THE two-time international engine of the year will be at the heart of a quest to win the Finke Desert Race this year.
Start Me Up Racing has chosen a BMW M6 V10 5-litre engine to shoehorn into their off-road buggy to tackle the tough Alice Springs race in June.
Driver Matt Hanson, 34, of Melbourne said the choice was easy as he drives an M6.
"The most attractive thing is the torque," said Hanson who won the national 1600cc off-road class last year.
"You need lots of torque for off-road racing."
The M6 engine produces 395kW of power and 542Nm of torque, with 406Nm at just 1500rpm.
In testing, they have recorded 220km/h on sand with the wheels still spinning and more power in reserve.
Hanson said they bought the engine from California and kept it fairly standard, except for the addition of a Motec engine management system, sports exhaust system and six-speed Albins gearbox.
Even the M6 rev limit of 8250rpm has been retained.
The buggy cost $300,000 to build with the engine costing up to $80,000.
The team of Hanson and co-driver Luke Gladman hope to win the national Pro Class Buggy category for two-wheel-drive vehicles with up to six litres capacity.
Their biggest threat is three-time champion Shannon and Ian Rentsch in a Chenowth powered by a two-litre Nissan SR20 turbo.
Hanson also plans to take the buggy to the US to compete in the off-road series which includes the famous Baja 1000 race down the Californian peninsula into Mexico.
However, they have ruled out an attempt at the Dakar Rally as too expensive.
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