How would you like to get behind the wheel of a true BMW X3 rally car?
After a lifetime of racing in some of the toughest environments on Earth, rally cars are eventually retired by their drivers in favor of brand new vehicles. This doesn’t mean that the original car is too beat up for racing, though. Most teams will keep their cars in tip-top shape right up until it heads to the scrapheap--or in this case, to the used car lot.
This BMW X3 was originally a pretty standard people-mover, but it was saved from a lifetime of taking the kids to school and gathering groceries on weekends by X-Raid, a German rally team. They converted this X3 into an off-road monster that’s been in such races as the Dakar Rally and the FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup.
This particular model is still in its Dakar Rally-spec. Under the hood is a 3.0-L twin-turbo diesel engine with 315 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. A Sadev 6-speed sequential gearbox sends power to a Sadev central differential which distributes it to all four wheels.
Those wheels, by the way, are 16-inch BBS rims with massive Michelin Latitude C off-road tires.
Suspension is fully independent with adjustable dampers connected to a tube-chassis frame from Hegemann with a body made from a combination of carbon fiber and kevlar.
As a rally car, this X3 comes outfitted with a ton of spare parts to help lift it back up after the inevitable on-rally breakdown. There is also a tire inflation system, spare jack, spare tire, and lots of water bottles.
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The inside is pretty barebones, at least in terms of modern amenities. There is air conditioning though, so running through the desert won’t result in a set of soaked racing seats. There’s also a ton of radios, GPS, and telemetry systems to keep you on track in the middle of nowhere.
You can buy the X3 Cross Country for the low price of $295,000, or rent it for an undisclosed fee. Renting does come with some perks, like “full service and spare parts, transport and service during event - T5 truck, T4 quick assistance + team of experienced mechanics. Ready for Dakar 2019."
So if you want to get into rally racing without the hassle of making your own rally car, this might be your ticket.
(Source: Motor1, Racecars Direct.com)