We Knew You Shouldn’t Feed BMWs After Midnight
- A heavily modified first-generation BMW X5 is currently listed for sale on eBay.
- It features a custom hood, wide fenders, and a hand-textured reptilian-style wrap.
- The SUV also gains a lifted suspension setup and a remapped 400 hp V8 engine.
It’s not every day you see a two-decade-old BMW SUV looking like it just rolled out of a Mad Max casting call. The original E53 BMW X5, introduced 26 years ago, has aged surprisingly well with its clean, muscular proportions. Still, one British owner decided that “subtle” wasn’t quite the vibe they were going for.
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They gave the X5 4.8iS, which was about as close as the E53 ever got to a true M model, a full makeover, starting with a custom hood and a hand-textured finish across the entire body. The result is a head-turner in every sense, whether you’re admiring it or just confused by it.
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The first thing that grabs your attention is the front end, which now sports an oddly snout-like profile. The BMW kidney grille sits higher than usual, perched on a bulging hood that gives the whole nose an animalistic look. This unusual and somewhat divisive design came to life by cutting into the original hood and welding in aluminum sections to raise the center portion.
To match the dramatic hood, the builder added custom fiberglass fender flares at both ends, smoothly integrated into the doors and bumpers. Then there’s the texture. The entire exterior has been coated in Raptor paint and painstakingly worked by hand to mimic the appearance of scaled skin.
Another highlight is the 18-inch wheels by KMC that are shod in 33-inch mud-terrain tires. These are combined with a lift kit and a bull bar, giving the X5 a stance worthy of a hardcore off-roader.
Photos Custombeast / eBay
Under the hood sits a 4.8-liter V8, the most powerful engine offered in this generation of the X5. It made 355 hp (265 kW / 360 PS) from the factory, but thanks to an ECU remap, it now pushes close to 400 hp.
The stock air suspension has been removed and replaced with fixed springs that lower the front by 65 mm (2.6 inches) and the rear by 50 mm (2 inches). Brembo brakes have been added at all four corners, and the exhaust has been modified for a more aggressive sound.
More: BMW Was Deadly Serious About Making This Freaky X5-Z4 Coupe Crossover Mashup
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All of those modifications took three months and the vehicle was completed in early 2019. The X5 has stayed with the same owner since, and is now up for sale on eBay. According to the listing, “pictures do not do this car justice compared to seeing it in the flesh”.
Despite its heavily modified looks, this X5 was used as a daily driver, and the odometer now reads 102,000 miles (164,153 km). The seller claims it has a full service history and that most components have been properly maintained.
The builder, who still owns the vehicle, has listed it for £24,950 ($33,800). That’s a hefty ask for a first-generation X5, no matter how modified it is. Still, it’s a bargain compared to the eye-watering price tag once attached to the ultra-rare BMW Sbarro XX5 a few years back.
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