This 80s BMW M3 Has A 600HP V10 Under The Hood, And It’s On eBay

A few years ago, the guys at Piper Motorsports began building what they called the “Ultimate BMW” by outfitting this 1989 BMW M3 with a radically souped-up V10 out of an M5. It's an incredibly complex piece of machinery that showcases the crew's mastery of high-tech projects. Now it’s on eBay with a Buy It Now price of just under a quarter of a million dollars.

To pursue their goal of the "Ultimate BMW," Piper took the M3 down to bare metal and began the extensive process of reworking the chassis to fit the giant V10. The design's so different now that virtually every piece of sheet metal had to be rebuilt by hand. That the exterior somehow looks almost stock is no small feat, especially considering there's also a roll cage that was carefully designed to be hidden from view.

Not satisfied with the mere 500 hp power plant, the engine was shipped off to famed BMW tuner Dinan, where it was enlarged and massaged to the tune of around 611-628 hp...at a cost of around $30,000. Perhaps most impressive is that despite these modifications and going from four cylinders to ten, this car only weighs 150 pounds more than a stock E30 M3.

A custom stainless steel exhaust was fitted and routed through the rear bumper and larger wheels and tires were put under the fenders. The interior was also carefully retrofitted to keep the "stock" look going.

It might seem like too much car to handle, but the Piper team brought in some wiring experts and made sure it has all the technological assistance you'd find in a modern Bimmer, like different traction control settings and more.

$250,000 is a lot of money, sure. Then again, this is a quite a lot of car.

Christian “Mental” Ward is a contributor to Supercompressor, retired Air Force Officer, frustrated racer, and actually has a Philosophy degree. If you have an unnatural hunger for stupid car pictures, self-promotion, and short videos of his three dogs, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Vine.