Did you really think I’d leave you hanging with no car spotlights from the Scandinavian summer? Of course I wouldn’t, although it’s almost impossible to choose which cars to focus on, given how many amazing builds turn up at the big Gatebil events after a long, dark and very cold winter.
My time at Gatebil Mantorp Park in Sweden was very limited this year, but I still managed to shoot a couple of oh-so-Scandinavian creations. We’ll start here, with Andreas Danielsson‘s F11 BMW 5 Series Touring.
Wagons are a common sight at Gatebil events in Sweden, but more often than not they’re based around an old Volvo – of course – and set up to drift. This one too was built to slide, but being a BMW and modern by comparison, I had to go in for a closer look.
When I asked Andreas to explain his thinking behind the build, the response I got was as straight forward as you could get: “I wanted a fast car.” That’s a perfectly good answer for anyone attending Gatebil.
The way the BMW looks straight on or from a front three-quarter angle definitely does not give any of its secrets away, though. At the business end the modifications revolve around a Schmiedmann carbon fiber lip spoiler and a pair of M5 fenders – pretty standard stuff.
Out back, however, party mode has been enabled. The fenders have been custom widened, the panel between the taillights has been cut out and the rear window is now a carbon fiber piece with vent holes. Did I mention the Schmiedmann carbon diffuser and the twin stainless steel mufflers?
There’s a good reason all of these modifications exist, but for that we need to circle back around to the front of the wagon and lift the hood.
You’re looking a BMW S50 from an E36 M3, but like many other aspects of Andreas’s wagon, the engine is far from stock. The huge BorgWarner turbo probably already gave that away though…
Internally, the inline-six has been beefed up with forged pistons and connecting rods to handle the 1.8bar (26.5psi) of boost pressure that’s now thrown at it. Externally, the intercooler, intake plenum, turbo manifold and exhaust system are all custom fabricated pieces by Jalkelid Motorsport in Sweden.
As it sat in the Mantorp Park pits, the S50 produced 898hp and 1,036Nm of torque. All hell breaks loose from 3,500rpm, which Andreas says is a big improvement over the previous turbo setup, which although saw the engine output a whopping 1,170hp, came with a lot of lag, which wasn’t conducive for drifting.
The numbers today get to the ground via a 6-speed BMW Getrag transmission, which can obviously take a punch or two.
Being a Swedish-built drift wagon, I knew there’d be a cool setup in the rear, and the two air ducts in the carbon fiber panorama roof replacement panel are a bit of giveaway. These ducts funnel air to the cooling system, which features a race radiator paired with a Davies Craig electric water pump and a Mercedes-Benz electric fan. The rear area is also home to a serious Nuke Performance-based fuel system, as you’d expect given the engine setup.
Up front, there’s an extensive WRC-style roll cage and Sparco Grid seats with Simpson 6-point racing harnesses. Andreas has also added a Suvi shifter and adjustable pedal box, and a Hurricane hydraulic handbrake. Tucked away under the glove box is the Ecumaster EMU Black engine management system and PMU16 power management module.
Despite how cool this wagon is, it looks like Andreas’s time with it might be coming to an end. But as one door closes another will open, because he has plans for an even wilder build. It’s the Swedish way.
Alen Haseta
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