BMW has carved out a reputation for themselves as making some of the greatest sports and performance cars in the world, but they’ve always been hesitant about making a supercar. That’s mostly due to the commercial failure of their one and only true supercar, the M1. Yes, there’s been the i8 in recent years, but with its three-cylinder hybrid powertrain, most enthusiasts would agree that it’s more a sports car than a supercar. So, BMW might not be willing to make a supercar anymore, but luckily there are plenty of other manufacturers willing to use their engines to make one of their own.
For many smaller automakers, it’s way too expensive to develop their own engine, so to keep costs low they use units from another manufacturer. BMW’s V8s and V12s are a favorite to use, as they’re durable and can be modified to substantially increase their power if needed. That’s how many of the BMW-powered models on this list came to be, but there’s also plenty of tuning companies willing to take existing BMW group cars and modify them into true supercars. Oh, and there’s the V12 engine that features in one of the greatest road cars of all time. Let’s take a closer look at ten of the coolest high-performance machines that feature Bavarian hearts.
10 Wiesmann MF5
German automaker Wiesmann is currently in the process of being revived by British investors after it went bankrupt in 2014. A new MF6 is reportedly on the way that will use a BMW M5 engine, but for now, the brand’s most recent production car is the MF5.
The car’s neo-classical styling will divide enthusiasts, but the MF5 gained plenty of fans around the globe before it was forced out of production. It made 555 hp from its BMW-sourced twin-turbo V8, giving it a claimed top speed of 193 mph.
9 Ascari KZ1
Another small manufacturer that eventually succumbed to its financial issues was Ascari, a British company founded in 1994. Its last car was the KZ1, featuring a 4.9L S62 BMW V8. It debuted in 2005 and manufacturing continued until the company folded in 2010.
Production was limited to 50 units, and owners of the car also got the chance to drive it at Ascari’s own race facility in Spain. A racing version called the KZ1-R was produced, and it competed in the FIA GT3 European Championship for several years.
8 BMW M8 G-Power
Although BMW might not be willing to make a true supercar, there’s plenty of tuners and aftermarket specialists out there who are more than happy to take Bimmer’s products and crank them up to 11. German tuner G-Power is one such company, and their version of the BMW M8 makes an unbelievable 820 hp.
They haven’t disclosed the 0-60 time or top speed of the car, but it’ll reportedly keep up with the likes of the McLaren 720S. The ‘regular’ M8 might straddle the line between luxury grand tourer and supercar, but give one to G-Power and they’ll make sure it’s firmly the latter option.
7 Veritas RS3
Another small German manufacturer, Veritas has a much longer relationship with BMW than many of the other cars on this list. The original incarnation of the company used rebodied BMW 328s to make their racecars in a partnership that stretches back over fifty years.
The company eventually ran out of cash and was dormant for many years. But, in the early 2000s, it was brought back, and a new Veritas prototype was shown off. That prototype eventually became the RS3, which was limited to 30 units and released to customers in 2010. It was made in Germany by coachbuilder Vermot and used a 5.0L BMW V10 to pay tribute to Veritas’ long-time links to Bavaria.
6 Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Badge Spofec Overdose
BMW Group includes Rolls-Royce and Mini, and while there’s no chance of a Mini supercar any time soon, it turns out there’s already a Rolls-Royce one courtesy of Novitec’s sub-brand Spofec, which is dedicated to modifying Rolls-Royces, adding copious amounts of power to take their performance to the next level.
The Wraith Black Badge Overdose takes the car’s stock BMW-derived twin-turbo V12 and jacks it up to make 717 hp, giving it a 0-62 time of 4.2 seconds. Only three Spofec Overdoses were made and they’ve all been sold to unnamed customers.
5 Superlite SL-C
Superlite’s SL-C is a kit supercar that can either be sold as a complete kit or can be built by the company themselves. It’s left up to the customer what powerplant they choose, and according to Bimmerboost, one buyer picked a BMW S85 V10.
The engine used in this car has been reworked to make over 650 hp, although the exact figures aren’t known. The whole car only weighs 2,500 lbs with the engine installed, which should make it both terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure to drive.
4 Ascari Ecosse
The first Ascari to ever leave the production line, the Ecosse was produced between 1997 and 2003. The car was designed by Lee Noble, who went on to found Noble Automotive, a rival to the Ascari brand that’s still going strong today.
Ascari reportedly built 19 examples of the car, and one came up for sale in early 2021. The car is powered by a 4.4L BMW V8 that was tuned by Hartge. It only makes a little over 300 hp, but thanks to a low curb weight it’s good for a top speed of 200 mph.
3 De Tomaso Guara
De Tomaso has a long and storied history as a carmaker, but they’re most famous for the Pantera. That car used an American Ford V8, but for its successor, De Tomaso switched to German power instead. The Guara was the last production car made before the company went bankrupt, and it used the M60 V8 from the BMW 8 Series.
After using BMW’s engines between 1993 and 1998, De Tomaso switched back to Ford V8s. But, it wasn’t enough to tempt buyers, and the Guara only ever sold a handful of units before Alejandro de Tomaso’s death in 2003 led to the closure of the company.
2 BMW M1
It would be sacrilege to make a list of BMW-powered supercars without acknowledging the one true factory-produced model that BMW made. The M1 is now a highly desirable collector’s item, but back at its release its high price put off most buyers and the company struggled to shift them.
The car also suffered setbacks during its development which meant a lot of extra costs for Bimmer, and overall the M1 project made a huge loss. It’s the reason that BMW has never made a supercar since, despite repeated calls for one from enthusiasts and buyers for decades now.
1 McLaren F1
Probably the greatest BMW-engined car of all time is not actually a BMW. Rather, it’s the McLaren F1, a car that really needs no further introduction. Built under the supervision of Gordon Murray, the F1 used a BMW V12 to propel it to a top speed of 221 mph.
That made it the fastest production car in the world, a title it held from 1998 all the way up until 2005 when the Koenigsegg CCR posted an official top speed of 241 mph. Nevertheless, the F1 remains as one of the greatest drivers cars of all time, with its value continuing to rise year after year.
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