026: Building a Tube Frame 1100hp Time Attack Weapon

Is there something in the water? Is it a cultural thing? Maybe it's the 9 months of cold and dark per year that forces enthusiasts into their garages and workshops that results in some of the world's most extreme race car builds. 

Whatever the answer, there's no denying that Scandinavia is rich with incredible DIY engineers, fabricators, and engine builders, and Sweden's Karel Silha is one of the best.


The brains behind Karel S. Motorsport, Karel recently sat down with Tuned In's host Andre Simon talk all things race car design and fabrication, building big-power BMW M motors, aerodynamics, and much more.

In this episode, Karel and Andre dive deep into his latest build – an insane tubeframe time attack weapon based off a BMW M4 DTM and running a 1100hp twin-turbo BMW S65 V8 from an E90 M3.

Absolutely everything on this machine is custom, designed and fabricated from the ground up, and Karel goes into plenty of detail about the process – including the initial body design, which began as a 3D scan of a detailed 1:18 scale model of the actual DTM race car. The ups and downs of building high-powered yet reliable BMW motors are discussed, as are the insane aerodynamic aspects of the car and the suspension needed to work with it, along with the intense electronics and data acquisition capabilities that Karel has built in.

Karel has a lot of experience when it comes to going all-in on a build, and that means that plenty of lessons have been learnt along the way – many of which he's more than happy to discuss with Andre in this insightful and sometimes inspiring episode of the podcast.

If you like building cool things, going fast, and maybe taking things just a little too far in the workshop, this is one episode you're not going to want to miss.

Check out Karel's Instagram here: karel_s_motorsport

Want to learn more about motorsport wiring? Claim your spot to the next FREE lesson now.