Video: 1,400-PS BMW M4 bursts into flames on the dyno

Maximum PSI, a team of dedicated tuners and drag racers from New Jersey, took a 1,100-horsepower BMW M4 drag machine to a recent competition and still failed to outrace the competition. A decision was made to push the engine to its limits – and it proved a costly one.

The tuners began by upgrading the intercooler and reinforcing the transmission yet again. These measures alone reportedly helped them squeeze 1,300 horsepower (970 kilowatts) out of the S58 mill. However, not being ones to leave good enough alone, they went further and added a nitrous system to the setup.

It all went well until it didn’t. The car slammed the dyno stand with a record-breaking 1,395 PS (1,376 hp / 1,026 kW) before it exploded with the driver still inside. The fires were put out quickly and no one got hurt, unless you count hurt pride.

What impresses the most is how quickly the team was able to undo the incident. They had only two days before the next race but didn’t feel like dropping out just like that. In the end, they sourced all the necessary replacements and repaired the car. It cost a pretty penny and it still failed to show a good quarter-mile time due to some leftover transmission quirks, but the very fact that it was back on track so soon was a feat in itself.