The SUV before your eyes is not your average soccer mom transporter, let's get that out of the way right now. This deranged wolf in a sheep's clothing can do high 11-second runs on a quarter mile, which is kind of insane for a car weighing about 2500kg. This daily driver has been upgraded with carbon fiber, 22” HRE wheels and some very custom engine modifications, and the engine now produces a healthy herd of 775 horses – enough to get those groceries home in time.
The X5 was first introduced in 1999, and it hasn't really ever been a favorite among tuners, which is understandable. In 2009, however, BMW introduced the X5M, which has a 4.4 liter twinturbo V8, and power enough (555hp and 680Nm) to embarrass most of those partaking in the ”traffic light grand prix”. Aleksi Sorvala had owned an E92 M3 for three years, when it had started to feel a little too lazy for his taste. After thinking about a new project for a while, he chose this X5M as a template for his desires. It was a plunge into the unknown, but Aleksi was sure that there was potential in this behemoth, and so this 2010 X5M was bought.
Even though it packs a decent punch in stock form, the car's power reserves weren't enough for Aleksi.The car was first taken to a known BMW tuner in Germany. This was a disappointment, since after three months of ”tuning” the car barely reached 280km/h on the Autobahn, and a long line of error codes illuminated the night. Luckily Aleksi has a long list of good contacts, and his friend from Abu Dhabi pointed him in the direction of a certain specialist, who also (unsurprisingly) lives in Germany. Aleksi bought ferry tickets and drove to the city of Weissbach, which is about 800kms from Travemünde. After a long trip the car was parked in the yard of PP-Performance, which is owned by a guru named Jimmy Pelka. Jimmy is a true professional, and after few adjustments he had fixed the bugs in programming, and the dyno results were 650hp and 1100Nm. The trip home was a bit faster this time, since the car reached 310km/h on the Autobahn.
Enough power? ”Needs more”, said Aleksi, and continued to refine his evil plans for more power. And so the exhaust headers were custom made by Alpina according to Aleksi's instructions. New turbochargers were made by Turbotekniikka Oy and Fin-Turbo. At first the chargers were just upgraded Garretts, but they have since been modified with Evo IX axles and MFS compressors. Akrapovic exhaust was added, and then the car was ready for a new tune. Jimmy did the tuning once again, and with V-Power in tank the X5 produced 775hv and 1120Nm. This time the magical 320km/h was surpassed on the Autobahn. It's a lot of power, but according to the tuner the engine should withstand it with ease.
The Carbonschwarz colour looks nice, and Vorsteiner's carbon package looks like Maybelline on a model's face. The Vorsteiner package includes a front bumper spoiler, a rear diffuser and new kidneys. The windows were tinted a little and the rear window scratcher/wiper was thrown into the abyss. All in all the car looks dark and evil. Well, it is quite menacing, with the V8 screaming through those Akrapovics and all.
Since the power has increased a lot and there's some serious mass moving around, it's only wise to upgrade the brakes also. Brembo ”big brake” six-pistons and massive 405mm discs should do the job. The 22” three-piece HRE wheels compliment both the brakes and the car, and with 335/25 rear tire size it should have some grip on the corners too. The suspension was modified too: the front was dropped traditionally with H&R lowering springs, but the rear has air suspension, which required some software tweaking.
The interior was reupholstered by Khrelix Design. The material of choice is black leather, and light grey stitching was used as an effect. Tip of the hat to Aleksi for his choice of project car. It was not the most obvious choice for a supercar killer, but he managed to create something spectacular. A daily driver that could survive in a Mad Max world, and look classy whilst kicking ass. Just perfect.
SPECS:
ENGINE:
PP-Performance software, custom turbochargers by Turbotekniikka Oy and Fin-Turbo Oy, custom exhaust headers by Alpina M-power, headers thermal coated by Martelius, Akrapovic exhaust
POWERTRAIN:
Stock transmission has been programmed to shift faster
SUSPENSION:
H&R lowering springs in the front, rear air suspension has been programmed to sit lower
