story by: Performance Motor Media 22 June 2010 Savspeed BMW E46 M3 Turbo
 
For some, just owning and driving the iconic BMW E46 M3 is enough. The car made 252 kW of power at 7 900 rpm and 365 Nm of torque at 4 900 rpm from its high revving naturally aspirated straight six powerplant when it left the factory.
 
This is good enough to get the car to 100 km/h in less than 6 seconds, cross the ¼ mile mark in just under 14 seconds at 160 km/h while covering the 1 km sprint in a time and speed of over 26 seconds at 208 km/h while registering a limited true top speed of just over 260 km/h.
 
Good enough a few years ago to humble most, but since then, the manufacturer power war has raged on fiercely, and now even hot hatches are producing power outputs and timed speeds that could potentially embarrass an M3 owner.  
 
So what then are your options if you are a discerning BMW enthusiast that wants the ultimate in M power?
 
Then there is only one way to go, and that is to let Sav Gaultieri and his team at Savspeed turn your Bavarian machine into a supercar destroying beast by turbocharging it!
 
With more than 100 turbocharged BMWs under their belt, and an unbeatable industry reputation for building seriously fast and reliable cars, you know that the numbers are going to impress you.
 
Using only best aftermarket performance parts along with the likes of forged rods and pistons, and completely rebuilding the engine from bottom to top, you now have various stage options that deliver power from 495 kW up to a massive 595 kW, and from 740 Nm to 920 Nm of torque, all just waiting to be unleashed under your right foot.
 
Browse through any motoring publication or website and count the number of multi million rand supercars you can buy in the world that makes this sort of power. The list is very short if not completely empty.
 
To back up this power statement, Savpeed had a standard M3 and one of their off the floor M3 turbos independently tested at Gerotek, and the results were nothing short of amazing. Outside of a healthy dose of wheelspin initially, the boosted car simply runs away from the standard car and most anything else on the road all the way to a very limited 316 km/h true top speed.
 
100 km/h comes up in a standard street tyre burning 4.5 seconds and 200 km/h arrives a full 10 seconds ahead of the normal car a mere 12 seconds after setting off. The 1km time and speed keeps the turbo M3 buried in supercar territory at 21 seconds at over 260 km/h.
 
Performance numbers are just one very important aspect of this upgrade, the big plus is that you retain that great M3 feel, drivability and all the luxury that came with your M3 to start with, but now only with a substantial amount of proven and reliable extra horsepower!
 
To find out more, contact Sav Gaultieri on 011 609 7017 or 083 948 7948 or you can visit their website at www.savspeed.co.za, and they will tailor a boost package to suit most budgets.
 
Tested Results
Std M3                                   M3 Turbo
 
0-100 km/h                 5.65 secs                   4.57 secs
0-200 km/h                 22.95 secs                 12.99 secs
 
¼ Mile Time               13.95 secs                 12.65 secs
¼ Mile Speed            159.62 km/h               196.89 secs
 
1km Time                   26.18 secs                 21.05 secs
1km Speed                208.23 km/h               261.86 km/h
 
True Top Speed        260.93 km/h               315.98 km/h