The BMW E90 four-seater in the Shiftech Drift Series : Build reccord

Salim Karouache, winner of the Shiftech Drift Series, was about to receive his competition crate. So far, nothing exceptional. Except that we decided to keep four seats, which changes absolutely everything in the manufacturing choices.

There was no question of cutting out the floor to integrate the fuel tank as on a classic E92. The rear bench has been replaced by approved bucket seats, but the car still has four seats. That's the constraint, and all the technical solutions flow from it.

It's one of the few cars in the French Drift Championship's Elite category to have approved passenger seats. But that's not a detail.

The first big sequence in the video: the fuel circuit, made with AN fittings sent by Nuke, and the control was indeed impressive. From D4 to D20, PTFE, classic, with the compact set of spanners for working in tight corners.

The tank chosen is an FIA-approved 30-litre ATL, positioned on the rear axle. This was a deliberate decision to shift weight to the front and avoid overloading the overhang. The original anti-caking foam has been removed: incompatible with E85, it would disintegrate and end up in the pumps.

instead, an integrated pump kit with an anti-spill 'basket' system has been fitted: a feed pump continuously fills a 1.5-litre basket, which is then fed to the high-pressure pumps. The result: zero spillage, even when cornering sharply at full load. Two charge pumps, one high-pressure pump - more than enough for the level of power this car is aiming for.

The system passes through the entire body, under the bodyshell, and exits into the engine compartment via bulkheads installed behind the firewall. As required by regulations, there are no fuel connections in the passenger compartment.

The sequential lever is a Samsonas. The gearbox is fitted with an injection cut-off sensor on the lever: the system cuts the injection at each gear change to ensure that the gearbox engages cleanly and effortlessly. The clutch circuit incorporates a quick-release system, enabling the gearbox to be removed quickly and reconnected in three perfectly sealed gestures.

The IRP engine mounts are installed and welded in place. Peppinox and Tedy had already cut the parts beforehand, saving precious time on such a tight build. The gearbox support was made using a 'little fish' shimming technique to adjust the height to the millimetre, then TIG welded.

The Westgate circuit has 18 fittings per circuit: 45°, 90°, NPT 1/16, NPT 1/4. All in dash 4, cleaner than the previous generation.

Day 3: tired, but radiator fitted, fan connected, expansion tank connected, fuel circuit completed, rear axle filled.

Day 4 and 5: Gearbox set, PDM positioned, engine ECU (new generation) in place, brake bled. A few parts, a few brackets and an H4 connector are still missing, which means we lose a day.

Day 6 and 7: the car goes to Sofiane and his brother, from Brothers Custom, for the wiring and finishing touches. That's where Tedy attacks the wiring harness. The power relay, the bulkhead pass-through for the battery, the engine weights on the gearbox side - everything is prepared in advance to save him time.

The night before the test, it's 11pm. The car is still being wrapped. Salim arrives at the workshop. We'd have preferred him to see it completely wrapped, but there wasn't enough time, as there had been from the start.

He takes part in the final touches. It's his project, his car, and he sees it take shape in the final hours. That's what a build is all about: the car is finished with its driver helping out in the final hours.

A short time. Far too little. A competition car, with four homologated seats, full fuel circuit, sequential gearbox, anti-skid system, automatic fire extinguisher, full wiring. The kind of build that would normally take several months to complete in just a few days of short nights.

What held it together: the partners who delivered quickly and well (Nuke, Peppinox, Tedy, Steve from Drift Shop, Signal Concept, Lighton Art, Brothers Custom), the organisation of the site, and a lot of hours that nobody counted.

Next up is the track. And we'll tell you all about it.