If not for the legendary strength and relibility of the BMW inline 6-cylinder engine, this 3.2L mill could have never dealt with the kind of hurt BimmerWorld has unleashed on it. (Photo: BW) » More Photos

Forged BBS RE wheels were also bought to nearly match the SPEED TC models used by BimmerWorld Racing, as was a custom differential by Diffsonline, their supplier for the World Challenge cars as well. Seeing a trend here?....maybe this is more of a 'World Challenge Wagon' than anything else.

"Well, since we aren't limited to World Challenge rules with this shop project, we also get to expand out to work with some of the partners we have been developing and testing street and track parts with like Hankook Tires, Ground Control with their proven solid bearing suspension components, and a new twin-disc clutch from ClutchMasters that's designed for the street, but is modeled from a track design and material that will allow us to put the power down without twisting the drive shafts or smoking the clutch after a few hours of hard driving."

It's under the hood where the lion's share of planning and evil grins came to bear.

If Andre the Giant came back as a turbo, he'd be the Garrett GT40R. (Photo: BW) » More Photos

"Nick Bertrand is our turbo guy - he did most of the design work and initial building of the turbo kit." While that statement might sound innocent enough, it's not until Clay reveals what exact turbo Bertrand chose for the wagon that we can understand their lack of grip on reality. "Oh, that…it's a Garrett GT40R…"

For those unfamiliar with the sizing of Garrett's turbo offerings, the GT40R, while not their biggest, is somewhere between a large cat or a small dog in size. Putting your fist inside the turbine housing isn't much of a challenge. You could use the GT40R to do arm curls at the gym, but probably a lot less repetitions than you're used to. Clearly, 'a mild power boost' wasn't what BimmerWorld was looking for.

Thanks to the Garrett, their goal of 160mph might need revising.
The turbo is attached to a 3.2 liter low compression US-spec BMW M3 engine Clay had in reserve. Frankly, it was sitting in the corner of the shop with no immediate or clear plans for use. Now, it's the recipient of a controlled explosion of boost and propulsion for the 320iT wagon.

To deal with the demands of over 600 horsepower, the internals have been modified to suit. "We installed forged JE pistons, Arrow rods, Sunbelt cams and valvetrain, A Euro oil pan/pump, and they're all working together to live at the 9:1 compression ratio."

The artisanship of Nick Bertrand's turbo system specification is seen in the Bimmerworld-fabricated exhasut manifold. (Photo: BW) » More Photos

Because the steam generated by the new motor would likely have it wanting to wander around on the stock motor mounts, solid mounts have been bolted in place to keep the inline six-cylinder from leaping out of the hood once the turbo spools up.

Bertrand's turbo mandate also called for a 6-into-1 exhaust manifold and collector to maximize the intensity and responsiveness with the massive GT40R. A turbo this big isn't meant to be snappy and on call at all times-it's meant to deliver the biggest punch from the middle of the rev range and beyond. Creativity and experience like Bertrand's help in the design of an exhaust unit to claw back some of that low-end turbo spooling.

Full boost is achieved at just 3500RPM, a testament to the engineering and specifications implemented by BimmerWorld.
What's next for BimmerWorld's War Wagon? Part two of our story will center on the final tweaks for the track and the shop's efforts to wring the most out of their Euro-320iT at nearby Virginia International Raceway.

Want a sneak peek? Turning its wheels for the first time, Clay reported that the car "stepped sideways on me once the turbo boost hit faster than any car I've driven. All of a sudden I went from looking out the front window to looking out the passenger door window as I corrected the power-on oversteer…this is going to be FUN…"

With photos, video, and tales from that outing, we hope to be able to tell you not just if the War Wagon reached 160mph, but how many times it did so in a single lap.

Stay tuned (and duck for cover.)