With the incredible array of cars competing and on display each year, the Gatebil events always amaze me.
Whether it’s an 800-horsepower Volvo Amazon or a BMW-based Hudson hot rod, there’s always something unique lurking in the paddocks. At the Gatebil Summer Festival 2024, I came across Johan Person Ehlin’s 1992 BMW E36 325i coupe. Leaving Mantorp Park without an attraction was simply not an option.
Johana 33-year-old service technician from Halmstad, Sweden, put his blood, sweat and tears into this wild build. His fascination with how things work started in childhood, which often led him to dismantle things. This interest soon expanded to mechanical objects, starting with mopeds and eventually moving on to cars – a path commonly followed by many Swedish builders.
Johan’s foray into car modification started with a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V time attack, before moving on to drifting. In 2010 he bought this BMW E36, but sold it shortly afterwards due to its high power compared to his drifting skills at the time. In 2017, he bought the car back with the intention of using it as a donor for a friend’s project.
However, this plan quickly changed; Johan kept the 3 Series and then converted it into one of the craziest E36s in Scandinavia.
Externally, the BMW has undergone a complete transformation with a factory M kit, although the front bumper is a replica due to damage from a minor accident. The front also benefits from an M3 GTR-inspired hood, while the rear features an M3 GT wing and a Maxton Design rear diffuser.
Fitment Lab’s Phase 2 front fenders and Phase 3 rear fenders create a cohesive look, and the car is finished in Lexus Matador Red Mica.
The rear wheel arches have been extended approximately 100mm fore and aft and 170mm inwards to accommodate the larger wheel and tire combination. The new mounting points for the arms offer more adjustability than the original setup.
Up front, the car rides on 18 x 10.5-inch Kansei KNP wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tires, while the rear features 15 x 10-inch Weld Prostar drag racing wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson ET Street slicks.
Yes, although the car was originally built for drifting, it is now an all-rounder, with only a few minor adjustments needed between the straight line/half mile and sideways settings.
The chassis has undergone extensive changes using a mix of BMW components. Johan has also modified the E36 M3 wishbones for wider wheels and tires, while the upper and lower camber arms are from T-Parts. The rear suspension bridge extends across the entire floor to the support towers, which are reinforced and connected to the 8.5-point roll cage.
For the shocks, Johan chose BC Racing Extreme Drop coilovers with 12 kg springs in the front and BC Racing RH coilovers with 8 kg springs in the rear.
The braking system includes BMW F22 M240 brake calipers combined with 340 mm brake discs from a Volkswagen Transporter at the front, and twin BMW E34 M5 brake calipers at the rear – one for the handbrake and one for the foot brake – together with BMW E34 M5 Brembo discs and pillows.
Inside, the cabin is all business. It is equipped with a Toorace TR02 seat for Johan and a Bimarco Futura seat for the passenger, both secured with RRS 6-point racing harnesses. The Finess roll cage improves the rigidity and safety of the chassis.
Additional components include a Coolerworx handbrake and a custom intercom system. All critical information is displayed on an ECUMaster ADU 7-inch display.
What really sets this E36 apart, however, is its monstrous engine…
The S50, taken from a BMW E36 M3, has a 3.0 liter block that is partly filled with concrete that has been drilled out to 87 mm and is equipped with new cooling channels. It sits 25mm lower in the chassis than normal, thanks to the custom M3 subframe.
The engine also benefits from a 3.2-litre BMW S50 crankshaft, forged rods from DP Engine Parts and CP forged pistons. In addition, the cylinder head was lightly ported by Erland Cox and fitted with PPF valves and upgraded springs.
What initially struck me in the Gatebil paddock was the absence of the right headlight, instead a Reverselab air intake. This directs air into the Precision Turbo 82mm turbocharger, mounted on a wild tubular exhaust manifold. An external 66mm precision wastegate controls the boost.
A modified intake system features two rows of 1,500 cc fuel injectors, plus an additional 1,000 cc water/methanol injector to cool the charge and reduce the risk of explosion. An innovative burst valve prevents damage from intake backfire, and a pre-filter ensures oil system integrity.
Finally, the exhaust system – a 4-inch stainless steel setup, exiting through the right side sill with a 5-inch stainless steel muffler from Speeding. 1,126 hp never sounded so good.
Shifting is managed by a Mid Valley NC500 shifter with a Hurst knob, paired with a Mid Valley NC500 H-pattern dog box transmission and a Tenaci dual-disc clutch. The rear axle came from an E36 M3, with the differential housing from an E32 740.
Although the car has not yet seen quarter-mile action, Johan has raced it at the Nordic Half Mile (0-804m), where he finished in eleventh place and traveled from a standstill at 180.7mph (298.8km/h). the finish line came.
Over the past thirty years, Gatebil has brought Scandinavia’s wildest models to the market, and Johan’s E36 definitely falls into that category. What an absolute weapon!
Alen Haseta
Instagram: Hazeta
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