In the late ’00s, BMW’s N54 engine became quite famous for its tuning potential. The twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six lump made 300 horsepower from the factory, which isn’t a lot, but it was capable of so much more. Admittedly, it wasn’t the most reliable of engines, as high-pressure fuel pump issues headlined its many recurring problems. But if you could get keep it in good shape, it was capable of producing numbers that even some supercars today would be jealous of. In this new video from AutoTopNL, we get to see a pre-LCI E91 BMW 335i Touring putting out a whopping 700 horsepower.
This build is pretty intense. Admittedly, there isn’t too much left of the stock engine. It has new forged pistons, forged connecting rods, new turbos, the air intake from a 335d, a larger downpipe, new exhaust, an upgraded oil cooler, and higher-pressure fuel injectors. So you can see where the 700 horsepower comes from. What’s interesting is that the transmission is mostly stock. It has a software tune, to make shifts snappier, but it’s still mechanically the same ZF six-speed auto that you get in every other E90. I’m honestly shocked it can handle 700 horsepower. Who knows for how much longer.
The suspension was also upgraded to essentially an M3 suspension. It’s obviously not exactly the same, as the E90/E92 M3 had upgrades to chassis stiffness and whatnot, but this owner’s E91 335i Touring has M3 control arms (a very common E90 3 Series upgrade) and even M3 shocks and springs. So it should be able to handle the speed that comes with 700 horsepower.
In the video, you get to see the tuned E91 335i Touring hit the Autobahn and reach a speedometer-indicated 300 km/h (186 mph), which is seriously fast for an E91. It also reaches that speed pretty well, all things considered. Admittedly, it looks like the owner could use a proper alignment, as the car seemed to be tugging to the left under normal driving and was quite twitchy at high speed. I wouldn’t have personally pushed the car that fast without a correct alignment but maybe I’m just chicken.
Still, this is an incredibly impressive build, one that proves you don’t need an M3 to go fast in an E90. In many ways, it’s actually closer to the current M3 than the E92 M3, thanks to its twin-turbocharged torque punch. So if you have any N54-powered BMW, this video proves just how far you can push it.