70 BMWcar
SPECIALIST PROFILE
at an event recently and saw a modified
M5 that was producing 700hp. The owner
had apparently spent £30,000 on the
modifications so far.
“It’s a very personal process for these
enthusiasts and, in some cases, is almost
like a drug for them. Typically, though, they
never recoup their costs, and plenty of them
don’t drive the cars to anywhere near their
full potential. It’s simply all about how the
car looks, sounds and feels, emotionally.” POWER GAINS
“Of course, the reality now is that it’s very
hard to get significant power gains from
a sports exhaust system. In most cases,The OEM’s rear pipes and silencer box
arrangements are replaced with something
that works and sounds better
Many of Scorpion’s systems
are simply sleeved on to a car’s
original exhaust pipework, so
returning the vehicle to standard
trim is simple, if needs be.Here’s a Scorpion cat-back
system fitted to an M2; it
sounds fantastic!you’ll be looking at no more than a 4-5hp
increase on a cat-back system, which will
be undetectable on most performance
cars. However, this is just one aspect of the
overall package – throttle response, weight
reduction, sound, power and the general
emotion, that an aftermarket exhaust gives
you. We can create much more meaningful
gains for track car projects, but they won’t
be road-legal.
“We don’t set ourselves up as tuners, and
never have done. Although we do what we
can to bolster power outputs, and operate
totally professional and state-of-the-art
design and testing procedures, our main
aim is to make our customers happier with
the sound of their cars, and to cater for the
widest possible market.
“Vehicle manufacturers like BMW
inevitably end up with a design compromise
on their exhaust products, with homologation
requirements, emissions regulations and
model differentiation being big factors in
this. So, there’s usually room for some
improvement, and the individual owners we
work with are often keen to squeeze out
every last horsepower they can get.
“I’m optimistic for the future, and all
the signs suggest that the demand for
aftermarket sports exhausts remains as
strong as ever. Our strongest sales are
among owners of 3-5-year-old vehicles,
and the vast majority of these simply
want their cars to sound better, without
being over-the-top. The years we’ve spent
working with OEMs and racing teams give
us a unique breadth of experience to call
on, and I’m very happy at the prospect of
continuing to help enthusiastic owners who
want nothing more than to enjoy driving
their cars.” l