52 TOTAL BMW F82 M4 “I bought my M4 after I had a couple bad luck streaks with my cars,” he explains. “I wrecked my Honda S2000 during a foggy, rainy night; dialling-in my Evo X after a motor build, I spun a bearing, which seized the engine; also, my daily car, after being old faithful, decided to die on me. That left me no choice but to look for a replacement,” sighs Huy. Not that stepping into an M4 was any sort of hardship, you understand. “I remember the first time I saw an F82 M4 on the street – it was love at first sight. I loved all the lines and curves. I told myself if I could ever afford one, I would own it. After a few years, I was blessed and have enjoyed every minute of it,” Huy grins, but the ownership experience had a less than auspicious start… “I found my car on Facebook Marketplace. The owner lived close by and let me test-drive the car. It was wrapped and lowered, had a bootmod3 OTS stage 2 tune, and rims. Not knowing much about BMWs, I thought I got a good price,” he explains. “I met up with the owner the next day and purchased the car. That’s when the headache began,” says Huy, his face dropping. “The owner lied about the crank hub being done. The car had HRE wheels, but they turned out to be fake. He also said the car was lowered on KWs, but that also turned out to be a lie. I ripped the wrap to find out the paint wasn’t pristine as the original mentioned,” and we wouldn’t have blamed Huy at all if that list of disappointment after disappointment put him off the car completely. But he wasn’t about to back down and decided to fully commit. “I was able to fix and re-do everything that was done to the car,” he says, and that’s when he could finally start enjoying himself, and that’s what led him down the slippery slope of modding… “To be honest, other than updating the rims and adding a lip kit, I thought that I would be done. The more I drove the car, it became an addiction, where I wanted to purchase more mods to continually improve the performance,” he chuckles, and it was this desire for more power that really kicked things off. The S55 is eminently tunable, with just a few basic mods required to send power levels soaring, so Huy got stuck in. “I started out with the basic FBO. Loving the car, I decided to swap the turbos out with Pure turbos, and now the car has everything other than a built motor,” he grins. “It has an RK Titanium intake and charge pipe, every CSF part made for the car – intercooler, heat exchanger, DCT transmission cooler, and Stage 2+ Pure turbos,” but there’s so much more on board here. The engine bay looks incredible, and this S55 is now making 630whp Stunning custom headlights
prestigeandperformancecar.com JUNE 2024 53 The interior is covered in carbon and features so many countless individual touches There’s a Dorch Engineering HPFP lift kit, an Evolution Of Speed intake manifold, a BMS Elite J-pipe and BOV, EU5 fuel injectors, a Snow Performance meth injection setup, a Precision Raceworks Stage 4 brushless fuel pump, Nexsys ignition coils plus VRSF cat-less downpipes, an Auto EL mid-pipe and an Akrapovic titanium exhaust. That is a lot of mods, and it adds up to a lot of power, with Huy’s M4 currently makes 630whp on 93 octane fuel and with meth, which is around 730hp, so this F82 is fast. It looks fast, too, even more so than a standard M4, because Huy has not been shy when it comes to styling, and this BMW definitely stands out from the crowd. “I saw this Touge Showdown on YouTube years ago with a JDM Tuner that worked on an M4, and it had a Laptorr lip and I absolutely fell in love. Being there were no USA distributors, at the time, I contacted Laptorr and was surprisingly assisted by Taka and Sena there. They helped me acquire one and sent it to the USA. I got the lip the same week, where I had Aum and Gibby test fit it and send it to my painter Donnie. The rest of the aero parts are a Vorsteiner Aero deck lid spoiler, GTS Aero blade and carbon fibre side blades. I also got a Varis hood and diffuser to complete the JDM look,” explains Huy. “Then I added a PSM Dynamic roof spoiler for that aggressive look. Completing the race look, I went with the M4 GT4 rear quarter Lexan windows, modified to I contacted Marek from AMX Performance to do my custom door panels, Recaro Sportsters, and sun visor wrapped in leather and suede with the M tri-colour stitching install a Nuke Performance remote quick-lock filler cap. “Sean from Mashimarho helped me acquire one of the first GTS-style tail light sets, and BavGruppe Designs and Bayoptiks collaborated and helped me with my custom RGB demon/halo and half-X headlights with upgraded E46 projector lenses to help me see at night. Also, I have a pair of carbon fibre fenders from Dinmann, and Sean helped me acquire the first production carbon fibre vents that mated with the Dinmann fenders,” he continues. “Last but not least, my painter Donnie sprayed the car with a Porsche Paint To Sample (PTS) Oak Green Metallic, and I left some carbon parts exposed,” says Huy, and we need a moment to take all that in. This M4 looks insanely good. It’s so aggressive, it pulls no punches, and everything comes together perfectly – the colour, carbon, the aero; it’s been built to get noticed, and it does. And you just know that when we’re talking about looks, we’ve got to talk about wheels because
54 TOTAL BMW F82 M4 they do so much in terms of a car’s overall appearance. “Being that I came from the JDM world, I decided to go with Advan GTs or BBS LM-Rs, and ended up with the BBS FI-Rs, since they were the only 19” wheels I could find that fit over the AP Racing brake calipers. They also completed the race look that I was going for,” says Huy, and the FI-Rs look fantastic on the M4, filling out the arches and amping up the aggression further still. Naturally, Huy has not neglected the chassis, and this M4 has been treated to a comprehensive selection of upgrades beneath the surface. “Being blessed and sponsored on my EVO X build with Fortune Auto, it was a no-brainer that I reached out to Dev and Ray at Fortune Auto, where they provided me with 510 coilovers and Sinister-spec air cups where I can air up over speed bumps not to damage my front lip,” Huy tells us. “I’m a spirited driver and take the car occasionally to the track, so I decided to fit the car with all of SPL’s suspension arms, end links, rods and bushes. Also, I replaced the carbon strut bar with an RK Titanium one just to set my build apart from every other F80 build,” he grins. “Aum from Brothers’ Garage helped me dial in the suspension alignment, knowing that I had traction issues from the torque. With the alignment and Toyo R888R tyres, I was able to grip and feel more confidence in high-speed cornering,” and with the M4 being a bit of a handful in stock form, sorting the suspension was definitely a priority with over 700hp on tap. Finally, we come to the interior, and, if you couldn’t already tell, Huy has not scrimped on the cabin mods. “I contacted Marek from AMX Performance to do my custom door panels, Recaro Sportsters, and sun visor wrapped in leather and suede with the M tri-colour stitching. I added all the M Performance carbon parts, and for the ones that didn’t exist, I contacted Cannan from Dinmann to get some door trims, vents, and a carbon back seat delete. His products fit like a glove,” says Huy with a smile. “Going with the race look, I added the Studio RSR half-cage, which absolutely improved the handling The windowmounted remote quick-lock filler cap is such a cool addition of the car by stiffening the chassis. Sean again assisted me, contacting Jeremy from JQ Werks to provide one of the first steering wheel systems to test on the M4. I love this thing, and I paired it with a MOMO leather steering wheel to replace the suede one, as I don’t like how the suede gets dirty after handling it a few times. “The JQ Werks system is one of my favourite mods on the car – every shift is so crisp, and it looks like a race car,” enthuses Huy. The steering wheel system my painter Donnie sprayed the car with a Porsche Paint To Sample (PTS) Oak Green Metallic, and I left some carbon parts exposed
prestigeandperformancecar.com JUNE 2024 55 F82 M4 ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION: 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six S55B30, BMS BOV, Elite J-Pipe and double-baffle oil catch can, BMW EU5 fuel injectors, Chasing JS titanium engine bay bolts, CSF top-mount chargecooler, and heat exchanger, Dinmann carbon fibre cowl cover, Dorch Engineering HPFP lift kit, Evolution Of Speed intake manifold, Goldenwrench Red Edition oil cap, coolant cover, washer fluid cap and oil filter housing, Precision Raceworks Stage 4 brushless fuel pump, Pure Stage 2+ turbos, Mashimarho carbon fibre radiator support brace, Mosselman oil thermostat, Motiv Re|Flex+, Nexsys S55 ignition coils, RK Titanium 1 of 1 strut brace, charge pipe, front-mount intake, radiator pipe, charge air cooler reservoir, arch covers, headlight cover, VIN plate, front tower bar, Snow Performance meth injection, SSR four-pin crank hub, Tuner Motorsport cooler guard, VRSF cat-less downpipes, Active Auto EL mid-pipe, Akrapovic titanium exhaust. M DCT seven-speed gearbox, ECS poly transmission mounts, CSF transmission cooler POWER: 630whp CHASSIS: 19” BBS FI-R wheels, Toyo Proxes R888R tyres, MRG titanium stud kit and nuts, Fortune Auto 510 coilovers with Swift Springs (10kg and 12kg), Fortune Auto x Sinister 1 of 1 auto air piston lift system, SPL Parts front lower control arms, front tension rods, front tie rod ends, rear toe links and eccentric lockout, rear traction links and rear upper arms, Turner Motorsport Dual-Mount Differential Plate with ECS poly mounts, Whiteline anti-roll bars and end links (front and rear), AP Racing RadiCAL Competition six-piston (front) and fourpiston (rear) BBK EXTERIOR: BASF Glasurit Paint To Sample (PTS) Porsche Green Metallic Oak, Bayoptiks headlights with advance chasing RBG rings and brows, concept half-X red/white, honeycomb-etched lenses, projector lens upgrade, quad RGB demon eyes, BMW Motorsport carbon grille, GT4 carbon upper brake duct splitter, GT4 rear quarter Lexan windows, custom Sinister swan-neck stand, custom Sinister badging, Dinmann carbon fibre arches and carbon fibre arch vents, Laptorr front/side spoiler lip, Hanbindesign carbon arch vents, Klaus Composite x Sinister 1700mm dry carbon wing, Mashimarho GTS brake ducts, Nelson Racing forged carbon roundels, RWB carbon fibre eyelids, forged carbon fibre canards, mirror caps and rear bumper splitters, PSM Dynamic roof spoiler, Top Secret AeroCatch bonnet latches, VARIS carbon fibre bonnet, carbon fibre diffuser and gold badge, Vorsteiner GTS-V side blades and GTS-V Aero deck lid INTERIOR: AMX Performance Alcantara/leather door panels, Alcantara tri-stitched Recaro seat covers, Alcantara tri-stitched sun visors, carbon fibre Recaro Sportster CS heated seats, BMW Motorsport carbon fibre/ Alcantara armrest, shift console trim, handbrake handle console, carbon fibre door sills, and carbon fibre trim package, BMW M Performance carbon fibre door handles and vents, door lock pins, CanCheck gauge system, Chasing JS interior titanium hardware, Dinmann carbon fibre radio trim, carbon fibre seat cover delete, carbon fibre speaker trims and window switches, JQ Werks Madtrace steering wheel system, Mashimarho yellow gauges, MOMO steering wheel, Snow Performance meth gauge, Studio RSR Tesseract roll-cage, roll-cage reel, Willans X Nightrunner four-point harnesses, Works Bell Rapfix flip-up steering wheel mount, AVIN USA Apple CarPlay Android 10” display head unit, Bavsound Harmon Kardon delete speakers, Bavsound Harmon Kardon sub delete THANKS I would like to dedicate this feature to my friend, who recently passed away, Daniel Nguyen; he always encouraged and supported my build. Thanks to Aum, Gibby, and Pattie from Brothers’ Garage, Thomas from BavGruppe Designs, Jay from Bayoptiks, Donnie, my painter, Dev and Ray from Fortune Auto, Seth from Dress Up Bolts, Christian and John from Inline Pro, Reed from GYEON, Rob from RK Titanium, Sean from Mashimarho, Jeremy from JQ Werks, Karl from Toyo Tires, Taka and Sena from Laptorr, Brian from Mackin, my cousin Harry Nguyen and Team Emotion
F82 M4 with its various controls and built-in paddles, looks insanely cool, especially when paired with the MOMO wheel. And then, everywhere you look, there’s carbon – it covers every surface imaginable, and then there are the extra touches like the digital vent gauge, the two yellow dials, and the lime green details on the Recaros to match the rollcage. The amount of work and attention to detail that’s gone into the cabin is just unreal. And that applies to this whole build. Considering Huy went into M4 ownership with no real plans, for him to have put together a project on this scale is asto ishing, and it’s t ea s i of the parts, and Sean from Mashimarho acquiring prototype ,” becomes clear that this isn’t even this M4’s final form. But , - – tn t This M4 just oozes aggression
58 TOTAL BMW There will always be something very appealing about fast estates, and when it’s one you’ve built yourself that really stands out from the crowd, like this eye-catching E46 M3 Touring, that makes it even more special. Words: Elizabeth de Latour Photos: @i.am.erv E46 M3 TOURING
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60 TOTAL BMW E46 M3 TOURING T here is something very cool about fast estates. They definitely have a big following among motoring fans worldwide, and it’s the combination of practicality and performance that is irresistible, the simple fact you’ve got a car that can comfortably transport a whole family, groceries, furniture, dogs (although possibly not all at the same time) far more rapidly than should be possible. There’s something inherently amusing and entertaining about that. The thing is that while there are plenty of rapid estates about these days, it’s the ones that carry an RS, AMG or M badge on them that are really special because the difference between a fast estate and a proper performance wagon is what that badge means, that ultimate next level of focus and engineering. And while Audi and Mercedes have been offering their customers rapid wagons for countless years, it’s been a real drought for BMW fans. While we’re glad that the M5 Touring is making a return and there’s an M3 Touring, at long last, you’re not exactly spoilt for choice, and you need pretty deep pockets to afford either. And even if that isn’t an obstacle, well, sometimes it’s nice to stand out from the crowd and have something a bit more special. And, as you can see from these photos, Eric Choi’s (@ eric.choi0811, @e46m3_wagon) E46 M3 Touring is very special indeed and does a very good job of standing out from the crowd. Unsurprisingly, Eric is a longtime BMW fan because you don’t build a car like this if you’re just a casual fan of the marque. “BMW has always been a special brand for me,” he says with a smile. “I bought my first car in 2013, and it was an E90 330i. After that, I went through The sculpted carbon wheel looks sensational This M3 Touring definitely stands out from the crowd, thanks to its safety carinspired livery
different models of BMW, like the E30 325i, E88 135i, and E46 M3. The handling and power delivery are the best from the same class, and the consistency of the design language is also a key factor that kept me in love with BMW,” he says with a smile. In terms of this build, for Eric, inspiration came from the E46 M3 Touring Concept that BMW created, kept hidden away, and only revealed back in 2016 to celebrate 30 years of the M3. So, with a vision in mind, Eric set out to make that M3 Touring a reality. “After doing some deep research and checking out what others have done to this vehicle, I purchased an E46 325xi Touring specifically for this M3 conversion, along with an E46 M3 donor car,” Eric tells us. “I bought the M3 from a friend who used it as a track vehicle at least 15 years ago. He shipped the DME out for a custom tune, and the shop never returned the part. Since then, it had been sitting in his garage,” making it the ideal candidate for this project. The first step was to get the exterior sorted, and you can appreciate just how much work was involved here by the number of times the word custom comes up in Eric’s spec list. So, we’ve got custom front arches, rear quarter panels and rear door flares to match the new arches, all from 2M Autowerks, and then you’ve got the custom M3-style side skirts and door mirrors. Obviously, none of that even begins to tell you how much work was involved in giving the Touring those wide M3 hips because you can’t just whip off the standard rear arches, so there’s some serious surgery required to make it all come together. Those wide arches look so good on the Touring, and they are the key to this build. They’re what gives this E46 estate that iconic M3 stance, and they endow this Touring build with so much muscle and road presence. prestigeandperformancecar.com JUNE 2024 61
62 TOTAL BMW E46 M3 TOURING The rear, meanwhile, features a quad exhaust setup, which requires an M3 boot floor transplant and is finished with a CSL-style carbon diffuser. But, as you can see, there’s a lot more to the exterior than just the M3 styling because once the car had been resprayed in Silver grey metallic, Eric treated his build to a custom safety car livery by Protective Film Solutions and topped it all off (literally) with a light bar to complete that safety car look. But the core look is very much OEM+, which was always Eric’s aim. “The goal of the project is to build the E46 M3 Wagon as original as possible and modify it as period-correct as it can be,” he explains. With the M3 styling sorted, it was time for Eric to turn his attention to the interior. “At first, I planned to redo the entire interior in red leather, but I quickly scrapped that idea and kept it with black leather because that is the most OEM and cleanest spec it can be,” he says. “The interior came alive after adding the Recaro Sportster CS seats and carbon fibre interior trim,” he grins, and we totally get what he means. The Sportsters look fantastic and are such a great centrepiece for the interior, accompanied by some custom F80 M3 CS seatbelts from Gaphix, and you can’t go wrong with carbon fibre. Pretty much everything you see is custommade by CarbonTastic, including the dash trim, the steering wheel trim, and the sculpted steering wheel itself, and just looking at it makes you want to grab it and go driving. The finishing touches here are an F90 M5 gear knob mated to an OEM E46 M3 shortshift, along with a set of AC Schnitzer pedals. With the Touring looking like an M3, it was now time to give it The S54 has been fitted with a Karbonius CSLstyle airbox, which delivers an epic soundtrack
prestigeandperformancecar.com JUNE 2024 63 the M3 performance it deserved, and that meant giving the donor S54 a bit of love. “The original engine had a leaking head gasket causing corrosion inside the head and cylinders, and at that point, we had to rebuild the engine,” says Eric, so not the most auspicious of starts, but it allowed him to make things better. “The engine rebuild took six months. We didn’t do anything crazy because I wanted to keep it as OEM as possible. The head and engine block have been resurfaced, bored, and assembled with an aftermarket block to accept 87.25mm JE pistons. And, of course, we took care of the common S54 issues together with the rebuild, with new BE rod bearings with ARP bolts, and rebuilt Vanos by DrVanos. In the end, we dropped in the CSL intake and tuned it to give the engine that pure OEM induction noise,” he grins, and you’ll never get tired of hearing the bark from that carbon airbox. And, in Eric’s case, he’s also got a soaring six-cylinder soundtrack to enjoy from the rear end, courtesy of a custom dual OEM resonator mid-pipe and a valved section-three exhaust from Valvetronic finishing it off. And, of course, you can’t build an M car without giving it a seriously sorted chassis, and here Eric used his prior M3 experience to give his Touring the perfect setup. “Bilstein PSS10 coilovers were put on, and I have been using this setup for over three years on my other E46 M3. I trust and love this setup because of how capable it can be on track and street, perfect for someone going for 50/50 track and street usage,” he enthuses, so that was clearly the go-to suspension choice. “The M3 Wagon has also had its front and rear brakes upgraded to My favourite modification on the car is the custom wide-body because it is the key factor in changing a regular wagon to an M3 wagon The Valvetronic exhaust is framed by a carbon diffuser
the Porsche 996 911 four-piston calipers paired with OEM ZCP rotors,” which deliver superior stopping power compared to the standard brakes, and Eric has also added a set of Ground Control camber plates, and a Karbonius carbon front strut brace to just give the chassis that extra edge. Finally, we have to talk about the wheels, and Eric’s choice has a distinctly OEM flavour. “Keeping the vehicle modifications period-correct and OEM-ish was the goal. The original concept wagon has Style 67 wheels, which have a very similar design to the E46 M3 GTR wheels. But, obviously, with the custom M3 wide-body, the OEM style 67 wheels are not wide enough. Forged Club came up with a solution of building a set of custom two-piece forged wheels inspired by the E46 M3 GTR. I am stoked by the result, and we added custom engraving on the wheel to make it even more special,” Eric says with a smile. These 19s look fantastic, delivering that OEM+ look, and filling the fat arches perfectly, while the engraved ‘M3 Wagon’ text is the perfect finishing touch. E46 M3 Touring ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION: 3.2-litre straight-six S54B32, fully rebuilt by Lang Racing, bored and honed block for 87.25mm JE pistons, Karbonius carbon fibre CSL-style airbox, custom dual OEM resonator mid-pipe, Valvetronic valved section 3 exhaust, Kassel Performance E46 M3 CSL tune. Getrag Type D six-speed manual gearbox POWER AND TORQUE: 305whp and 241lb ft wtq CHASSIS: 8.5x19” ET32 (front) and 10x19” ET25 (rear) Forged Club custom two-piece forged wheels, 245/35 (front) and 275/30 (rear) tyres, Bilstein PSS10 coilovers, Ground Control camber plates, Karbonius carbon fibre front strut brace, Porsche 996 911 four-piston calipers with E46 M3 ZCP discs (front and rear) EXTERIOR: Silver grey metallic, 2M Autowerks custom M3 front arches, rear quarter panels and rear door flares, custom M3-style side skirts and M3-style mirrors, CSLstyle carbon fibre rear diffuser, AeroWerkZ full-body STEL Protective Film, Protective Film Solutions custom safety car livery, YanTech USA safety light bar INTERIOR: CabonTastic custom carbon fibre steering wheel, steering wheel column and interior trim, Recaro Sportster CS seats, Gaphix custom F80 M3 CS-style seatbelts, F90 M5 gear knob, OEM E46 M3 short-shift, AC Schnitzer pedals THANKS I would like to thank Dave from 2M Autowerks, Matt from Ghostworx, Philip from AeroWerkZ, Jason from Protective Film Solutions, John from Forged Club, and Kyle from BMW CCA This is a great build, and we love that Eric has brought to life the E46 M3 Concept that inspired him in the first place. “The conversion took one-anda-half years to complete with everything being ‘original’, and it took another year to add modifications including wheels, wrap design, exhaust, etc.,” Eric explains, and it was worth it. Building and owning an E46 M3 Touring is a very special experience because you don’t exactly see a lot of these about, and that’s something that Eric really appreciates. “My favourite modification on the car is the custom wide-body because it is the key factor in changing a regular wagon to an M3 wagon,” smiles Eric. “It looks OEM and keeps people asking if I imported the vehicle from Europe because they have never seen an M3 Wagon,” he adds with a chuckle. And, having built himself his perfect M3 Touring, there’s only one thing left to do… “I’ve got no plans for more mods on the wagon, the only thing now is to enjoy and drive it,” grins Eric, and with an M3 Touring in your life, those two things go hand in hand E46 M3 TOURING 64 TOTAL BMW
GET IT ON
66 TOTAL BMW From 1985 to 1987, BMW South Africa manufactured a limited number of the E30 333i. It was only manufactured there and has become a cult hero in the country, and this specimen is one of the neatest examples. TRIPLE THREAT Words: Wilhelm Lutjeharms Photos: Simon Luckhoff
prestigeandperformancecar.com JUNE 2024 67 Few BMW enthusiasts are aware of the E30 333i and the fact that South Africa was home to the first BMW factory outside of Germany. However, that didn’t mean that every model made by BMW Germany was made available to the South Africans. The E30 M3 was never officially available in South Africa, but the country was full of BMW enthusiasts who wanted a high-performance E30. The result is that BMW South Africa made its own high-performance versions. These included, at a later stage, the E30 325iS Evo 1 and Evo 2, but predating these cars was the 333i – a car that is today an icon among South African enthusiasts. These cars have become incredibly collectable over the past decade, resulting in several enthusiasts ensuring mint examples are always prominently on their radar. The topic of this article is such an example, and it is in an absolute mint condition. I bought my first 333i back in 1992; she was five years old and identical to this ‘new’ one… The guy selling her was buying one of the first M3s (E36) ever imported into SA. I think that I got the better car
68 TOTAL BMW E30 333i The 333i received the M30B32 3.2-litre straight sixcylinder engine developing 197hp at 5500rpm and 210lb ft at 4300rpm. South Africa’s CAR magazine tested the car in January 1986 and recorded a weight of 1256 kg, a 0-62 mph acceleration time of 7.23 seconds and a top speed of 144 mph. However, today, these figures matter little to those who have, or want to have, the keys to this car. The owner of this gorgeous explains how he came to buy the car. “I bought my first 333i back in 1992; she was five years old and identical to this ‘new’ one, the paint colour and the seating etc. The guy selling her was buying one of the first M3s (E36) ever imported into SA. I think that I got the better car, and he must have always regretted that sale. I drove her every day even though she was a tough girl to hustle, as there was no power steering. She had the air conditioning option, and since you couldn’t have both air con and power steering due to a lack of bonnet space, I had arms like Arnie within a year… but it was so special,” he says with a smile. “She was my only car then – my other special cars came later. In fact, I eventually traded her in for a brand new Audi RS2 in Nogaro Blue, a car I still own that has also undergone a full ‘nut-and-bolt’ restoration. I had owned a 635CSi before the 333i and later owned a couple of M5s, but the 333i is just unique in terms of what she is, represents and offers a driver.” The M30B32 featured in cars such as the E23 733i, and the E9 3.0 CSL The 333i received the M30B32 3.2-litre straight six-cylinder engine developing 197hp at 5500rpm and 210lb ft at 4300rpm
prestigeandperformancecar.com JUNE 2024 69 The interior features Sport seats, an M Tech 1 steering wheel and, in this example, air-con “There was a very long search for this car, more than two years, with the specialists at The Archive helping me. I was then connected with Maqbool Rooknodien, the restorer of this example. Maq found the car in a barn on a farm in the Northern Cape, so she really is one of those mythical ‘barn finds’. Maq can honestly find you a needle in a haystack! It was the right colour and spec and, though not in good condition but running perfectly, she was the perfect base for a full restoration. “The car (number 168 of 205 or 210 built, depending on the source) needed a lot of work, but she was a solid vehicle. The car was always going to be a full restoration, and the brief to Maq and his team of specialists was simple: there are only a few of these cars remaining, so this car must be the best by far of any still in existence. Spare no expense to achieve that goal,” says the owner, so you know the end result was going to be something special. “They hit that ball out of the park – she is as good as the day she rolled out of the factory. She simply looks, sounds and drives as though she is brand new! Maq did the entire restoration, and he is known as the number one BMW man in SA for any restoration job. I saw his work, and there just couldn’t be anyone else to do it. E30 333i ENGINE: 3.2-litre straight-six M30B32 TRANSMISSION: Fivespeed manual dogleg gearbox MAX POWER: 197hp @ 5500rpm MAX TORQUE: 210lb ft @ 4300rpm 0-62MPH: 7.4 seconds TOP SPEED: 142mph YEARS PRODUCED: 1985-1987 NUMBER BUILT: Approx. 200-210 “The absolute perfection of the paint and every tiny detail is awe-inspiring. When she was unveiled and handed over to me, I was actually speechless, as the work was clearly that of an artist in love with a project and a man who takes immense pride in his work. That wasn’t the end of this 333i journey, though. A beautifully detailed book, showing the car from its discovery in the barn, through its restoration journey and ending with my speechless acceptance of the keys, was later handed over at a surprise coffee meeting,” the owner tells us, and what an incredible experience and a wonderful memento of the car’s restoration that is.
70 TOTAL BMW E30 333i However, the owner is also one who appreciates beautiful works of art, and the restoration process also had a role to play here. “Then there was more. We decided to use all of the engine parts that were purchased as spares during the restoration to create an entire working spare engine. A special glass presentation box on rollers was built, and that engine sits in one of our offices today. It’s an incredible talking point since it just looks so impressive,” he says with a smile. “My collection of cars is small and based on cars I have owned. The goal is to only have perfect specimens that look and drive as if they have just left the showroom. My first 333i was great, but this 333i is like taking delivery of a new car every time I drive her and believe me, she does get driven. All my sons love her. “The car comes alive as the speed builds, but she just loves corners and feels tight and planted all the time. The five-speed dogleg ’box and lack of power steering just make the experience unique, and I am slowly getting my Arnie arms back!” the owner adds with a laugh. The process of acquiring such a unique car is never easy. Richard Webb, proprietor at Cape Town’s specialist motoring destination The Archive shares the story. “The owner is a true petrolhead and is a highly respected customer of The Archive. He is also one of the very first to entrust us with some of his very precious metal as a storage client. It was well known through our various chitchats that he was a fan of the early driver-focused, ’90s sales representative – or executive – pocket rockets. Top of his car pop charts was the ever-elusive E30 333i that he once owned. “Alex [Richard’s business partner] and I searched high and low for two years and after many dead ends, unearthing a couple of shady examples and eventually exhausting virtually all our professional resources, we partnered up with BMW specialist Maq to assist us in the search for this collector’s perfect 333i. Maq eventually found us an exceedingly original barn find but in need of a full restoration.” This car is finished in Aero silver, one of the four 333i colours that were available
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The car comes alive as the speed builds, but she just loves corners and feels tight and planted all the time. The five-speed dogleg ’box and lack of power steering just make the experience unique, and I am slowly getting my Arnie arms back! E30 333i 72 TOTAL BMW “We had gone down the restoration path before with the collector when he bought a Citroën DS for his father, and that was a challenging and painful exercise. We realised we had to pull out all the stops to convince him to take on another restoration, and who better than Maq. “We engineered a plan and arranged for him to bring us one of his previous projects, a 325iS Evo 2 and then asked the collector to pop in and have a look at Maq’s work. Thankfully, it was instant gratification. Seizing the opportunity in front of us, we put on our romantic matchmaker caps, presented the found project and connected Maq with the collector…thus connecting all the dots.” Maq elaborates. “On the 15th of August 2020, I picked the car up, and the project started. It was an honest car which was perfect for a restoration. Some parts we had to source locally, others from overseas and we also used selected parts from a donor car. The trim of the seats came from Germany, for example. The highlight is undoubtedly the day the car hit the road for the first time, and you see peoples’ reaction.” It is not often that a story comes full circle like this one – in this case, it did. Walking around the car, we try to find the smallest of faults, but to no avail. After all, Maq has restored a 333i before. What an absolutely beautiful specimen this is and a perfect car for the next generation of BMW enthusiasts to be able to enjoy and appreciate
TITANIUM WHEEL PERFORMANCE PARTS HANDLING CARBON FIBRE AERO PSD SHIFTERS TUNING HARDWARE
Words and photos: Richard Holdsworth 74 TOTAL BMW MOTORSPORT We paid a visit to the Rob Roy Hillclimb to catch some BMWs in action Down Under. ROB ROY HILLCLIMB Rob Roy Hillclimb is claimed to be the second oldest in existence, with Prescott just pipping it to the post. The hill is leased from the Australian Water Authority and located some 25 miles north of Melbourne among gum trees and challenging inclines – plus the occasional kangaroo joining the multitude of spectators! Guardian of the track is the MG Car Club Victoria, which regularly stages historic and classic events, as well as hosting a round of the Victorian Hillclimb Championships – usually the first of the year, as was the case when we followed the action in January. The Championship attracts all marques of cars representing almost every quarter, from family saloons shorn only of their hubcaps and contents of the glove box, up to open-wheel racers and hillclimb specialists. And on this occasion, BMW was represented by a variety of cars that either won their class or came within a whisker of success. We have picked three with a wide disparity of hill climb driver experience and car performance out of a field of over 100 that entertained a packed house under a hot Australian sun and had a chat with the owners.
prestigeandperformancecar.com JUNE 2024 75 Aidan Dare is one of those young guys drawn to racing through playing games on his console! Why not try the real thing, then? A "Come and Try" day at Rob Roy, his local hill climb, impressed both him and his instructor. The die was set! The 2023 Victorian State Hillclimb Championship beckoned – five rounds, three at Bryant Park, one at Mount Laura and one at Rob Roy, and his performance secured the 2023 State Championship for 29-year-old Aidan and his 130i. So why a BMW? "I test-drove a pre-owned 120i and loved the seating position, steering and brakes... so much better than the EK Honda Civic, which I had at the time. But I opted for this 130i, even though it had 380,000km (236,000 miles) on the clock... I have never regretted the decision," Aidan enthuses. AIDAN DARE E87 130i Aidan, who is a spare parts interpreter in the daytime job, says the obvious commitment by BMW to design and build a great car is there for all to see. "The seats, driving position and adjustable side bolsters are exceptional. And the power is so broad throughout the rev range – essential for any hillclimb..." he says. We met Aidan and the 130i (now some 442,000km – 275,000 miles) at the first round of the new season at Rob Roy. He tells us that defending the class title will be tough this year, mainly due to some new competition in the class. "But I am confident that a new set of coilovers should be all that's needed to get the BMW back to the top of the timesheets in 2024!" he says with a smile, and we can't wait to see how he gets on this year.
76 TOTAL BMW MOTORSPORT Ian Johnston’s BMW E36 is a homebuilt racer with parts borrowed from anywhere that contributes to this ferocious machine. A GM supercharged V8 is mated to a drivetrain from Ian’s tow truck, giving power to all four wheels and the suspension based on a Toyota Supra. Ian says his car is something of a “crowd pleaser” and he couldn’t be more right! Ian tells us he has come to racing cars late in life. It was back in 2010 and drawn to the local autocross track that got him started – he used as a basis a Toyota Lexcen, an everyday car produced in association with the General Motors wing in Australia – but far from everyday after it had been in IAN JOHNSTON E36 3 Series his workshops. He was earning a living with his tow truck business – the tow truck being a Holden all-wheel-drive well-known for getting the job done. Also sitting in his workshop was a spare V8 engine. So, when it came to autocross, what better than to bring the best parts together... The V8 engine from the Australian Holden, the fourwheel-drive from the tow truck and suspension (much modified) from the Supra. Ian raced the car on the local autocross track for seven years with success, although he admits the car was a handful! “It was fast but diabolical to drive...” Ian feared for his life!
prestigeandperformancecar.com JUNE 2024 77 Covid-19 and lockdown hit Melbourne and gave Ian the time to move up in his quest for something even more special. He had always admired the looks of the E36, and he found this car on Facebook. Lockdown gave him the time to work on the BMW, and, over the next 12 months – plus two years of debugging – he transferred the parts from the original car to the E36 body. Oh yes, then rebuilding the V8, including increasing the capacity to 6.6 litres and bolting on a supercharger, so he now gets some 600whp. This is the car we see today blazing a trail up Rob Roy Hillclimb and putting others in the shade, winning his class and placing 11th overall in a field of over 100, and this includes specialist hillclimbers and open-wheel racers. And again – what a crowd-pleaser!
78 TOTAL BMW MOTORSPORT If you are ever looking for a dedicated BMW man, you can’t do better than Zachary Hanlin! He is at the other end of the spectrum from those who have raced BMWs all their lives – Rob Roy Hillclimb was his first competitive event. But Zac has more in-depth knowledge of what makes a BMW tick than just about anyone we’ve met. At 19, he started as an apprentice mechanic and has worked his way up, and has spent the last 10 years as BMW Accredited Workshop Manager at two of the best BMW dealerships in Melbourne. And he reckons he has been behind the wheel of every BMW model imported ZAC HANLIN F20 M140i has to remain unaltered in terms of appearance, although the driver can strip the interior, which Zac didn’t do. He simply drove to the track, affixed his numbers, pulled on his helmet and seat belt, and dropped the clutch when the lights went green. “I enjoyed every minute and will be back... the camaraderie in the pits between BMW drivers is fantastic, and if I get some class victories along the way, even better...” he smiles. during that time. “I have driven many other makes of car, including luxury models, supercars and sports cars, but, for me, when I step into a BMW, it feels like shaking hands with an old friend who really understands me!” he grins. His first BMW was a 1989 E34 535is five-speed manual, with a limited-slip diff and powered by the 3.5-litre straight-six engine. “What a car! It howled every time I put my foot down...” smiles Zac. Sadly, he had to part with the car when it had covered 340,000km (211,000 miles). The car he entered for Rob Roy Hillclimb, and Zac’s first-ever competition, was his second M140i; the first aquaplaned on a country road and rolled four times, but Zac simply unfastened the seat belt and walked away! Zac tells us that the current M140i has a high-flow catalytic converter to give a better engine response, but apart from that, it is bog-standard. He entered it in the Improved Production class, which attracts a whole host of cars and battle-ready drivers. The car
80 TOTAL BMW MARKET WATCH F01 730d Saloon Frugal and a bargain, the 730d Saloon offers more metal for your money than virtually any other BMW model. Words: Guy Baker If you’re in the market for a bargain cruiser, then look no further than BMW’s F01 730d Saloon. Boasting an opulent spec, surprisingly potent performance, plus impressive fuel economy, it’s a steal. Bigger diesel saloons have fallen out of favour, these days, with most used buyers opting for petrol or hybridpowered vehicles – or an SUV. And that lack of demand means you can now pick up a decent 730d for as little as six grand. Just make sure it’s an M Sport rather than the softer SE model, and steer clear of the less practical and more expensive long-wheelbase versions. Launched in 2008 and available in both F01 730d and F02 730Ld limousine forms, the 730d Saloon is powered by BMW’s 3.0-litre N57D30 six-cylinder turbodiesel motor producing 245hp – or 258hp from 2012 onwards. And both the original and 2012-facelifted versions claim plenty of torque from low revs – the former produces 398lb ft from 1750rpm and the latter 413lb ft from just 1500rpm. As a result, the 730d possesses impressive acceleration in all gears despite its size. And if you’re lucky, you’ll top 40mpg on longer motorway journeys. 2008-2012 models come with a six-speed automatic transmission, while the later 2012-2015 cars claim an eightspeed ’box. As befits a car which may once have been owned by the chairman of the board, the 730d’s spacious cabin is extremely well appointed, and most first owners also selected several optional extras – so despite its current low price tag you should want for nothing. Check every car’s individual spec, though – with so many optional extras originally available, they can vary quite a bit. But metallic paint, leather upholstery, electric heated seats, satellite navigation, parking sensors, cruise control, automatic headlights and wipers, and tinted glass all came as standard. Aside from the eight-speed automatic transmission and some engine tweaks, the facelifted models also come with LED headlamps, a revised kidney grille and front spoiler, an upgraded dashboard and automatic parking, and self-levelling rear air suspension became standard. Surprisingly agile for such a large saloon, the 730d claims three-stage electronic dampers and a choice of driving modes that tweak the throttle mapping and gearchange speeds. BMW’s Dynamic Drive roll control, however, was optional – but it is well worth having, and xDrive became a (rarely-selected) option for the first time on the F01. With 730d values already so low, you should have few worries about residual values, although pricier later examples will inevitably lose more in value over the next couple of years – although examples with more optional extras should lose less. You will find a handful of cars advertised for less than £6000, but these usually have either very high mileages or imperfect provenances, so we’d recommend you start your 730d search from six grand upwards. As many have been used by executives or as taxis or limos for hire, they tend to be either grey, black or silver. Decent dealer cars sell for anything up to £13,000, while low-mileage M Sport Exclusives can command a grand or two more. So something with under 50,000 miles, like this grey 2012 730d M Sport for sale at Garrow Hill Car Sales (www. garrowhillcarsales.co.uk) near Glasgow, could set you back around £14,000.
prestigeandperformancecar.com JUNE 2024 81 Advertised for £14,995, this particular 62-plater has also had just one owner from new and appears to be in near immaculate condition. It comes with several optional extras, including 20” style 303M doublespoke alloys, front heated Comfort seats, Park Assist with Surround-View and Driving Assistant, Adaptive Headlights, soft-close doors, Exclusive Nappa Oyster leather upholstery, a DVD changer, ash grain anthracite fine wood high gloss interior trim, advanced head protection system front and rear and automatic fourzone air conditioning. Many 730ds have covered high mileages, so you’ll have to pay a bit more for a car that’s covered a lower than average annual mileage, like this grey 63-plater with 83,338 miles we spotted at Car Land UK (www.carlanduk.com) in County Durham. Stickered at £12,990, it’s had just two owners and comes with the same optional 20” style 303M alloys as the previous car as well as Adaptive Headlights, Bluetooth, a powered boot, HUD, Park Assist Camera, Ivory White Dakota leather, soft-close doors and BMW’s Professional sound system. Most F01s however, have covered between 100,000 and 130,000 miles and are much better value, as a result. So you can expect to pick up a typical 120,000-mile 2013 730d – like this Sophisto grey Xirallic M Sport at A1 Ortos in Manchester (www.a1ortos.co.uk) – for just eight grand. This 13-plater sports Ivory Dakota leather, heated electrically adjustable memory front seats, a reversing camera with all-round park distance control, four-zone climate control, Professional satellite navigation, ash grain anthracite fine wood high gloss interior trim, Bluetooth and a DVD player. But whatever the exact spec of the 730d you’re looking at, there’s a lot of kit that could potentially go wrong. So you must take your time checking that everything works as it should. Test every electronic and iDrive function – some issues have proved expensive for owners to fix. However, you can minimise the THANKS I’m very grateful to Grant Darling and Darren Parker at James Paul (www.jamespaul.co.uk), the BMW Car Club of Great Britain (www. bmwcarclubgb.uk), British Car Auctions (www.bca.com), Silverstone Auctions (www. silverstoneauctions.com), Bonhams (www. bonhams.com), Coys (www.coys.co.uk), Classic Car Auctions (www.classiccarauctions. co.uk), Glenmarch.com, www.bimmerforums. co.uk and Glass’s (www.glassbusiness.co.uk) their help with this feature. Total BMW Retail Price Guide POOR: Under £5,500 GOOD: £5,500 to £13,000 EXCELLENT: £13,000+ SPECIAL EDITIONS: Low-mileage M Sport Exclusives can fetch £14,000+ Recent F01 730d M Sport Saloon Auction Prices* Model Transmission Registration Year Mileage Sale Price 730d M Sport Saloon Auto 2009/59 121,279 £3,100 730d M Sport Saloon Auto 2011/61 105,808 £2,800 730d M Sport Saloon Auto 2011/61 135,653 £2,550 730d M Sport Saloon Auto 2013/13 174,538 £4,550 730d M Sport Saloon Auto 2014/64 76,526 £7,900 730d M Sport Saloon Auto 2015/65 100,000 £7,500 risks by sticking to cars that possess a full BMW or well-known specialist service history with no missing services, have immaculate bodywork and have had just two or three owners. There was a recall for potential EGR cooler issues – check that the appropriate remedial work has been carried out – and make sure that the transmission is seamless, as a few owners have had problems. Engine failures do happen, but thankfully seem rare. Fuel pumps have been known to fail, too, door handles and locks can break, and note that replacement car batteries need to be coded to the car, as several different batteries were fitted over the model’s lifetime. As you might expect, most 730d Saloons have been left completely standard, but a few have had their ECU remapped. A typical stage 1 car should produce around 330hp and up to 460lb ft – ask if the car you’re thinking of buying has been tuned *Sale prices of good-condition examples sold recently at British Car Auctions
OUR CARS 82 TOTAL BMW To my eyes, the E92 has aged incredibly gracefully. The coupé body has a soft, smooth, sleek sense of elegance that is lost in the later, far more angular iterations of the twodoor 3 Series, and it’s hard to believe it’s coming up for 18 years old. And the M3, with its gently flared arches and power dome bonnet, has a subtle sense of presence that is missing from the more recent, far more aggressive M machines. Beauty is, of course, in the eye of the beholder, but, for me, this is one of BMW’s best modern designs. A few things age it a little, perhaps, namely the headlights and the early rear lights, and while the LCI rear clusters are an easy swap and instantly freshen up the car’s rump, it’s not so easy to update the front end. While all the non-M models received fresh headlights come facelift time, the M3 was stuck with its rather ugly units, with their chrome internals and frosted indicator sections. They really let the side down, in my opinion, spoiling the M3’s otherwise near-perfect styling, and as the LCI headlights don’t fit the M3, I set about looking for a solution. That solution would involve some custom headlights, which led me to KYCS. Based in Birmingham, KYCS – Keep You Car Safe – was established by lifelong BMW fan Simon Singh to combat car theft via key cloning, hence the company name. From there, the company began importing and selling LED bulbs, and then, after receiving an Ade’s E34 525i Touring p86 Elizabeth’s F22 M235i all about the bespoke, completely custom, built-to-order service. The range of options available is honestly mind-boggling, and it can be a little overwhelming because there’s so much you can customise. From inner finishes and colours to halo shapes, eyebrows, lens etching, RGB colourchange functions, and that’s just scratching the surface of what KYCS can do for you. It’s definitely a good idea to browse the website and check out the gallery to get some ideas, and Simon will offer plenty of help and advice to guide you through the process and make sure you get your perfect set of lights at the end of it. I went in with a good idea of what I p88 Mani’s E38 735i extortionate quote for a set of custom headlights for his BMW from another company, Simon reckoned he could do a better job for less, and the KYCS custom headlight business grew from there. Today, the company offers a huge range of options for a massive selection of models, along with interior ambient lighting, underglow kits, lightup kidney grilles, and so much more. KYCS offers two options when it comes to headlights – the website has a selection of pre-built headlights based on the company’s most popular orders, with prices starting as low as £360 on an exchange basis with your car’s headlights. However, if you’re after something rather special, it’s Elizabeth’s E92 M3 Elizabeth’s E92 M3 (@buffycarjourno)
prestigeandperformancecar.com JUNE 2024 83 the difference and would really make my headlights unique… With the final specs set in stone, the KYCS team built my headlights, and then I headed up to Birmingham to get them fitted at the company’s workshop. The end result is absolutely stunning and has exceeded any and all of my expectations. The headlights are sheer perfection, and KYCS absolutely knocked it out of the park with these. I’ve got everything I wanted, as well as going with Simon’s suggestions, plus a couple of little extras that I didn’t even know I wanted, but I’m so glad I’ve got. The first of these is a protective layer of PPF to keep the lenses free from stone chips and looking like new for as long as possible. The second is so subtle that you probably wouldn’t even notice it, but I’ve had the M logo etched onto the two outer lenses, just as a little special touch, and I love it because it’s not in your face, and it’s just that perfect little extra something. And then there is my headlights’ party piece – at the push of a button on the remote I’ve now got, the brows and halos turn from white to orange, and all four projectors light up blue (the double demon eyes mod), a nod to the blue and orange colour scheme I’ve got running through my build. It looks insanely cool and is perfect for when I pull up to a show, pop my bonnet and flip the colours on my light to match my supercharger plenum and the M3’s blue bodywork. Is it all frivolous? Oh, of course, and I could have stopped adding extras to the lights at any point, but I’m so glad I didn’t. They look amazing, and they’ve transformed the M3’s front end, giving it that far more modern look I wanted. The little extra touches make them special and I know no one else has a set just like mine. I can’t stop looking at my new lights, and I can’t express how happy they’ve made me. If you want custom headlights for your BMW, get in touch with KYCS, it’s as simple as that – they’ll build you something truly amazing and blow you away. wanted for my M3, or at least I thought I did, but Simon has expert knowledge of his products and is very good at making suggestions along the way, offering up ideas and making you consider things you’d not thought of before, tweaking and fine-tuning the design as you go, to end up creating something as individual as you are. First of all, I had to choose my halos, aka angel eyes, and while KYCS offers a wide selection, including round, 3/4 DTM and Vision, I knew that I wanted what are known as DTM halos, produced by Bavgruppe. These have a flat bottom, rounded sides, and are open at the top, similar in style to the ones used on the M3 DTM cars, hence the name. I think they look more modern but still suit the styling of the E92. I also knew that I wanted the insides of the headlights blacked out, meaning they would be completely finished in matt black. There are other options, like having the lens housings colour-matched to something on your car or opting for carbon on the inside, but I just wanted to keep things simple with black. I also wanted eyebrows as, without them, the DTM-equipped headlights look unfinished to my eye – the eyebrows are made from carbon, and you can either have a carbon brow finisher or have Bavgruppe items with an integrated LED light strip that matches the halos, which is what I wanted. At this point, I was happy with everything I’d chosen and ready for the KYCS team to start building my headlights. Or so I thought… The thing is that I wanted my headlights to be right the first time, done exactly how I wanted, and I really didn’t want to come away regretting not having added something for the sake of saving a little money on something that was going to be quite expensive either way. So, keeping that in mind, it made sense to push the boat that little further out and get my perfect pair of headlights. The first thing that Simon suggested was a fresh pair of outer lenses, as mine had picked up a fair amount of road rash over the years and miles, so having a lovely new pair was definitely worth it. Next, he suggested new projector lenses for improved clarity over the stock ones, and Simon also suggested that I’d need some new headlight bulbs to match the colour temperature of the angel eyes and eyebrows. His recommendation, from personal experience, was Osram’s Xenarc Cool Blue Intense HID bulbs. These deliver extra-white light up to 6200K with an LED look, perfect for matching with the white halos and brows, as well as producing 150% more brightness for improved visibility, so they’re not just about looks and make driving at night safer. The standard frosted indicator covers would look massively out of place in these new headlight units, and while the bulbs were going to be replaced with LEDs, because they were never meant to be seen, the bulbs sit in the light housing at an awkward upward angle, so having them completely exposed wouldn’t work well, either. Simon’s suggested solution was to get the E90 LCI nonxenon headlight indicator fins, paint them black, and fit them into the headlight housings, something KYCS had done before and which worked incredibly well. And then we got into the finishing details that would make all THANKS AND CONTACT: KYCS www.keepyourcarsafe.co.uk Osram www.osram.co.uk
OUR CARS 84 TOTAL BMW Last month saw the E34 get a full going over with Buzzweld anti-rust treatment. If you know E34s, you know it’s very important to keep on top of rust! This issue is exactly what delayed ownership for me as I refused to plump for a sub-par, overpriced, crusty example, which too many are. When we rust-treated the car, it was as much about preventative maintenance as it was looking for potential trouble spots. Thankfully, we only found one area that had succumbed to the elements, and we were equally grateful that it was a simple accessible spot. Basically, a drainage bunghole had somehow rusted out. Who knows how or why, but the bung was missing, and the nearby areas surrounding the corroded bit all looked perfect! To sort this issue, we had to remove the passenger seat and various bits of trim (being extra careful with 29-yearold brittle plastics) and lift the carpet. Thankfully, this could be simply held out of harm’s way, giving plentiful access, as removing a whole carpet is quite a pain given how it wraps around the heater box and more. Stuart then got to work on cutting just enough of the rot out of the floor, and even though the area always ends up being larger than expected, it thankfully was still compact and didn’t extend into any too complicated areas. Careful measuring and template making was undertaken to get the replacement metal the correct size, and even the subtle original floorpan creases were replicated. The decision was taken not to replicate the original drainage hole. It felt like an unnecessary potential point of possible ingress, and I figured that if I needed a drainage hole, I have bigger issues to contend with anyway! So, with the section made, the MIG Ade’s E34 525i Touring (@abcarpix)
JUNE 2024 85 was fired up, and I was put on fire marshall duties just in case anything got too toasty. Methodical tacking, then neat welding around the section quickly saw the E34’s floor looking whole again. Some minor surface rust was also buzzed off nearby revealing nothing worrying, and then a few coats of some serious protection was applied. From above and below, I couldn’t be happier with the results, and I’m very glad this was nipped in the bud before it expanded into the chaos that far too many E34s suffer from. Reassembling the interior threw up a few unexpected finds. One being the disappointing under-seat haul of a meagre 24p, another being a curious factory retro winch assembly to control the height of the seat belt! And last was a quite scary one. A previous owner had fitted the wrong battery with an opposite terminal arrangement and wedged it into the body under the back seat. The live terminal was only separated from disaster by a tiny area of carpet! How this hadn’t rubbed through and caused disaster in my two years and many miles is beyond me. I’m glad to report that the correct battery and OE clamp are now well and truly in place, and I don’t need to worry about fires there either! THANKS AND CONTACT: Stuart at Simon’s Custom Exhuasts Simonscustomexhausts.co.uk
OUR CARS 86 TOTAL BMW After an awful lot of repairs, preventative maintenance and supporting mods, I was almost ready to crank up the boost on the M235i and see what sort of gains I was going to get. Before that, though, there was one more mod needed, and that was the downpipe. The downpipe connects the turbo to the rest of the exhaust system, and this is where you’ll find the cat, which is the most restrictive part of the system. Inside, there’s a tightly packed metal core, and you’ll hear these measured in cells. The more cells, the more restrictive the cat, and, in the case of the N55, that means 600 cells per square inch. That massively slows exhaust gas flow, restricting power and reducing throttle response, so the key to extracting decent numbers from the M235i is to do something about the cat. Your cheapest option is to fit a de-cat downpipe, which also offers the least amount of restriction, but it’s not road-legal, it’ll throw up a check engine light, you won’t be able to pass an MOT, and you could potentially get in trouble, too. A sports cat is more expensive but will keep your car nice and road-legal, as well as removing most of the restrictive cells. Most sports cats are around 200 cells, which is fine, but I wanted the best I could get, which led me to BCS Powervalve. This British exhaust company produces a 100- cell cat for the N55, and the company says that thanks to its unique design, it actually flows like a de-cat while still remaining road-legal and fully able to pass the MOT. The only downside is that it’s expensive – a 200-cell cat will set you back around £450, whereas the BCS 100-cell item is £795 plus £25 for shipping. Ouch. But, I managed to grab mine on sale, when it set me back a slightly more reasonable £661 delivered to my door, and got BMSport (www.bmsport.com) to fit it for me. Next, I needed software, and while there are loads of companies that offer custom live maps, and you can get some very impressive gains from these, I liked the convenience of software I could upload to the car myself and get instant results. Again, there are quite a few options out there, but the one with consistently the best reviews is bootmod3. New, it will set you back around £500, but you can transfer it once to recoup some money if you’re selling your car, so you can often find people selling them for around £250. Admittedly, if you buy a ‘used’ license, you can’t then sell this on again, but I’ve never been one for stripping my cars back to standard when selling them, so I wasn’t fussed. I found someone on a Facebook group selling the bm3 software, along with the cable to connect it up to my phone, allowing me to flash the M235i from the bm3 app on my phone, and he was only up the road, so dropped it off to my house, which was a result. The bm3 software allows you to choose from several different “Offthe-shelf” (OTS) maps, with preprogrammed settings chosen to suit modifications and fuel quality, as well as a multi-map option should you Elizabeth’s F22 M235i (@buffycarjourno)
prestigeandperformancecar.com JUNE 2024 87 wish to switch to a higher or lower octane rating petrol and each map allows you to fine-tune countless parameters to suit further modifications, and to suit your preferences. With my modifications, I was all set for a stage 2 map, which left the decision of opting for either a 91 (UK 95 RON equivalent) or 93 (98 RON) octane map. Naturally, you’d think I was tempted to opt for the latter because that means you can get more power from the map, but there is a problem. Most UK super unleaded is only 97 octane, with only a handful of companies offering 99. With the M235i being my daily, and likely to end up all over the country, potentially in out-of-the-way places that don’t even have super on offer, I didn’t want to then run the risk of having to run a 98-octane map with only 95 RON in the tank in a worstcase scenario. So I decided to play it safe with the 91-octane map, knowing I’d be gaining a little less power but gaining peace of mind with it. With the downpipe on board and bm3 loaded up, it was time to hit the rollers at Sanspeed (www.sanspeed. co.uk) and see what sort of numbers the M235i would put down. Back in the March issue, the M235i managed 315hp and 320lb ft in stock form, and while I was hoping to hit 400hp, I also knew that might not be too realistic with an OTS 91 octane map. Martin at Sanspeed strapped the M235i down and proceeded to carry out a bunch of runs while I waited expectantly, and the final results were… 387hp and 435lb ft of torque. I was perhaps initially a little disappointed in the power figure, and, looking at the curve, an aftermarket intake might have nudged power over 390hp as it was being restricted a little at the top end, but let me tell you now that on-paper figures and real-world performance are two very different things. Even with only 315hp on tap, the M235i never felt slow, but with not far off 400hp, it feels absolutely ballistic. There’s so much more power at every point in the rev range, the 100-cell cat means it feels so much more responsive, and you really can’t feel the curve dipping at the top end because it pulls hard all the redline. It feels silly quick now, and that sensation of acceleration is only enhanced further by the massive gain in torque. 435lb ft is a lot, it’s a massive gain over stock, and you can see just much more torque there is on tap. The midrange feels absolutely monstrous now, with the M235i shoving you back into your seat whenever you get on the throttle – it feels indecently rapid, and it just pulls so hard. I cannot accurately convey just how big of a difference these gains have made to how this car drives now. It’s absolutely awesome, and that’s coming from someone who also owns a 580hp supercharged M3. It’s the huge gain in torque that completely transforms the driving experience, and combined with the super-sharp shifts courtesy of the xHP gearbox software, it’s turned the M235i into an effortlessly rapid and hugely entertaining car that’s an absolute riot to drive. It’s taken quite a lot of work to get here, and it’s cost me more than I planned or would have liked, but it was worth it, and it’s made me fall in love with the M235i on a whole new level. Next month, I hope to fall in love with it even more as I set out to give my 2 Series the soundtrack it deserves.
OUR CARS 88 TOTAL BMW This is the 10th update for the magazine of my E38 735i SE Individual, and as I reflect on my MS Excel spreadsheet of how much preventative maintenance, maintenance and repairs I have done on the car, the list continues to grow. But like I always say, if you buy an older car, you need to be prepared to keep spending money on it regardless of condition, more so if it is your daily driver like mine, so go into ownership with your eyes and wallet wide open. In the last update, I mentioned that I had my local BMW independent specialist replace the front headlight lenses, gaskets, clips, etc. However, what they failed to mention to me when they did the work was that the headlight wiring for both sides had perished very badly in places and that was only brought to my attention when I met Ed from The 777 Garage in last month’s update when he checked. I, of course, told Ed to order a new wiring kit for both sides from BMW, which, remarkably, is still available, and I will pop back for him to fit it. So fast forward a few weeks, and we are back at Ed’s workshop. He that the security circlip would not be in the correct position (there is a little groove for it) so it would pop off which in turn meant the ram would become loose and fail, causing the boot to slam shut. The solution was to either remove the hinge, and try to straighten it, which is what Ed recommended, but I decided to purchase a new hinge from BMW. We will pick this up on the next update since this was a separate visit which involved a trip to a paint shop. On a different note, I am a huge advocate of online BMW forums and actively participate in many of them. Anyway, on one of the forums, healthy discussions were going on regarding ULEZ, and some members were discussing applying for and being granted exemption status for ULEZ. This involved getting the Certificate of Conformity from BMW and sending that to Transport for London for exemption. Now, while I do not live or drive anywhere near London and ULEZ does not impact me where I live (well, not yet anyway), I decided to get the Certificate of Conformity from BMW, nevertheless, as I love collecting little trinkets and documentation of my cars. So, I contacted The Homologation Team at BMW UK, and a few days later, I received a lovely PDF of the Certificate of Conformity. It may sound really dull, but it is just another piece of documentation to add to the car’s history folder, which will soon be hitting two volumes. Out of pure interest, I did check if my car would be classed as ULEZ exempt, but alas, the NOx is 0.089g/km. The limit is 0.080g/km so it would be a case of “computer says no.” With that, we have come to the end of this update. More green cells in my MS Excel spreadsheet, meaning that we have covered more tasks but still plenty left to do as I continue to slowly put my E38 back to factory fresh condition for daily use. In the next update, we revisit the boot hinge, get the front brake pads and discs replaced and reach another mileage milestone got to work removing the headlights in no time and removed the old wiring. As you can see in the photos, they were in really poor condition, and quite why my specialist never saw this potential bundle of fire and alerted me to it, I will never know. Anyway, everything went back together perfectly and after a quick clean, the lights were powered up, and all was well with the new wiring. With the wiring sorted and my brain satisfied that using the headlights would no longer blow the car up, the next item on the list was the exhaust heat shields, and so the car was moved onto the lift. This was purely preventative maintenance, and given the relatively low cost of these items from BMW, it made sense to replace them. Even more so given how nice and shiny they looked, which pleased my OCD. While Ed was doing this work, I had a look at some of his own personal cars, including his lovely E38, of which there are a few videos on YouTube, his stunning Dakar yellow E31 and his E36 M3. With the heat shields done, we pressed on to the next item. One of the items that was still causing me issues was the hydraulic boot function. Every so often, the security circlip holding the hydraulic ram in place would come away from its holding position, and the boot would shut violently, so I was always very apprehensive about using the boot as I did not know if I would be left with any fingers. I asked Ed to diagnose what the issue could be. To my untrained eye, everything looked fine, but, within 30 seconds, Ed was able to identify that the boot hinge on the ram side was bent, so every time the boot was operated, it would open or close at an angle and, in turn meant Mani’s E38 735i
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90 TOTAL BMW READERS’ CARS Kevin Wotton’s G81 M3 Touring The arrival of the Touring body style to the M3 lineup has been cause for much celebration among BMW fans the world over, like Kevin Wotton. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on one, and he’s specced himself a stunning machine. “My car history has been pretty much BMW since the age of 22 when I bought my first E36 328i Saloon,” Kevin tells us, “and I then went on to own a black E36 M3 Convertible with tan leather and a hard-top, and that was were the love of M cars started for me,” he says with a smile. “I had an E92 330i convertible back in 2007, in grey with full red leather, which was a great car; from that, I went to an E60 535d Touring with every option available in 2012, and then I bought an F10 535d Saloon. After having two 535ds, I had to get back in an M car,” he reasons, “so I bought a Moonstone F80 M3 Saloon in 2017, which was only six months old,” and what a great way to get back in the M saddle that was. “Having had that for a year, I found out BMW was thinking of maybe launching the M3 Touring, so I spoke to Send us your BMWs! Whatever BMW you've got, whether it's stock, modified, old or new, we'd love to feature it in Readers' Cars! Simply send us an email with a description and a bit of a story about you and your BMW, a mods list if appropriate, and a couple of nice hi-res pics and we'll get it into the magazine at the next available opportunity! [email protected] my sales contact at Dick Lovett Bristol and paid a deposit to secure the first M3 Touring at the dealership,” says Kevin, so you can tell just how keen he was to get his hands on one. “Having patiently waited for two years and with no news of my M3 Touring in sight due to a delay with the Frozen Portimao blue paint, I was talked into buying a new Tanzanite blue M3 Saloon until the Touring arrived! Mad, I know!” laughs Kevin. “When I sat down to go through the spec for the Touring, I noticed there was no option for the M Performance exhaust, whereas it was an option for the saloon model! I spoke with my dealership, and they said it wasn’t on the spec list, but they could do this option in the dealership. However, it was a £13k optional extra, and it had never been done before on the Touring; at that point, I knew I had to have it to be the only M3 Touring in the UK with that exhaust system,” grins Kevin. “After another eight-month wait, the car was delivered to the dealership two weeks before Christmas, and then the new titanium exhaust was fitted with a new carbon rear diffuser and additional carbon side skirts and front splitter to finish the look. The car was then sent to Topaz Detailing for a full PPF and ceramic coating to protect the frozen paintwork from any stone chips or dings. The car was then handed over to me on December 23rd – what a fantastic Christmas present to myself!” laughs Kevin. They say that good things come to those who wait, and this stunning M3 Touring was definitely worth it because this is a spectacular M car and everything Kevin wanted and hoped for.
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MOTORFREE ADS WWW.MOTORFREEADS.CO.UK TO ADVERTISE VISIT CURRENT LISTINGS FEATURE YOUR MOTOR IN YOUR FAVOURITE MAGS! OR FIND YOUR NEXT! BMW 330CI 2005, 87500 miles, £6,950. M Sport Convertible. 87.5k with full service history, 12 stamps in book. Steptronic auto with installed steering wheel paddle shift facility. Auto lights, wipers, heated electric adjustable seats. Excellent Monaco Blue paintwork and cream leather interior, no rust, always garaged and only used in summer. Maintained to a very high standard - oil and fi lter changed every year, inspection II at 80k - oil, fi lter and brake fl ush in February, MOT until Feb 2025. Front and rear callipers, discs, pads and handbrake shoes replaced. Please call 01432 340301, West Midlands. 122410 BMW 5 SERIES 2009, 180000 miles, £3,500. M Sport Business Edition in blue. 12 months MOT, 20” black alloys. Car used as a daily runner with no mechanical issues but does have a fault on the iDrive system with the reboot setting which will need attention if want a full functional radio/SATNAV. Please call 07889988699, West Midlands. 122759 BMW 118 2005, 75000 miles, £1,795. Diesel hatchback, silver, 1 lady owner, full service history, alloy wheels, air conditioning, e/windows, MOT, in immaculate condition, rare low mileage BMW. Please call 07527 446242, Wales. 122214 BMW 4 SERIES 2015, £17,995. BMW 435d Xdrive Convertible Auto 8 Spd paddle shift- 308BHP only 50k fsh Graphite Grey- Red leather - BMW 19 grey polished alloys - immaculately presented and tremendous performance with excellent economy. Finance and part ex a pleasure. Please call 07831838833, Wales. 121888 BMW 2000 110000 miles, £1,600. V6 petrol. 12mnt MOT, all new, front lower suspension arms, brake pipes pads drop links, battery. All new exhaust system and cat. It has tow bar and roof rack. Gold coloured, reluctant sale, can’t keep all my cars. Please call 02476468720, West Midlands. 121968 BMW 320I 1990, 52847 miles, POA. (E30) Convertible Auto / Red. Current lady owner since 1998, four previous keepers. Many spare parts in the car. Last MOT’D in 2018 at 52,847 miles. To bid online please create an account on our online bidding page. Starting at 12:00pm on Wednesday 17th April 2024. Bidding ends for the fi rst lots from 12:00pm on Thursday 18th April 2024. Please call 01233506266, South East. (T) 122135 CLUB MEMBER DISCOUNTS SPECIALIST BMW INSURANCE WITH YOU IN MIND 01480 587049
WWW.MOTORFREEADS.CO.UK [email protected] TO ADVERTISE VISIT: OR EMAIL: BMW 530I 2002, 168576 miles, POA. (E39) Sport Auto / Saloon 4 Door / Grey. Supplied new by Damon Hill BMW. Two previous keepers, current local owner since 2005. Original book pack, service book and dealer literature. Many old MOT certifi cates. The car has been fi tted with a modern sat nav head unit, the original is included. Guide price: from £2,000 to £2,500. To bid online please create an account on our online bidding page. Starting at 12:00pm on Wednesday 17th April 2024. Bidding ends for the fi rst lots from 12:00pm on Thursday 18th April 2024. Please call 01233506266, South East. (T) 122137 BMW Z3 1997, 56000 miles, £3,495. Automatic. Drives nicely. Lots of service history. MOT to March 2024. Bodywork and paint good and tidy interior with uprated sound system. Tonneau cover. Just serviced. Please call 07931 360396, North West. 121407 BMW 5 SERIES 2000, 196000 miles, £1,200. Excellent condition, drives as smooth as silk. Petrol, manual transmission. 2 sets of keys. Please call 07583627099, North East. 121485 BMW Z4 2006, 116000 miles, £1,650. Convertible Z4, everything works as it should and current MOT. My wife’s bad back means I bought an MPV. Engine light came on when battery was disconnected and I am informed it’s a faulty exhaust sensor. Grab a bargain and put in a £50 sensor. Please call 07525291055, South East. 122881 BMW 2002 1975, 37900 miles, £20,000. Rear model. 1802. 1766ccm. 90 kw. 61000 kilometres Petrol, Manual gearbox. Starts fi rst time. In original silver colour. Blue interior. Blaupunkt radio. Restored. Rust free. Original Engine. Alloys and original rims and tyres LHD. Accident free. Located in Algarve. Please call 00351964768068, Rest of the world. 120119 BMW E30 ENGINE 1992, £20,000. BMW S14 2.3 engine comes with the following: Start motor, alternator, oil-cooler, motorsport electrical loom, Radiator, inter-cooler, exhaust pipes, external wastegate. Please call 2083664108, Yorkshire and the Humber. 122936 FOR OVER 35 YEARS SPECIALIST BMW INSURANCE WITH YOU IN MIND 01480 587049 BEWARE SCAMMERS! We value your advertising and want to remind you be aware of scammers. Scammers are clever and can often seem genuine so please remember : • Kelsey will never contact you to upsell your free advert to a paid for one. • Do not share any financial or personal information with people you do not know. • Kelsey are not responsible for any transactions between seller and buyer. • You can report scam calls to us via email at [email protected]
(Contents subject to the weather deciding what on earth it’s doing…) On sale Friday 31 May 98 TOTAL BMW