BMW Hartge 330d - Striking Oil

This isn't a machine to slide around bends, although turn the traction control off and it will break traction. But with the Hartge additions, this car will stay sports-car stable in bends. If you're carrying fragile gear in the massive rear (like children, for instance), they'll never know the g-forces you're inducing. It's a car that feels sensible at insane speeds.

Don't bet against the diesel pump fueling the sports cars of the future, and don't bet against Audi at Le Mans. You'll lose your money faster than an M5 owner on a hard charge. Anyone still doubting the power of the diesel? You're living in the Dark Ages.

"This is a car that never falls short. You could cruise past gas stations, laughing at the M5s queuing to fill up, before booting the throttle and overtaking almost anything -in Sixth gear."

HARTGE 330d
Layout
Longitudinal front engine,rear-wheel drive

Engine
3.0L inline-six, dohc,four valves per cylinder,turbocharged

Engine Mods
Reprogrammed ECU

Suspension
Front: Hartge loweringsprings, antiroll barRear: Hartge lowering springs

Wheels and Tires
Hartge Classic9x20 (front)10x20 (rear)Conti SportContact 2,245/30R20 (front)285/25R20 (rear)

Exterior
Carbon fiber mirrorcovers, front lip spoiler

Interior
Carbon fiber trim, aluminum handbrake, kickplates,and pedals

Performance
Peak power: 275 hpPeak torque: 406 lb-ft0-60 mph: 6 secondsTop speed: 155 mph (limited)

Diesel Madness X2
If you like the 330d, the 535d will blow your mind. Now, it hasn't got a 3.5L-its displacement is the same size as the 330d's-but it comes with two turbos arranged inline, sequentially. It's the same system adopted by the Porsche 959 almost two decades ago, but it's still fresh thinking in this field.

At low speed, a small turbocharger handles the workload; at medium speeds, some of the intake air is diverted to the larger turbo; and at high speeds, it takes over completely. That sounds like an electronics nightmare in the making, but this car works so well that others will copy the design.

The crankcase has to withstand 41 psi of pressure, more with mods, but this car will likely go for hundreds of thousands of miles if properly maintained. Some of Europe's less developed nations have long been populated by '80s diesel-powered taxis that have gone around the clock more often than the minute hand on a Seiko.

The results are astonishing for an executive diesel sedan. With 272 hp and 412 lb-ft of torque, this car can break traction for fun. It only comes with an auto box at the moment, as BMW say there's just too much torque for its manual boxes to handle, which, of course, begs questions about the longevity of the Hartge 330d.

And the really mad thing is that spending $950 with Superchips can boost this machine to 319 hp and a plain stupid 466 lb-ft of torque. That gives it the real-world midrange power of anything, bar the most expensive Mercedes AMGs, for about half the price and, at 34.4 mpg on a combined cycle, more than twice the economy. If BMW can be tempted to bring this stunning car to these shores, it will be a sensation. The future, it seems, is diesel.