We previously reported on the extremely stunning Smit Oletha, a kind of love letter to the finest age of BMWs created by two Californians, Willem and Kaess Smit of Smit Vehicle Engineering. The Smit brothers took all of the greatest aspects of BMW from the late 1990s and early 2000s and combined them to produce what is probably the most flawless BMW product ever. And in this newest video, Autocar’s Matt Prior had the opportunity to drive it.
So, what exactly is the Smit Oletha? It begins as a first-generation BMW Z4, but the Smit brothers transform it with an entirely custom-designed carbon fiber body that is really stunning. It combines the greatest stylistic elements from the Z4 and the BMW Z8 to create what would certainly be one of the two or three best-looking BMWs of all time if it were an official Bimmer. Inside, it’s effectively a Z4, but whining about it is like to whining about Ana de Armas farting in her sleep.
The stroked S65 engine from the E92 BMW M3 GTS powers the 4.4-liter naturally aspirated V8 that revs beyond 8,000 rpm. More significantly, it creates an amazing amount of noise. It has a muscle car tone to it at low rpm, but as the revs rise, you get that scent of racing and it’s fantastic. All of that rage is sent to the rear wheels through a mechanical limited-slip differential via a six-speed manual gearbox.
It sits on KW two-way coilovers, which Smit and KW are revising so that it handles like a sports car even though it sounds like a muscle car.
Yes, it’s pricey, ranging between $350,000 and $450,000 depending on whether you purchase the V8 or I6, but it’s a one-of-a-kind machine that will most likely make you happy for the rest of your life.
[From Autocar]
