It's not every day the words "BMW M3->ke2366" and "Electric" get thrown together, but today is one of those days. Rimac Automobili - yes, the same guys that introduced the Concept One - have taken a 1984 BMW M3 and converted it to an electric piece of automotive wonder.

The idea came about when Mate Rimac - the founder of Rimac Automobili - blew out the engine of his Bimmer while racing. He then started to read about how to develop electric vehicles and after one year of work, his end result netted him a heavy and not very powerful vehicle with a very limited range. Since that time, Rimac's BMW has gone through five development phases during which almost everything about the car was changed. The time Rimac spent on this vehicle and the help he received from experts in the electric car field, gave way to the Rimac e-M3, which has become one of the fastest and most exciting electric cars in the world. Its electric motor delivers a total of 600 HP and 664 lb-ft of torque, which sprints the car from 0 to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds up to a top speed of 174 mph. It also has a range of 111 miles.

The Rimac e-M3 has already smashed five world records (three of which are still waiting for official FIA approval) when he took the car on a two-mile long military runway near Zagreb on April 17th, 2011.

Hit the jump for a full list of the Rimac e-M3's new world records and a list of performance specs!

1984 BMW e-M3 by Rimac

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 1984 BMW e-M3 by Rimac
  • Horsepower: 600
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

New World Records

-1/8 mile: 7.549 seconds

-1/4 mile: 11.808 seconds

-1/2 km: 13.714 seconds (pending FIA approval)

-1 km: 23.260 seconds (pending FIA approval)

-1 mile: 35.347 seconds (pending FIA approval)

Performance

-Power output (wheels): 404 kW / 550 WHP

-Power output (motor): 441 kW / 600 HP

-Torque: 900 Nm (664 lb-ft)

-Weight: 1150 kg (2,535 lbs)

-Stored energy: 24 kWh

-Range: 180 km (111 miles)

-0-100km/h (62mph): 3.3 sec.

-¼ Mile time: 11.3 sec.

-Max. speed: 280 km/h (174 mph)