If there is someone of Manhart-Racing, who can be asked anything about the history of the company, the world of tuning, et cetera, it must be Franz Simon. He is involved with the company in Wüppertal since he was a child. Recently we visited the company for a series of reports for you, which will be published in the upcoming weeks. In this interview you will get an image of who Franz is and what this International Sales & Business Development Manager does for Manhart-Racing.
Who is Franz Simon?
‘’In the past few years, I have been busy expanding our business in the Middle-East. It started in Dubai and expanded to the entire Middle-East over the years. Also I lived in Dubai for some years, here I had the advantage of the brutal MH3S Biturbo. Next to that, I’m specialized in software development of BMW’s, so we could easily get more power out of the engines without too much effort.’’
Are you always busy with cars and the things around it?
‘’Just like most of you, I have been a total petrol head for my entire life. It all started with modifying cars, and tinkering race cars. I’m a regular visitor of the Nürburgring, but also drove circuits like the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi and the Dubai Autodrome. As you would expect, my big automotive love is BMW, I’ve owned four M5’s and two M3’s over the years. Drifting is something I would like to train myself in. At the moment, I’ve quite mastered it!’’
We get the impression that the popularity of tuning is growing; Is that true, and what’s the reason behind that?
‘’Yes, we agree. The meaning of the word tuning has become much wider. In the past, tuning was something done to the youth’s cheaper cars. Tuning for exclusive cars is a growing market as exclusive cars are now also made in high numbers. It’s not unusual that new BMW’s roll into our workshop straight from the factory.’’
Can you tell us about different projects. Are there special requests or demands?
‘’Manhart-Racing’s projects are extremely variable. Some people call us for a ‘simple’ software remap. Other customers choose for a unique engine swap, including a new bodywork and interior. You really have to visit Manhart-Racing to get an idea of the diversion between projects. Think about the BMW M3 E30 with the V8-engine from the M5 E39 or an BMW M3 E46 with the V10-engine previously powering the M5 E60. These are the unique projects which make us distinguished.’’
Someone who buys a Manhart-product; what can he expect?
‘’Nowadays, a tuner is more than just an automotive company specialized in gaining extra power and fancy carbon fiber parts. It’s about lifestyle. We talk about an small, exclusive group of people who receive tested products of extremely high quality. If someone decides to buy a real Manhart car, then you will get the most extreme BMW-based car on the market. The Manhart MH5 S Biturbo and MH3 Biturbo are good examples of these cars.’’
The turbo-engines of BMW, how do you feel about them?
‘’Fantastic! Of course the engines BMW builds are legendary, think about the six-cylinder S54 from the M3, the S85B50 is probably even more impressive! These are the treasures of the automotive industry, despite they are very restricted when it comes to tuning. There are other tuners who have a superchargers upon the V10. Those engines just aren’t built for such resources. These things influence the character of the car, something which I find strange. When we look at the development of turbo-engines over the past ten years, we can be very proud. Of course you will miss the V10-howl, but the possibilities for tuning are immense, while the construction of the engine remains the same. You don’t place a turbo to an atmospheric engine. With the Manhart MH5 S Biturbo and MH3 Biturbo we show we have the advantage of outstanding technique to create a fantastic car.’’
What’s the ambition of the company Manhart?
‘’On the moment 50 percent of our products are export products, most of them go to Azia and the Middle-East. Still there are new markets which we find interesting, think of Russia, where tuning grew explosively over the last five years. There is an ask for products like Manharts in this market. Our ambination is to make things which other call impossible. We build the extreme, that’s our focus. We show this with our current models, but the end is not near.’’
In the following article featuring Manhart we examine a Manhart MH5 S Biturbo scrupulously. We spend a day with the car to make a photo report of this M5, currently it is the fastest and most powerful BMW M5 F10 in Europa.
