Part of the reason that the BMW i8 was not a hugely popular car is that it featured a B38 three-cylinder engine. Another element is that it was a plug-in hybrid supercar, and many were not ready to adopt the technology a decade ago, but Trevor Elan from Bimmer Network is fixing both those problems. He’s ripping out the entire powertrain, including the electrified bits, and replacing them with a tuned B58 straight-six. It’s not really sacrilege, since BMW considered bigger engines for the i8, too, but this is not going to be easy, and it may have some unwanted consequences in the handling department. Nevertheless, work has already begun, and the battery pack has been stripped, among other things.

700-HP Engine for One-Off BMW i8

It remains to be seen how Trevor will fit an engine twice as long as the original in the i8 — especially since he’s not putting it behind the cabin but up front where the front electric motor once lived — but if he gets it to work, it will be a rowdy drive, with the inline-six coming from a crashed 2017 M340i xDrive that was capable of around 700 wheel horsepower. For the record, the original powertrain was only rated for a combined total of 369 hp, so Trevor will need to use the transmission and possibly even the drive shafts and hubs of his donor car to put that power down. He’s already conceded that custom subframes will be necessary, with these designed to allow the transmission and transfer case of the swapped power unit to fit where the high-voltage battery did.

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There’s also the issue of tuning, and we presume the 3 Series will have to donate its ECU to the build. Additional effort may also be required in the bodywork department, since the i8’s famously skinny original wheels may need upgrading, and that could cause clearance issues with the carbon fiber monocoque. At this point, it seems simpler to body-swap the i8 onto a 2 Series, but perhaps Trevor thinks that’s too easy.

Straight-Six BMW i8 Will Be Tricky to Drive

Weight distribution is going to be significantly altered, and to try to address this (and because the front bay was never designed to accommodate an engine, let alone its ancillaries), Trevor is putting the radiators and other cooling elements in the back of the car, where the three-pot engine previously lived. Whether this will be enough to neutralize understeer, and whether these cooling systems will be able to cope with the heat generated by a 700-hp turbocharged straight-six while being mounted in the back, remains to be seen, but if it all works out, this will be one undeniably unique build.

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Singer Vehicle Design is best known for its subtle yet exceptional reimaginings of the Porsche 911, but with the widebody, 700-hp DLS Turbo, subtlety has been dropped from the vocabulary. That said, the first example of this new run of extraordinary restomods aims to infuse some tact into the 9,000-rpm beast, with an ombré, transitional paint finish that helps conceal the extra rear width of the chunky but lightweight carbon fiber bodywork. Dubbed “Sorcerer” by its commissioning owner, DLS Turbo #1, this is arguably a far prettier rendition of Singer’s most extreme offering yet than the tangerine example first exhibited at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2023.

Style Meets Substance in the Singer DLS Turbo

The color of this example, which features the track-focused bodywork option, is called Fantasia Blue, and it’s contrasted by black anodized upper trims, with the lower trims in satin carbon fiber. Adding some visual lightness to the build are forged magnesium centerlock wheels in a Champagne finish, measuring 19 inches in front and 20 inches at the back. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires have been mounted thereupon, and within the barrels of these motorsport-inspired wheels, a set of CCM-R carbon-ceramic brake discs with monoblock calipers have been squeezed. That brings us to the substance of the project.

The Singer DLS Turbo, or more accurately, the “Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer – DLS Turbo,” powers the rear wheels with a 3.8-liter, four-valve, twin-turbocharged flat-six with water-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. This combination produces over 700 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque, and unlike a contemporary 911 Turbo, the engine revs all the way to 9,000 rpm, singing through the side exits of a hybrid Inconel and titanium exhaust system. Also unlike a modern 911 Turbo, the driver must use their right hand and left leg to shift a six-speed manual, and with five drive modes to choose from, learning how to get the most out of the powertrain can be a gradual process. But with double wishbone suspension in front and trailing arms at the rear, not to mention a much wider track than the 964-generation 911 this is based on, grip and traction are in abundance. Exploiting the DLS Turbo’s performance is done from an equally fantastic cabin.

Singer’s Interiors Are Always Magical

There is no Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer that has a sub-par interior, whether it’s the original Classic or a DLS Turbo like this, with all of them featuring bespoke finishes and upholstery. In this case, the seats have been lovingly trimmed in Pebble Grey leather with Pearl Grey Alcantara seat centers and contrasting piping in Champagne. The lattermost color is the foundation of the roomy and airy feel of the cockpit, but like the exterior, some contrast is necessary, so satin carbon fiber reappears, including in the cross-brace behind the occupants. Ahead of the driver, Singer’s handmade floating gauges have been given Champagne bezels, and in the hopes that the owner will use the car regularly, the car boasts a nose-lift system, modern air-conditioning, navigation, and Apple CarPlay.

Related: Porsche Wants to Use a Drone to Show Drivers the Perfect Racing Line

Then again, those features should go without saying in a car rumored to cost in the region of $3 million. That’s around twice as much as the best examples of the Porsche 934/5 that the DLS Turbo is inspired by have sold for, but those Seventies race cars can’t be enjoyed on the road. Hopefully, this one will be, not stored in the hopes it fetches an even loftier auction estimate a few years from now.

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