Love going sideways? Well, who doesn’t. Meet the BMW 535i. This F10 BMW 535i is as rare as rare goes. It’s a long lost gem, which to start with, never sold big numbers here. Only about a handful are around anymore, scattered across the country like automotive treasure. Most people opted for the practical 520d, while those with a bit more cash and a need for speed went for the 530d. Only the truly enlightened, with both money and taste, snagged the 535i. Case in point - Sameep Bhasin, the owner of this car, a car nut who also owns a tuning shop by the name of Code6 in Nagpur.
From the factory, the 535i gets M dampers and an M sport bodykit. This 535i masquerades around town as a baby M5 with all these mods – matte black wrap, blacked out grille, rebadging with M emblems, carbonfibre diffuser, lip spoiler and quad-exhaust tips from Akrapovic.
Now, the piece de resistance – the engine. Ask a Gen-Z car enthusiast about their favourite engine, and you'll likely hear ‘B58’. But ask a Millennial, and the N55 would always top the charts. It is BMW's first straight-six engine to use a twin-scroll turbocharger and does duties in this BMW 535i, while the former, the B58, is its successor and now lies in the front-end of the all-rounder BMW M340i. In stock form, the 535i pushes out 302bhp and 400Nm. But this one runs a stage 2 tune by Code 6, mapped by Sameep himself, which helps the engine push up to 440bhp and 660Nm with E30 fuel. This fuel is a 30 per cent blend of ethanol in 95 octane petrol, and because this isn’t available at any gas station, Sameep blends it himself. When this blend is not available, by using regular 95 octane petrol from a gas station, the car can push 420bhp and 580Nm. The engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic, and it gets a stage 3 TCU tune (Transmission Control Unit) from xHP, for better gear ratios and shifting speed. You get switchable maps and exhausts modes – different maps that serve a specific purpose and exhaust modes with longer and shorter notes, and pops and bangs. The engine has been stripped apart once and built again to replace all the parts with forged internals and ACL race rod bearings, to make it reliable enough to take on more power. The engine bay also gets a nylon-infused carbonfibre ram intake from Bimmerhouse Performance, which has been placed right behind the front grille – this not only helps with better breathing but also elevates the look from the front end. The car rides on Rays black forged wheels – these cost Rs 5 lakh for a set of 4 (excluding Indian taxes and duties). With the increased power output, stock brakes were as effective as wet sponge. To improve stopping power, this 535i gets M carbon ceramic brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport tyres for increased grip, which still requires a lot of skill to tame at times. There’s also a limited-slip differential from Quaife, which ensures that all the power doesn’t just go up in smoke.
The beauty of this gen of the 5 Series is not only limited to the exterior but also reflected in the interior. It gets a plush cabin with high-quality beige leather upholstery, BMW’s iDrive system with a Harman Kardon sound system and the rear passengers get individual screens. The cabin also gets a fair few mods, the ones that take this 2011 car to a modern aged one. The analog cluster has been replaced with a digital instrument cluster from a G30 5 Series. You also get retro-fit soft-close doors and a new steering wheel with race display. The small display on the steering wheel shows data for the oil temperature, engine temperature and rpm meter.
I rode shotgun in the car while we were heading to our shoot location, and through the twisties, Sameep would come wide into the corner, hit apex and with a little more throttle, he would exit out of the corner and the car’s tail would slip out. The monsoon season turns driving this car into a hilarious slip and slide adventure and it reminded me why RWD cars are the most fun machines. It’s true – pour your heart into building something and it becomes a labour of love.