MODIFIED BMW E82 COUPE: JUICY COUTURE

Danny Webster’s E82 coupé is a show-stopping stance sweetheart boasting all sorts of unique custom touches. And if you think it’s just another bagged Beemer, you’d better think again…

modified BMW E82 coupemodified BMW E82 coupe

Feature taken from Fast Car. Words Daniel Bevis Photography Simmy

Heroic lows have become a defining feature of the modern modifying scene, that goes without saying. Indeed, that’s not just true today, but has been for generations – race cars have always run lower than road cars because a lower centre of gravity brings huge handling benefits, and it doesn’t take a genius to spot that lower cars just look better, hence the motorsport tech finding its way onto the road. Refract this logic through an absurd filter and find yourself in the Chicano lowrider culture of the 1960s. And while Citroëns have been rising up and down at the flick of a switch since the sixties thanks to their clever hydropneumatics, it’s air-ride that’s the darling of today’s show scene: technology whose origins date back to the 1940s which has become the go-to choice for people who want to hard-park when they arrive at the showground.

modified BMW E82 coupemodified BMW E82 coupe

Danny Webster, however, is an offbeat thinker. When he set his mind to getting his 1-Series coupé closer to the tarmac, he didn’t want to follow the established path. Sure, you can buy an air-ride kit off the shelf, but he opted to go for something bespoke from Rayvern Hydraulics. Because a juiced car is a cool car, that’s just a fact, as every lowrider enthusiast for half a century will gleefully tell you.

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He’s a man who knows whereof he speaks when it comes to hydros; this is Danny’s second Fast Car feature, and regular readers may remember his juiced Fiesta that graced these pages a couple of years ago, resplendent in glossy beige. And that counterculture train of thought is always chugging away down unexpected tracks – peep inside his garage and you’ll find that he’s not all about the stance builds… there’s a PD130-powered SEAT Ibiza in the works, shooting for 400bhp and raising hell in a cloud of diesel smoke. Oh, and there’s another Ibiza TDI pushing over 300bhp. Disparate tastes, but that enthusiasm for diesel power has clearly leached into the latest BMW build too, as the car we’re shining the spotlight on today is in fact a 123d.

modified BMW E82 coupemodified BMW E82 coupe

“The plan was always to get a 1 Series after I’d finished the Fiesta,” Danny explains. “I bought this one on eBay as an unfinished project, and I knew from the very start what direction I wanted to take the build in.”

modified BMW E82 coupemodified BMW E82 coupe

For anyone who may deride the choice of the devil’s elixir when it comes to motive power, it’s important to note that in the realm of 1-Series dizzlers, the 123d is the best one available. Yes, the 116d and 118d are pretty dull, with their sluggish and sensible derv motors, and while the 120d is moving in the right direction, it’s the N47D20 four-pot in this car that makes it the compelling choice: the motor wears twin sequential turbos instead of the single unit of lesser N47s. When it was launched, this was the first ever production diesel engine to break the 100bhp-per-litre barrier, serving up a peak of 204bhp along with a meaty 295lb.ft of torque. So there’s no hint of compromise here, this is a surprisingly rapid motor. 0-62mph flashes by in a little over six seconds, it’s not exactly hanging about.

modified BMW E82 coupemodified BMW E82 coupe

Of course, given the eye-catching and scene-stealing nature of the Fiesta that came before it, the focus of this build was always going to be on how the thing sits. BMW had already deftly taken care of the function, so Danny was free to take the reins and sort out the form. “The first step was to install the hydraulic suspension setup, which I did myself,” he explains. Having pieced together the old Fiesta’s juice setup on his driveway, Danny was able to make short work of this task despite the increased levels of complexity that present themselves when tearing apart a new-wave Beemer, and with the coupé sitting gangsta-low he was able to put his mind to filling those arches with just the right rolling stock. “The wheels and the way they fit, that’s my favourite part of the whole car,” he smiles. “I built up the wheels myself, and fitted some fully adjustable camber arms so I could get them sitting just where I wanted them.” It’s a truly magnificent setup that he’s gone for, choosing the iconic Carline CM6 design and building them up with some properly aggressive widths and offsets: the fronts are 10-inches wide and ET7, running 205-section tyres to get those stretched sidewalls tucked right up in the arches, while the rears amp it all up to cartoonish dimensions, being ET0 and 11.5-inches wide with 235/40s. When he flicks those switches and gets this bad boy’s arse on the floor, those super-shiny rims settle in j-u-s-t right. Check out how the arch lips position themselves between the wheel lips and tyre sidewalls, it’s as much art as science.

modified BMW E82 coupemodified BMW E82 coupe

The relatively sober exterior paint colour (beautifully laid down by A&D Auto Bodies) is thrown into sharp relief when you peek through the windows and spy what Danny’s done to the interior, because it’s frankly a bit bonkers – in the best possible way. A pair of slim and lightweight Recaros have been drafted in, retrimmed in a fruity shade of bright yellow by Spartan Automotive, the silky-soft nappa leather neatly echoing the OEM BMW pattern. The rear bench is trimmed to match, and the final flourish is a plethora of tasteful carbon fibre embellishments along with the custom iPad dash install, to ensure the 123d is always looking showground-chic. The choices are a mix of the unique and the mainstream, and it’s the flawless execution that really elevates this project to the upper echelons of show builds. It’s just really obvious from every inch of the car that Danny knows what he’s doing – and would never settle for second-best. This is equally evident when it comes to the exterior treatment, which is a masterclass in subtle upgrades which you’d have to be a true BMW nerd to identify. There’s the 1M-style bumpers of course, that’s a classic move for the E82 platform, but dig deeper and you’ll find a smoothed bonnet, smoothed wings, smoothed diffuser, the whole effect is smoother than Jazz FM with a fat Cuban and a white Russian. We love the carbon CSL-style boot with its shorty recess, and Danny’s gone the extra mile with USDM-spec headlights and darkline LCI tails along with a sprinkling of carbon fibre details to complement those of the interior.

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It can always be a bit of a mixed bag buying up someone else’s unfinished project, as you have to question what it was that made them give up in the first place. But Danny’s not one to be put off by such concerns – he had a vision in mind of how he wanted this car to turn out, and he’s rebuilt it from the ground up to be exactly what he wanted it to be. The flawless exterior, the unique interior, and of course the radically reworked chassis leading to that killer stance…

modified BMW E82 coupemodified BMW E82 coupe

The purpose of this project was to achieve those outstanding lows. But with Danny’s attention to detail and boundless creativity, it’s turned into so much more.

modified BMW E82 coupemodified BMW E82 coupe

TECH SPEC: BMW E82

Styling:
1M-style bumpers front and rear, smoothed bonnet, smoothed wings, smoothed diffuser, USDM-spec headlights, LCI darkline taillights, carbon CSL boot with short plate recess, carbon roof spoiler, full respray, carbon kidney grilles

Tuning:
N47D20 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel four-cylinder, 6-speed manual

Chassis:
10x17in ET7 (front) and 11.5x17in ET0 (rear) Carline CM6 wheels, 205/40 (f) and 235/40 (r) tyres, custom Rayvern Hydraulics suspension, adjustable camber arms

Interior:
Recaro seats retrimmed in yellow nappa leather to match OEM BMW pattern, iPad dash, carbon fibre shifter, handbrake lever and trim, MOMO 280mm steering wheel

Thanks:
“Thanks to A&D Auto Bodies for the paint, Spartan Automotive for the seat retrim, and Dan at Wheel Unique for sourcing the lips for the wheels.”

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Pagani Huayra R set for Jan. 2021 reveal, naturally aspirated engine planned

The next and possibly final version of the Pagani Huayra is the track-focused Huayra R, which Pagani CEO and founder Horacio Pagani announced in a video released last week by Autostyle Design Competition, an organization that helps to support up and coming automotive designers.

He appears at the 37:00 mark and states that Pagani will reveal the first details on a new Huayra R on November 12. However the car’s actual reveal won’t take place until January 2021, CarBuzz has learned from Pagani.

All we know about the Huayra R is that it will be powered by a new naturally aspirated engine. All previous Huayras have featured a 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-12 sourced from Mercedes-AMG.

According to The Supercar Blog, the engine will be a V-12 developed by AMG in partnership with Mercedes motorsport partner HWA, and it’s output will reportedly come in above 900 horsepower.

The Huayra R is the spiritual successor to the Zonda R launched in 2009. The Zonda R was a track car that Pagani used to hone technologies that eventually made their way into the Huayra. As a result, the car shared very little in common with the Zonda apart from a resemblance.

The same could be true for the Huayra R, as we know Pagani is already deep into the development of the Huayra’s replacement. Pagani’s next supercar is expected to arrive in 2021 and offer both V-12 and battery-electric options, though the electric option likely won’t be ready at launch. The V-12 is expected to once again be a twin-turbocharged unit from AMG, so it won’t be the engine Pagani has pegged for the Huayra R.

The most extreme Huayra to date is the Huayra Imola, which was unveiled in February. Limited to just five examples, the Huayra Imola was also billed as a rolling testbed. It featured the Huayra’s familiar 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-12, but with a new output of 827 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque. That’s the highest yet of any Huayra.

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BMW E36 3-SERIES BUYING GUIDE

Brought to you by the writers of Performance BMW, here’s your quick no nonsense BMW E36 3-Series buying guide.

BMW E36 3-Series: Why?

While it may have lost the E30’s classic styling and iconic looks, the BMW E36 3-Series was a huge step up over its predecessor on all fronts. Far more modern, better to drive, safer and more practical, it was arguably one of the biggest leaps forward in terms of 3 Series evolution; nowadays it’s starting to get the love it deserves and this is a great BMW to own, drive and mod.

BMW E36 3-SeriesBMW E36 3-Series

The ones you want

As with the BMW E30, you’ve got a lot of different body styles to choose from and, honestly, the E36 wears them all well, though for us the coupé and Touring are the best of the bunch, but you’d be happy with any of them. Enginewise, again, there’s a lot to choose from here but it’s the sixes that get our vote, though the 318iS is also worth a look. The 328i is without doubt the pick of the bunch, thanks to that muscular straight-six, but the 325i is also worth a look and the M50 has the added bonus of not being affected by the Nikasil problems that plagued the later engines.

What to pay

The good news is that E36s are very cheap and this is one of the most affordable ways into any BMW. £1350 will get you behind the wheel of an 80k-mile 328i Convertible, you can get yourself a 320i SE Saloon with 85k miles for £1500, or a 318iS for £1520. We also found an 80,000-mile 325i Coupé for £1650, a 150k-mile 323i Touring for £1800, a 323i Saloon for £2k, and around £3000 will get you into a 328i Sport with more examples to choose from as you get up to £4000, with the best low-mileage cars sitting at around the £6k-range.

BMW E36 3-SeriesBMW E36 3-Series

The good stuff

The E36 has a classic look all of its own and if you grew up in the ’90s then the styling will no doubt have you feeling all nostalgic. While it might not be as iconic a design as some of BM’s other offerings, there’s definitely something appealing about those business-like lines and it’s undoubtedly a smart-looking car. The chassis is sharp, a significant step up from the E30, and the E36 feels nicely balanced and is genuinely fun to drive thanks to the fancy Z-axle multi-link rear suspension, especially when you feed that chassis enough power to really take advantage of its talents. It’s an engaging, entertaining car and there’s a lot to like and enjoy here.

The bad stuff

When it was launched the BMW E36 3-Series was somewhat notorious for its flaky build quality and while this was improved in 1994, it’s still not the most solid BMW you can buy, so expect some interior niggles. Beyond that, rust is now an issue at this age and while it’s not as bad as some of the older cars here, there are still a number of areas to inspect when looking at an E36. The main rust hot spots are the inner front wings and turret welds, inside of the boot and under the battery, the boot lip under the seal, the windscreen housing, the bottoms of the doors and the front and rear wings rust from the inside, along with the front and rear subframes. In addition to that, M52 engines were affected by the Nikasil problems, plastic water pump impellers fail, clutch judder is a common problem, M42 timing case profile gaskets get eaten away and exhaust manifolds crack on the 318iS.

BMW E36 3-SeriesBMW E36 3-Series

Modding potential

As with all 3 Series models, there’s an awful lot that can be done to the E36 and its popularity on the scene means there’s a wealth of mods available for it. In terms of styling, Sport or M3 body kits always look good and you’ve got plenty of splitters and spoilers to choose from that you can add to that, as well as a huge selection of wheels. As far as interior mods go, it’s all about the Vader seats from the M3, and the good news is that they bolt straight in. Engine-wise, you can supercharge the M42 and M44 to get decent gains, you can do an M50 manifold swap on the M52, but if you want serious gains then it’s all about the M50 as that engine was born for boost.

We say

The E36 is ageing well and values are slowly creeping up, so now is a good time to slide into one of these modern classics. It might not be BMW’s best effort in terms of build quality and rust is an issue, but it’s great to drive and has massive modding potential, making it a great retro BM that won’t break the bank.

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