A 270 km/h exit speed from an 8,31-second quarter-mile run would put built all-wheel-drive supercars to shame and that is exactly what this diesel-powered Romanian BMW 1 Series is all about.
More numbers shall we? The Romanian BMW 1 Series dragster can get to 100 km/h from a standstill in the blink of an eye; 1,87 to be exact. It takes 4,71 seconds to double that speed and thus can manage to do a quarter-mile run in an impressive 8,31 seconds. This is a monumental time, the fact that it was done by a diesel hatchback that reportedly makes use of many standard BMW components is even more impressive.
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BMW Romania is the responsible party for making this news accessible to the world, the division in the country may not have completely sanctioned the build but proudly state that the E81 model makes use of many standard components. Originally starting life out as a 118d, the compact red hatch borrows an all-wheel drive system from an E90 330d xDrive while the motor has been taken from a 335d from the same generation while an X6 eight-speed transmission furiously shuffles through the gears.
The turbocharged 3,0-litre mill can reportedly put out around 750 kW which aided the Romanian BMW 1 Series to achieve a few records at Romania’s drag championship. The owner; Dragos Stacescu, confirms that the behemoth machine does use many standard BMW OEM components estimating that approximately 75% of the transmission and engine components are off the shelf.
The following video provided by M5Phenomenon on YouTube shows the record run here. Expectedly, there is an undeniable turbo whistle which feeds the motor and some billowing black smoke as the parachute-equipped model hauls down the runway and towards the finish line. Impressive, for a diesel.
