The 10 Cylinder Dream: This Is Project Longhorn

What originally started from just a car and a kid with an idea, to passion and asking how far I could actually go. The answer is apparently a lot further than I ever imagined.

My name is Forrest Helton, and this is the story of my BMW E46, known as Project Longhorn. The car started off as a 2002 BMW E46 sedan; it was my first car and I fell in love with it. Growing up in a family surrounded by old Porsches and Mercedes, I naturally got the bug for racing.

It started off with taking the car to local autocross and HPDE events, which pushed me to install lower suspension, larger wheels and tires – and to make the car lighter.

Through these events, I would meet some people who helped land me a job at a company called Dusold Designs. They’re well known for their 1967 Pikes Peak Chevrolet Camaro and many other custom-built time attack monsters, so just being around these cars inspired me to develop my BMW even further.

I continued modifying the car, making custom electronics for easier engine and transmission tuning. I did all of this on late nights and weekends, making sure the car was assembled just enough to make it to class and work the next day. After a while, the BMW became too hardcore to drive every day, so I had to get a daily driver.

After several years, I became one of Dusold’s electrical specialists and found myself working with some of the biggest names in the Time Attack and Hill Climb scenes, going to events across the United States including Gridlife, Super Lap Battle, and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

The more events I went to, the more I wanted to build a Time Attach machine of my own. The developments to my BMW continued to progress, gutting more weight out of the car, building the engine, adding a turbocharger for more power, and building a stronger driveline.

I fitted a custom body kit and aerodynamics to the car, taking what I learned from building cars at work to help improve the BMW.

Testing on track showed cooling issues, so the radiator was moved to the rear of the car to help improve the weight distribution and cooling efficiency. A new set of wheels and Michelin slicks were also installed.

After working for Dusold Designs for several years, I was offered an opportunity to work for Porsche Cars North America. I moved from Texas to Georgia, leaving the BMW behind and tucked away in storage. I was gone for over a year, and all I could think about was going back to racing. I moved back to Texas and took the car out of storage, with a new plan in mind.

The BMW has always been my experiment, maybe even just an expensive passion project. It has ultimately led me to where I am today, so after sitting out for over a year I was ready to come back to realise the potential I’ve always seen in it.

With the help of my father, we have decided to rebuild the car as Project Longhorn. We’re starting from the ground floor, rebuilding the chassis and body around a new engine – BMW’s legendary S85 V10.

Every inch of the car will be torn apart and rebuilt to a new standard, to be competitive while still retaining the ability to be displayed as an art masterpiece.

The disassembly process has already begun, getting the old engine out and preparing the chassis for the much larger V10 unit. I 3D scanned the engine and engine bay so I could put the two in the computer and get measurements, and for a visual idea on how the new engine will fit.

Project Longhorn will also be fully documented in an episode series that will cover all the details that go into building a project like this.

Episodes are out now, and can be found on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@heltondynamics