It's not the prettiest E39 I've ever seen. Nor is it the most practical. But it is for surely the most badass purpose-built drift-taxi I've ever laid eyes upon.


Enter Ben Sarli's drift creation. What began life as a 540i is now stripped out and fully caged, powered by the 2000 M5's 400hp V8, with a supercharger bolted on for an extra 153 horsepower. That makes 553 in total. Directly to the tire-shredding rear wheels.


And that's not even my favorite part.

Most drift cars are stripped of all seats save for one, where the driver sits. Or maybe two at the most, so one other can enjoy such smoky sideways nonsense. Ben's E39 has four full-on, five-point-harness'd, Sparco seats. Rear seats require roll cage in the rear, including a big crossbar between the front and back seats. If I'm gonna hop in any kind of "track taxi" I'd prefer to be cocooned in a properly built roll cage, and hugged by a Sparco, than simply buckled in.



I asked Ben for a quick explanation of his ultimate sideways machine and this is what I got:

The car is still a work in progress. As there is little aftermarket support for the E39 for what we are doing with it, we have to make all the parts. It's all trial and error. The front end has no bushings now. It's all custom-made spherical bearings. Modified steering stops give more steering angle, and I have some ideas of ways to get more I am still working on.


I trust that if Ben wants to go more sideways, he will find a way to go more sideways. He's already got the alcantara Momo steering wheel, customary hydraulic handbrake and appropriately large handle within a short reach of the steering wheel. This thing is meant to slide.


A few more facts about Ben's E39:

-weighs 3700 lbs -still has power windows, AC, and wood trim -engine has 279k miles -chassis has 195k miles -custom roll cage by Alexander Fabrications -supercharger by RK Autowerks

And here it is revving all eight of it's sweet, sweet, blown cylinders:

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