Someone, somewhere has made a serious boo-boo. An M3 Forum user by the name of "breadvan" posted to convey his confusion over a replacement ZF Sachs clutch kit for his BMW M3. When the box arrived, it appears he actually received a Formula One-spec carbon racing clutch.
It's quite apparent this isn't a part meant for a road car, even a performance vehicle like an E46 M3. The user also laid down a Sharpie marker to compare the size of the racing clutch to what a typical clutch would look like. The contrast is hilarious.
These racing clutches are not sold to the public, which means one F1 team may be missing a very important component for its race car. Motor Authority reached out to ZF for comment on the value of the clutch and the company reiterated the part is not meant for the public and they would check on the clutch's value. We'll update the story should we hear back, but we estimate $5,000-$7,000.
The clutch features four discs and is much smaller than a street car's clutch. It can handle up to 664 pound-feet of torque, and it has a special diaphragm spring that lets it perform for short periods when temperatures reach 400 degrees Celsius, or 752 degrees Fahrenheit.
Forum users have pondered with the lucky individual over what to do about the part. If he were to sell the F1 clutch, we imagine he could recoup a multiple of the $300-$400 he likely spent. It'd also be something rather neat to hang onto. The best response to this interesting dilemma came from a user by the name of newton22, who wrote: "The only real solution to this is you sell your M3 and buy an F1 car."
