If you’re wondering why is there a video about a Land Rover on a BMW enthusiast’s blog, this is no ordinary Discovery. Underneath the hood is an engine borrowed from an M3 E36, and suffice it to say, the off-roader is impressively fast. It’s attending the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed to show off how the S50 engine has completely transformed the British SUV.
It should be mentioned the inline-six has been mounted behind the axle, making this Discovery technically a mid-engined SUV. The powertrain is linked to a Discovery TD5 gearbox which has had its low-range removed while the gear ratios have been shortened to deliver quicker acceleration. The viscous coupling comes from a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S while the front brakes were borrowed from another BMW, a 750i.
Never has a Discovery II sounded this good, but the car’s story is rather sad. The builder worked on it for about five years before losing a leg in a motorcycle accident in 2017. He decided to part ways with the performance SUV. Fast forward to 2023, we’re glad to see the M3 E36-powered contraption is still going strong and is attending prestigious events such as the Goodwood FoS.
Over the years, BMW engines have powered a variety of Land Rovers straight from the factory. The M52 was available in the Defender in the late 1990s from Land Rover South Africa. In addition, the L322 Range Rover got the M62 and the M57, while in 2023, the latest Range Rover and Range Rover Sport use a brawny V8 of Munich origins.
BMW also supplies the B57 and B58 engines to Ineos Automotive for its Grenadier SUV as well as Quartermaster pickup truck that just debuted at the Goodwood FoS. Another BMW-powered car we saw this week was the Triumph TR25, an electric sports car concept based on the i3S.
