Electronically limited to 137 MPH, this M3’s got some special sauce under the hood.
This E36 M3 has the distinction of being SF CHP’s High Speed of the Month for November. According to the CHP San Francisco in a post earlier this week (Sepp 30 2020), officer Marvier could not believe his radar gun, it read 144 MPH, over twice the posted 65 MPH speed limit.
Check out their post below.
CHP SF notes,
Of all the speeds that were observed and documented, this was the highest speed cited this month.
Here’s that location on Google Maps. As you can see this stretch of road runs like the Mulsanne Straight. From where the 92 meets the 280, well into Millbrae, it’s at least a seven-mile straight. With four lanes and light traffic, it’s a speeders dream.
So color me not surprised that the owner of this S52-powered German machine didn’t feel so inclined to let its straight-six stretch its legs. Even though the United States got shortchanged with a far less powerful engine with 240 HP and 252 lb-ft compared to the Euro M3’s 286 HP and 336 lb-ft, our N. American M3 was no slouch.
Throw close to $1000 in bolt-ons, including a Euro Mass Air Flow sensor with correct adapter, a less restrictive intake, and a proper flash tune, like this one from Turner Motorsport, and that power deficit is easily rectified.
Caught at 144 MPH, 7 over the limiter, this M3’s got some work under the hood.
I’d be remiss not to mention the irony of this “top speed of the month” post. CHP mentions that offenders over 100+ MPH get slapped with a potential four-figure fine, a court appearance, two points on your record and a 30-day suspension.
This post is meant to deter speeders. But, for bragging clout like this, getting a “top score,” those charges might be worth it to a high-speed adrenaline junkie.
If we see a new top Speed well over 144 next month, I wouldn’t be surprised if the CHP pulls this unofficial (let’s call it what it sounds like) “speed contest” of sorts.
