There are many reasons why the BMW E46 M3 is regarded as one of the best cars the M division ever put out. From the S54 engine to the brilliant chassis and the balance of the whole car, to the timeless design. But when someone decides to tune this thing into oblivion, things get even better. In today’s forced induction world, fitting a supercharger or a turbo on the 3.2-liter straight six under the hood of an E46 M3 seems like the right thing to do.
That’s exactly what the guys from Setra Motorsports did and, in the hands of a capable driver, wonders occurred. The tuned up M3 went around the Nurburgring in 7:16.927 which makes it faster than just about anything you can think of. From the top of my head, the list includes the 997 Porsche 911 GT2 RS, Ferrari 488 GTB, Pagani Zonda F Clubsport, KTM X-Bow R and the BMW M4 GTS. Sure, the E46, by comparison, is not street legal but this is no Guiness World Record attempt we’re talking about here, but rather a more unconventional take on the Ring and what it means.
The man behind the wheel is Inge Hansesætre and he definitely shows some great legwork in the footage below. The fact that he is driving a manual while beating all those other great performance cars on the Green Hell makes things even more impressive. As for the power and torque figures of the car we’re looking at, no mention is made either in the video or in the description. However, we do know that it features an ESS Supercharger which means the power output could be anywhere between 475 and 575 HP. Torque would also go up to anything from 330 lb-ft (447 Nm) to 360 lb-ft (488 Nm).
Furthermore, the car was also stripped down by the looks of things while more aero bits were thrown on it, to improve its handling on the track at all kinds of speeds. Therefore, the result is befitting and, if anyone is willing to invest so much in an E46 M3 together with the skillset needed to push it to the absolute limit, the rewards will be mind boggling.
