is Abdulla's car outside the facility in the cold of the night being washed after arriving from Bahrain …..

Here the car is tucked in the facility ready for the transformation into
“Road Warrior”

This is where the open heart surgery begins

The transmission is out and the engine bay has been cleaned ready for the new heart……….. No more sand

The differential is out ready to be upgraded to accept all the new heart can throw at it

Here are the Brembo Grand Turismo brakes being installed. 15” rotors at the front with 8 piston calipers (each caliper has 4 pads) and 13.5” rotors at the rear with 4 piston calipers.

Brembo ….. 8 piston calipers each with four pads squeezing against 15” rotors

The front cover bumper was removed to install the motor and to access the areas required to install the intercooler pump, wiring, etc.

Custom water injection tanks designed to fit behind the fender on the driver's side……all they require are for the bungs to be installed for the BMW OEM level sensor, the BMW OEM filler neck assembly, a vent hose, and the feed line for the fully map able Aquamist water injection system.

The core support has been removed so the door has been opened to slide the new heart in.

The first one is the heart ready to be installed….

The second and the third are with the heart in place and the coils installed…..

The race version High Velocity Vortech Supercharger

Here are some of the stainless steel fabricated pieces required for the final assembly of the oil and fluid transfer manifolds.

Notice the Sword style E Brake handle, the Hamann pedal set being installed, and the “Z8” starter button installed in the dash.... This cockpit makes it clear that once inside it is strictly business………. One of the BAD BOYS will be set free soon

This picture shows all the interior trim pieces removed and ready for a color change

The water injection tank securely in place. Once the pump and the pair of accumulators have been installed the inner fender liner will be installed and the system will be tucked away out of site

Here is the water injection completely installed……..Notice that everything except for the high speed jet and the 2 nozzles will be concealed once the fender liner is back in place. The system includes an Aquamist fully map able race system with a pair of pressure accumulators and a pressure switch. The reservoir tank was custom designed to fit in the cavity. The tank was designed so as to integrate a OEM fluid filler neck also used on the windshield washer tank, OEM level sensor, a baffled fluid draw area, and a purge venting system. And then lastly the stainless steel scripted cap will be installed so there is no mistaking that water injection fluid goes here…

Here is a picture of the inner wheel well area with the fender liner in place concealing the water injection system.  Unless told most will never know it is even there.

 

This picture is of the custom fabricated water injection cap

 

So the metamorphosis continues……… with all the raw, and hopefully leashed power crammed under the hood, and all of the secondary pieces comfortably taken care of the attention turned to some last minute exterior modifications to reflect what this car is all about………”Strictly Business”, so much so that the idea of attempting the cloak this endeavor became useless.

The rear OEM bumper/fascia had been discarded and in its place will reside Hamann's purpose built Competition rear bumper and spoiler group. This addition was tied into the rest of the car with Hamann side skirts and the aggressive flippers placed out front under the front bumper. Sitting still this car will look as though it is going so fast that even the fastest of winds are still attempting to catch up.  Let it never be said that this car will simply reside in a garage, other than being tucked in at the days end this car will see the most extreme of service in the most extreme of environments.

In order to truly monitor the vehicles activities the instrument cluster was removed so that the gauges can be refaced with a more appropriate 340KM/H speedometer and a recalibrated rev-limiter with the led lights modified to show the cars new operating parameters…….. 7500 RPM with a RED tattle tail led shinning brightly as it passes through 7500RPM quickly approaching 8000RPM.

Here is the Hamann Competition being fit for the final time prior to being delivered to the paint shop. Other than lacking instructions the installation was fairly straight forward and the resulting fit is extremely nice. By the design the exhaust including the mufflers must be in place prior to the final installation otherwise there is no ability to install the mufflers because of the extended under body panel integrated into the new rear bumper assembly

 

Here are the Hamann side skirts being installed and fit for the last time prior to being placed with the painter. The metamorphosis is almost complete.

 

 

Here are the interior trim pieces after they were painted to match the various aluminum pieces added to the interior such as the Hamann E-Brake handle and shifter knob, the Hamann pedal covers, and the Z8 started button.

Here is the custom front grill to be installed in this car. Originally it was hand fabricated and then powder coated a satin black finish prior to have Mike Kline perform his paining and air brush skills in the center of it. The ///M logs colors and layout are as BMW's Motorsport division presented it years ago. Most will never see then end of the car so we felt it important to share it.

we placed the grill on top of the heat exchanger to give a better idea what it will look like

The holes have been bored for the OEM proximity sensors  to be installed in the Hamann Competition rear bumper

The pockets/receptacles that retain the proximity sensors have been installed on the inside of the Hamann Competition rear bumper. OEM pockets/receptacle were used for this process.

The spacing on the rear mufflers has to be modified significantly in order to fit with the Hamann Competition rear bumper. The centerline measurement for the OEM exhaust tips is approximately 33 ½” whereas with the new rear bumper the centerline is approximately 41 ½”. WOW!! And to think that “NO WHERE” in the Hamann instructions is there so much as a reference to this. This just turned this in to a process full of opportunities.

Here are pictures of the SuperSprint exhaust while it is being modified to fit the Hamann Competition rear bumper group. The center line spacing of the OEM mufflers tips is approximately 8” narrower than required for this bumper group. During the modification process we had to modify the “X” pipe, lengthen the primary inlet tube on both mufflers and then install new stainless steel strap hangers at all 6 locations. We still have to the finish TIG welding on the mufflers and then they will ready for final installation.

Here are the pictures of the Hamann diffuser now integrated into the Hamann Competition rear bumper group

 

Here are the blocks as returned from the machinist, fully protected from the elements

Here is a picture of the surface/deck of the fully machined block with a pair of the Darten sleeves visibly pressed in place

Here are pictures of the sleeves as seen from the inside of the block if one were looking through oil pan area

Wide screen installed

Here is a picture of the rear view camera integrated in the deck lid roundel. There is no doubt that this location has been used before nonetheless it makes for a very clean and discrete installation

Here is a picture of the fog light panels after being modified ready for the mess screen to be installed

Here is a picture of the fangs of the BEAST after they were removed. The front kidney grills are now ready for mesh inserts to be installed

And now she goes back together.

The hearts placed back in the body

The new Custom AC Schnitzer steering wheel based on the late model M5's design has been put in place awaiting the lower trim to be painted silver to make the rest of the trim and the machined aluminum pieces

Things begin to take shape as we continue to tackle the interior. The cloth OEM headliner has been removed awaiting the new leather headliner

The interior is opened up for the removal of the OEM speaker and the installation of a new speaker system. Every panel was removed to make this full scale conversion possible

The fully tuned subwoofer enclosure was fabricated to house and control the heart beat of  a 12” speaker

The subwoofer box being put in place before the amp racks and closure panels have been installed

The opening being created for the mouth of the subwoofer enclosure to breath through…….. and this unit BREATHS very hard..

The fully modified instrument cluster in place……….Now offering confirmation of 340km/h and the modified led warning layout on the rev-limiter

The mouth of the subwoofer enclosure as it enters the car at the center of the rear seat

The first fit of the amp rack trim panel

here are some the components that will be neatly tucked behind the AMP to orchestrate the music

here the “BADBOY” Amps ready to be installed

Another Update of the Engine Bay With the Supercharger mounted.

Here is the Hamann Competition rear bumper in all it's glory ready to be installed on the "BEAST"

Here is the carbon Fiber hood complete with integrated ducts

Carbon Fiber discharge tubes having the water injection bungs bonded in place

Carbon Fiber intake tube having the machined aluminum collar bonded in place

After the radiator and the AC condenser was installed

The modified rear strut tower brace installed in conjunction with the new Sub Woofer enclosure

The Macintosh amps being wired in

The stereo system is ALIVE

Looking like she is almost ready for the road

Mass air flow sensors and air filter system in place

Oil separator and other eye candy

Upper shot of the engine with the upper hose connector in place

The carbon fiber hood being color sanded and buffed prior to installation

The modified kidneys with the stainless steel mesh panels set in place prior to being powder coated

The newly installed European rear fog light system installed and glowing

The plenum receiving the final wiring

The redesigned gauge pod ready to monitor the vital signs

This is the 40gig Digital recorder that is operated by a wireless remote. It can record all activities as seen by the rear view camera. The camera's activities are all able to be seen on the OEM wide screen. In fact it will automatically produce an image when the car is placed in reverse and then he also has the option to select the AV input at which time the screen appears with the same menu functions you would expect on a home system. The compartment was modified and then carpeted to accept this unit. It is easy to remove and then the files can be downloaded via USB into any computer. There is also a small screen on the unit so you can remove it and view it without using the OEM widescreen or a secondary computer

the Hamann Competition rear bumper in place.

The center console completed with the color change, the Hamann Ebrake handle and shifter knob, and the complement of Auto Meter gauges installed in the custom pod assembly that was then leather wrapped to match the interior of the car.

This the beginning of what it takes to bring all the systems into play. The brake booster area under the fresh air filter on the driver's side is used to integrate the fuse block, the relays, the pair of vacuum switches, and what seemed like miles of wire.

This is what it looks like after everything is completed, wired in nicely, serviceable, and ready for the fresh air filter to be installed.

The carbon fiber hood goes on, along with the painted Hamann side skirts and front spacers to fill the fender gap. Looking stunning indeed

Notice the smoked side indicators and the attention to details. All thats left to go on are the Hamann front splitters and a few miner things to complete this mean M5's look before it is rolled on to the street.

Here are photos of the last of the key pieces to be installed on the car. This is a under body panel that was fabricated to divert the air from under the car which would normally attempt to collect under the Hamann Competition rear bumper. The Hamann Competition rear bumper extends forward under the car unlike the OEM bumper well over a foot so it would act like a large air scoop…… with this panel in place the air will be diverted so the rear bumper does not act like a parachute at extreme speed.

The new custom interior is completed

The strut tower brace was glass beaded and then powder coated with wrinkle black finish and then the carbon fiber inserts were put back in place.

side windows being tinted

front window being tinted

Getting looks no matter how much it's raining

Being dropped off at the detailers before the photoshoot.

The Engine bay - completed

One final wash before her trip home.

And now it is with a heavy heart we at Discovery Automotive say goodbye to one of our family.

Here it gets loaded where it will take its short trip down to the docs and be placed in a container for her trip overseas.

 

One last look as she goes over the hill

Farwell to the only BMW we will ever call "BlackM5"

	Did you know that this car has a twin? Check here for build pictures on The Triflow Project

 

All items used in this project are availible directly from Discovery-Automotive Whether a simply exhaust upgrade or a one off extreme piece we will gladly work with you on your project. We welcome the opportunity to discuss it with you. We invite you to discuss this project with the owner or the D/A team

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