A BEETLE THAT THINKS IT’S A BMW

We have literally gone Gatebil crazy over these last few months, and I’m sure you’re all quite happy about this because we have been rolling out an unprecedented number of features of the most bonkers cars on the planet. We have come to embrace the engine swap in a way that we have never thought possible, outright expecting the cars that we came across at Mantorp and Rudskogen to run something other than a stock powerplant. With tongue-in-cheek I’ll go so far as to say that after having seen so much, the engine-swap is becoming sort of passé…

… so for the last day of our ‘Scandinavian Month’ I present you something that takes it up one more notch, Joakim Karlsson’s BMW-powered, front-engined 1973 VW Beetle.

Performance is an important perquisite for any Gatebil car, seeing that they are built for the sole purpose of going fast or/and burning copious amounts of rubber. But while power isn’t usually the hard part to get right, making one’s project stand out is where real outside the box thinking is required. The space the car’s original air-cooled flat-four used to sit in is actually ample enough to accommodate a variety of other interesting boxer motors, but Joakim wanted to go for a more balanced set up, one that would allow the car to be steered on the throttle and be far more docile when being thrown around.

The borrowed BMW M50B25 then manages to kill two birds with one stone, supplying the power as well as taking care of the weight balance by being dropped into the front of this particular Bug.

This isn’t exactly the view you expect to see when you open up a Beetle’s hood! As you can see things are mighty tight in there and it took a lot of custom work to make it fit, starting off with a BMW E30 front clip, cut up and strategically mated to the base chassis. This, aside from allowing the big straight-six to fit, allowed the use of more modern suspension, made up of Golf Mk2 coilovers and modified knuckles to guarantee as much steering angle as possible.

The M50 itself has been turbocharged, its 192 stock hp doubled to around 400hp courtesy of a low-mounted GT25 turbocharger mounted on tightly curved custom exhaust manifolds and kept to optimal boost thanks to an external wastegate. A compact yet thick intercooler just manages to fit in front of the motor while the custom intake plenum feeds each of the six cylinders.

Tight!

As you can see the engine has been mounted as low as possible to help keep handling and the way the car pitches and rolls in check. The custom driveline is composed of a Getrag five-speed transmission with the 400 horses juggled via a Sachs 618 pressure plate and uprated clutch, with an E30 rear end apportioning drive to the rear wheels.

When we met with Joakim at Gröndals Motorstadion for the shoot the car had never driven under its own power – it was literally finished days before.

It was the perfect chance for a gentle test to see if everything was working correctly…

… not to mention sneaking in a few driving shots of this rather unique Bug.

With a great big space freed up at the rear it was an easy decision to move all of the cooling system back there. The big aluminum radiator is fed by a shroud that channels…

… the air scooped up by the two intakes on the side glass.

With the hood and trunk covers on however, you would never know what lies beneath this custom classic…

… well maybe the big bore downturned center exhausts might give something away as they certainly don’t look or sound stock.

With the power and all mechanicals taken care of, it’s the handling that Joakim now has to work on, trying to take the edge off the snappy nature of the car given its somewhat short wheelbase.

Just like the rest of the car the interior was given a lot of thought…

… starting off with a pretty beefy roll cage that on top of the obvious safety aspects…

… boosts the vintage chassis’ torsional rigidity. All the necessary must-haves are present, starting from a hydraulic e-brake, a tall and easy to reach shifter…

… as well as bucket seats and five-point harnesses to keep you in place through the more violent transitions.

A collection of gauges have been mixed and matched and fitted onto the center of the dashboard for easy consultation and to complete the simple interior treatment rather well.

Joakim’s Beetle perfectly represents the spirit of Gatebil where unique ideas are matched by equally ingenious solutions for the sole purpose of having tons of fun out on track. Will we ever get tired of engine-swapped wild rides like these? Definitely not, that’s for sure!

Dino Dalle CarbonareInstagram: speedhunters_dino

Joakim Karlsson BMW-engined 1973 Beetle 1303

Numbers400hp

EngineBMW M50B25 swap, GT45 turbocharger, HKS-style 60 mm external wastegate, custom exhaust manifold, custom intake manifold, cooling all mounted back in the trunk, Megasquirt

DrivelineFive-speed Getrag tranmission, Sachs 618 pressure plate, six-pad clutch, E30 rear end

Suspension/BrakesGolf MK2 coilovers, rewelded/modifed knuckles

ExteriorWidebody glassfibre fenders

InteriorE30 frontclip, custom roll cage, Sparco bucket seats, five-point harnesses, suede steering wheel, hydraulic e-brake, Auto Style gauges

BLACK SMOKE REDUX & THE SPIRIT OF SCANDINAVIA

Over the course of the month we’ve seen some absolutely wicked feature machines rolled out as part of our celebration of Scandinavian car culture. It’s not just the standard of the builds that are impressive, but also the diversity of the cars you find populating the track at Gatebil events and beyond. European, Japanese or American – it makes no difference as long as it can produce big thrills for the driver and for the crowds who line the track.

So then, to pick one single car to represent the insanity of the Scandinavian scene is pretty much an impossible task. However, if you were forced to pick just one vehicle that embodies its spirit, you might be looking at it right here.

I’m talking about the W203 Mercedes Wagon from the crazed folks at Black Smoke Racing in Finland. This of course isn’t the first time Black Smoke has been featured on Speedhunters – in fact you might even remember the feature Dino did on their old W123 wagon last year.

For 2013, the guys decided to build a new car – one that would pick up right where the old one left off. The goal would be the same would be the same: to prove that a diesel machine could be just as competitive and just as fun as the more conventional race cars out there.

The project kicked off in January of this year, and in many ways it would serve as a better, more refined version of its predecessor. The move to a newer chassis would also help remedy one of the biggest issues with the old car – excess weight.

While the team’s previous builds had always been limited by time and budget constraints, the addition of some new sponsors gave the guys the means to extract more potential from the more modern chassis.

Given the their years of experience building racing and one of the most badass diesel-powered cars in the world, setting up the motor was actually one of the easiest parts of the build.

Much of what had been learned over years of building and rebuilding the previous chassis was put to use here. As with the W123, the W203 is powered by a heavily worked version of the Mercedes-Benz OM606 3.0-liter turbo diesel motor.

The primary challenge with getting the old motor setup into the new car came from the oil sump. The OM606 comes with a front-mounted sump, but to set it in W203 the guys needed to find a sump that sat farther back.

As before, the diesel was making its power from the combination of an Eaton MP90 supercharger and a Holset HX52 turbocharger. But after a recent engine blow at Gatebil the supercharger was removed in order to reduce some of the heat.

Once again, the car is also equipped with a nitrous system – or now rather a combination of nitrous and water injection. With full throttle applied and boost pressure is below 1.0-bar (14.7psi), the engine receives a fresh dose of nitrous. When boost rises above 1.0 bar the nitrous is cut off and misted water is injected into the inlet to cool the charge and lesson the chance of detonation.

The new car is also equipped with the same unique transmission setup as the old car – an E55 AMG 5-speed automatic with custom software and a manual shifter conversion.

While getting the powerplant situated was fairly straightforward, a much bigger challenge came when setting up the new car’s front suspension and steering system. In the end, an entirely new front end was designed and fabricated by an outfit called SSP. The only remaining part leftover from the factory are the fastening points, as per the BDC rule book which the car has been built to follow.

Another result of the re-engineered front end is much improved steering angle, which we all know is so crucial when it comes to drifting. From this angle you can also see the K-Sport coilovers which are fitted at each corner.

Out back the W203′s factory rear end was removed and replaced with a complete Torsen setup sourced from from a Toyota Supra.

Another element that’s carried over from the old car is the use of a rear-mounted radiator setup. The area that was once designed to carry groceries or the family’s luggage is now home to a large Griffin radiator with oversized fans and a custom aluminum box.

As you can see, the 18-inch Rial wheels that are fitted beneath the wagon’s flared fenders are showing plenty of battle scars from the car’s sideways exploits. But it comes with the territory.

Inside, the car is equipped with a custom fabricated roll cage and all the other safety equipment you expect to see on a car of this caliber…

… including a quick release steering wheel…

…. and a pair of OMP Champ racing buckets.

You can also see the handle for the wagon’s hydraulic E-brake setup – something’s that’s become a necessity in today’s world of insane drift cars.

There are also a variety of gauges installed, with a simple vintage style that almost lend for a steampunk feel. Another one of my favorite little touches on the car is the woodgrain style vinyl that’s been laid over the aluminum dashboard. Funky, but cool.

But in the end, there’s nothing cooler than watching the car out on the track. The blend of white tire smoke and black diesel smoke that pour out when it’s thrown sideways makes for an amazing spectacle.

Whether it’s this car or the old W123, the sight of the Black Smoke Racing wagon is something that’s become synonymous with the madness of this region.

Like so many of the cars that you find in Scandinavia, the Black Smoke Racing Mercedes is the perfect blend of innovative serious engineering with a carefree, fun-loving attitude.

For now the goal is to keep running as many events is possible before the year is through, and when 2014 comes around the guys say anything is possible. I know I’m not the only one that’s thought about how fun it’d be see this machine come to the US and share its smoke-belching ways.

To keep up with the latest on the Finnish team’s efforts, you can check out their official website.

Words by Mike Garrett
Instagram: speedhunters_mike
mike@speedhunters.com

Photos by Paddy McGrathTwitter: @PaddyMcGrathSHInstagram: speedhunters_paddypaddy@speedhunters.com

Black Smoke Racing W203 Mercedes-Benz Wagon

Engine
Mercedes-Benz OM606 turbo diesel, Arrow rods, Herlevi.fi diesel pump, Holset HX52 turbocharger, custom exhaust manifold, custom intake manifold, custom intercooler, relocated oil sump, rear-mounted Griffin radiator setup, nitrous system, water injection kit, Samco hoses

DrivelineE55 AMG 5-speed automatic transmission with custom software and manual shifter, Toyota Supra Torsen rear end

Suspension/Brakes
Custom fabricated front end by SSP, K-Sport coilovers, hydraulic E-brake setup,

Wheels
18-inch Rial

Exterior
Custom fender flares

Interior
Black Smoke Racing roll cage, OMP Champ seats, quick-release steering wheel, aluminum dash, custom gauges and switches

Thanks
Parkkila.fi, Fin Turbo, MB Specialists, Migatronic, Monster Energy

El Solitario Gonzo BMW R45

This happens when one of the world's most creative custom workshops decides that they need to customise their shop bike. The 1976 BMW R45 is the daily workhorse of Spanish workshop El Solitario MC. Dubbed "Gonzo", it's a purpose built custom, designed to be practical and durable without taking itself or it's job too seriously.

"Built in the wink of an eye because we faced no pressure for results nor were we looking for a posh finish or complicated technical solutions."

In their own words the El Solitario team describe that their trusty BMW as a "terribly underpowered but indestructible machine" and while it may be strong they had no interest in boosting it's performance figures. The BMW is a workhorse so customising it was always about keeping costs low rather than re-engineering it's performance. 100% of the work was to be done in El Solitario HQ so it was imperative that the build was quick as to not detract from other, paid projects in the workshop.

So what exactly does a quick turn around custom involve? Well it went something like this...

The stock tank has new side panels reducing it's width by 2′ and the new, brushed stainless steel inserts were left raw. The BMW's subframe was shortened and narrowed and a vintage Bates Desert Sled seat was attached using custom brackets. The battery was relocated and the bike rewired. A pair of PIAA headlights in a custom made fairing replace the stock headlight and an LED, Bates style light was fixed to the rear loop.  The forks, brakes, carbs, transmission and heads all received an overhaul to keep it running reliably and the engine breathes more freely through the new exhaust and open velocity stacks. The ride was improved by adding a pair of Redwing rear shocks and an 18'/21' wheel set up running Michelin rubber.

"Although confessed admirers of Hunter S. Thompson, the name Gonzo does not come from his attitude of journalism, but because of the bikes resemblance to the great Gonzo from The Muppets."

The only aspect of the Gonzo's build that wasn't completed by the ESMC team was the artwork and gold leaf on its tank. For thos ESMC enlisted the help of Maxwell Paternoster AKA: Corpses from Hell whose whacky style of illustration is perfectly suited to The Gonzo's anything goes design.

  
It's a rare treat to hear the bikes I feature in action however El Solitario, being the forward thinkers they are, provide sound clips of each of their builds on the website. Custom workshops around the world please take note, this is what we want!

El Solitario MC     |     Corpses from Hell

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