There’s nothing more exciting than adding a big turbocharger to your own car, but if the upgrade is done improperly the end result could have dire consequences.
Now, we’re not saying that this particular turbocharged M20 2.0-litre inline six E30 is an example of questionable tuning quality, but it shows how even a well-thought-out mod can “spark” some troubles.
Apparently, the incident happened at Street Car Takeover Indy after the owner of the convertible 3-Series BMW took his beloved car for a power-drive. During the overly-excited driving session, the engine’s turbo burst into flames at around 120 mph (193 km/h), but the owner didn’t seem very bothered with it.
In fact, if you listen closely towards the end of the video, someone can be heard jovially saying “it’s on fire again”, which might make us think that’s the car’s main thing…
Joking aside, the “incident” was likely caused by an oil leak – as the video description says – dripping onto the exhaust manifold. Lucky for the driver, there wasn’t anything flammable around the turbocharger so the misfortune was treated with some good laughs.
Still, shall we remind you to don’t try this at home, and immediately stop the vehicle if its turbocharger happens to be on fire?