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It’s a big weekend for the BMW XM, as it assumes safety car duties for the Bathurst 12 Hour. There’ll be no missing it, in two-tone gold and black with lights on the top. And almost the size of Mount Panorama itself. But in a weird twist of fate, it’s probably not the most outlandish black and gold BMW XM just being revealed to the world – because Manhart has got hold of one…

This is the Thor upgrade, which doesn’t touch the performance of the SUV at all (it does have at least 653hp, after all), but instead focuses on ‘the already martial appearance of the XM’. Does it ever. Available in forged or regular carbon, the Thor upgrade has given Manhart the ‘opportunity to push the boundaries further’ – so it’s wider, lower and even more, well, everything.

So there’s a spoiler for both the roof and the boot, a carbon panel between the lights plus ‘attachments’ for the bumper and diffuser back there. And that’s just one end. The side skirts are more than two metres long, and then there’s the front, which Manhart says ‘will attract many looks and give the XM a more muscular and dynamic appearance’. You don’t say.

Naturally, there’s carbon everywhere, with a new front spoiler, air intakes and further bumper attachments. But the big thing is the new bonnet, which Manhart says ‘inevitably evokes memories of the McLaren Senna’ thanks to the pair of power domes and extended central strut. It’s going to get everyone out of the way, that’s for sure. 

And Thor has TUV approval, so an XM like this could be used to clear the fast lane of an autobahn. Imagine seeing this come past at 150mph. Interestingly, everything that Mahart does is attached to the original BMW mounting parts, so anyone who changes their mind on the look (or damages it) can remove the parts easily and without any gunk left behind. No wonder the first production slots have already been allocated. 

This means Thor is now open to pre-orders for regular customers (those first allocations went to long-term Manhart customers). It’s priced at €36,000 in regular carbon or €40,000 for forged, and anyone who orders in the next four weeks will save ‘in the double-digit percentage range’ as part of the pre-sale promo. Can’t say fairer than that. Deliveries are expected in May. And would you look at that – there’s an ex-demo for sale, with £30k off the list price. Be rude not to make a Thor of it, really. 

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