Owning a fast car can feel like a nice achievement in life. That is until you get passed by a 30-year-old beater making 1,000 horsepower. BMW’s E21 chassis was the 3 Series from 1975 to 1983. The engines were indestructible, but the bodies were prone to serious rust problems. Cash 4 Clunkers killed off the remaining examples so you will be hard pressed to see a running example in the US. They weren’t exactly fast in factory form, which makes them great for building a brutal sleeper. GTBoard.com came across just such a car, making a reported 1,000 horsepower to the rear wheels. If you have considered building one, check out these pre-owned BMW 3 Series.
The best way to test that claim is rolling up on a used Lamborghini LP-700 Aventador for a high-speed run. You might think that any car with four-digit power would walk away from any street car, but usually ridiculous turbos are needed to make such power. Much like single turbo Supra builds, straight six engines are hard pressed to get a big turbo moving. So, it allows an AWD V12 supercar to walk away without much effort. However, never underestimate the potential of a $30,000 engine in a cheap car.
Since Lamborghini only builds naturally aspirated cars, the differential ratio is optimized to make power in every gear. But the BMW was engineered during the fuel crises of the 70’s, and it was geared to save fuel at all times. Hopefully, the owner modified the rear axle to handle all the new power, but it definitely has the wrong gears. Making 1,000 horsepower is irrelevant if it only arrives above 150 mph. A win is a win, but getting dragged like a garden hose is not a fun way to lose. Tell us which car you would daily drive and stay with us for more high-speed action.
