LS7-Swapped BMW E30 Seriously Shreds Tires

This E30-chassis BMW 3-Series drift car throws down and kills all tires with help from a nasty-sounding, rev-happy LS7 swap.

The LS engine basically has become the Swiss Army Tool of horsepower. Whatever the application, people seem to default to “LS swap it.” Need a 10-second drag car? Junkyard LS and a turbo. Want a hearty powerplant for your time-trial Miata? Any aluminum LS engine should do the trick. How about rock-crawling? Yep, LS that off-roading toy, too.

Perhaps more than any other motorsport, however, the LS has reached ubiquity in drifting. The GM V8s just seem to live to be leaned on. Bouncing off the rev limiter repeatedly all day? Bring it on. Adding a turbo? Happily. So we shouldn’t be surprised to see and hear Elias Hountondji’s LS7-swapped BMW E30 drift car captured by Italian videographer 19Bozzy92.

Like everything he captures, you’re gonna want the full picture because Bozzy always nails good sound quality. And this Black Label LS7 sounds just totally unreal. The absolutely filthy cam lope at idle sets the viewer/listener up for what will be a rev-happy LS treat.

You seldom think of a 7.0-liter engine as a rev monster, but this sucker just wants to shoot straight to redline all the time. The sound of ripping up to whatever insane rpm is set as the limiter is to die for.

This naturally-aspirated engine makes about 600 horsepower, according to Bozzy. While that sounds “small” compared to modern Formula Drift builds, you can see for yourself that Elias had little trouble killing all tires with that output.

We’re mighty impressed by this muscle-bound, Bavarian luxury sports car and how it handles sideways action. Like the Nissan S13 and S14 chassis, 3-Series Bimmers are becoming serious drift missiles. We’re pretty OK with that.