Tag: Performance BMW

With huge performance potential on tap, it’s unsurprising that we’ve seen many a modified BMW M135i, but few people have taken this hot hatch to the hardcore next level and focused it into a ferocious track machine…

Feature taken from Performance BMW. Words: Elizabeth de Latour. Photos: Adrian Brannan

We still remember the first time we sampled the BMW M135i: its combination of performance and sheer driving pleasure left a big impression on us and we totally get the appeal. Impressive as it is when stock, once you start tapping into its substantial modding potential it really comes alive but few owners out there have turned up the heat on this spicy hot hatch quite as much as Duncan Bryce has.

“Since my early teens I was always interested in BMWs, purely because they were the only cars my dad has owned since the early 2000s,” Duncan tells us as we chat. “I always remember walking around the dealerships with him looking at all the new models and talking about what ones we liked and disliked. He has had a few over the years ranging from his first E91 318i Touring to an E82 123d and his recent F31 340i Touring, which has now been replaced by an F20 M140i, which always keep things interesting. Growing up surrounded by BMWs it gravitated my own choice towards owning a few of my own and when it was my turn to have the showroom experience, I knew it was a trip to BMW,” he grins. After owning and modding a 1.4TSI VW Scirocco he was looking for his next project and so went to sample a selection of cars at his local BMW dealership, where a member of his family worked; it was the 2 Series that caught his eye and a test drive in an M235i saw him smitten and taking it home with him shortly after.

Having modded the Scirocco, Duncan wasn’t shy about getting stuck in with the mods on his BMW M235i and ended up adding a de-cat, JB4, Cobra Sport exhaust, OZ Formula wheels along with a selection of M Performance carbon styling goodies. Sadly, it ended up in an accident and that left him wondering what could fill the M235i-shaped hole in his life. After buying a diesel Audi A5 and feeling unsatisfied, it was a stint behind the wheel of his partner’s 118d M Sport that made him realise he needed another BMW. “As I had previous experience with the N55 engine and knew what potential it had I began looking at the BMW M135i as it ticked all the boxes. After a few weeks of research, I found this one, which had already been modified with some parts that would start my journey and the freshly detailed shine on the Valencia orange paint had me hooked,” he grins.

N55 power

As Duncan mentioned, his new acquisition already came pre-modified with a few tasty additions, which included H&R lowering springs, 763M wheels, carbon mirror caps, gloss black grilles and a Maxton Design splitter, but considering how much work he’d put into his modified BMW M235i it was clear that there was going to be more to come. “As soon as I got the car back home I knew the first modification would be to get a good set of tyres on the wheels and fitted a set of Michelin PS4Ss on it to get some proper grip. Next, I fitted a JB4 and de-cat for some power as that was the big thing at the time and, after that, I added an exhaust and a spoiler, and that was as far as I had originally planned to take the car. However, after a trip to the Nürburgring in June 2018, I was fixed on turning it into a track car,” he explains and so the focus for the project was set.

The modified BMW M135i has been continuously evolving both before Duncan’s decision to go down the track route and since and the amount of work that he has put into every area of this build to fine-tune and find his perfect setup is very impressive, and that obviously includes the engine. Having had experience with tuning the N55 before in his M235i, Duncan knew where to start, fitting the aforementioned JB4, along with a Pipercross filter and Scorpion de-cat downpipe, which combined to make around 400hp, before adding an M Performance back box. He then added an uprated BMS intercooler and a Forge charge pipe as the standard plastic item is known to crack when increasing power and boost pressure. Up until this point, the JB4 had been fine but Duncan wanted more going forward; “I removed the JB4 box to flash the ECU with MHD as it was released for the F-series and had far more custom options for mapping and changing software such as linear maps, cold start delete, ethanol maps, maps for upgraded turbos and fuel pumps. There was so much more it could do over the JB4,” he explains.

Next on his shopping list was a better air intake: “I had looked at open cone intakes and read mixed reviews about them drawing in hot air from the engine due to the N55 platform not having a good feed of cold air to the intake. An aFe Magnum Force one then popped up for sale online at a good price so that was bought along with a new filter and then fitted to the car. Straight away I felt an improvement and the noise it made was addictive,” he grins and he’s since added his own custom cold air feed. Through all of this, Duncan was also experimenting with different exhaust setups, trying to find the right sound for him and we’ve all been there. After the M Performance setup, he tried a custom Y-pipe with Milltek tips, went back to the standard exhaust, and then decided to try a Cobra Sport non-resonated exhaust. “Considering I had dealt with Cobra before as my M235i was the development car and first M235i in the UK to be fitted with their exhaust, it was a no-brainer. It sounds amazing with the de-cat and the noise on wide-open throttle is startling,” he grins and there’s nothing more satisfying than finding your perfect setup. The final additions to his setup are a set of NGK spark plugs as he was experiencing misfires at wide-open throttle, a GFB DV+ blow-off valve and a one-piece mandrel-bent FTP turbo inlet pipe, which removes the restriction in the standard pipe and which Duncan says has made a huge difference to throttle response.

Modified BMW M135i: Chassis talk

Power is all well and good except it’s not if you can’t keep it all in check and that’s especially true if you’re heading for the track, so Duncan’s modified BMW M135i has been treated to an impressive selection of chassis upgrades beneath the surface. “When I purchased the car it was already on H&R lowering springs which gave it a far better look on the 19” wheels but the ride wasn’t suitable for the local roads,” explains Duncan. “After my trip to the Nürburgring in July 2018, I started looking at coilovers and it came down to either Bilstein or KW. A set of Bilstein B14s became available from a friend so I went for them,” and they offered a significant improvement over the springs but that was just the tip of the iceberg. To complement these, Duncan has added a set of Millway camber plates, H&R ARBs, Whiteline adjustable drop links, Direnza adjustable rear camber arms, along with Powerflex bushes in the radius arms, controls arms, rear subframe and LSD. This has been topped off with the car being corner-weighted and this comprehensive combo works to remove any and all slack in the chassis, making the car feel incredibly responsive and allowing Duncan to really enjoy his M135i both on the road and out on track. The coilovers also have the welcome benefit of allowing him to give his 1 Series a serious drop and he’s deleted all of the arch gap, which benefits both handling and looks, and he’s also added a set of striking and purposeful wheels that fit perfectly with the whole look and ethos of the build.

“At first I went for a set of Bola wheels as they offered custom offsets from the factory which meant I could get the perfect fitment to fill the arches. They also had a good variety of colours to suit the car and I also went to 18s, which were better suited to the track and had more tyre options available,” Duncan tells us. “I always said to myself I’d get a set of Apex EC-7 wheels as they were the top wheel for track applications and I had seen so many BMWs running them. I was convinced I’d get a set,” he chuckles. “A set then became available, an 8.5×18” ET35 square setup, not something I’d really considered though. After doing some reading up on square setups and working out if the offsets would fit I was excited to have them fitted onto the car. They were sent straight to Dust Powder & Paint to be powder coated in white as I wanted them to stand out,” he says and that they do thanks to that white finish, which we imagine is a complete pain to keep clean but it’s worth the effort as they look fantastic against the bold Valencia orange bodywork. The wheels are wrapped in super-sticky Yokohama AD08R rubber for maximum grip and traction and Duncan hasn’t forgotten about the brakes, either, with the standard blue calipers that sit behind them having been equipped with Pagid RS29 pads over MTEC C-hook discs and the stopping setup is finished off with HEL braided lines and Motul fluid.

When it came to exterior styling, Duncan says that he didn’t want to do too much as the car’s colour is what catches your eye and he’s not wrong, with that vibrant Valencia hue absolutely popping, and so he’s just worked to enhance the car’s looks a little and add some extra aggression to proceedings. Up front sits a Maxton splitter, then you’ve got a set of carbon mirror caps, the flanks are enhanced with a set of M Performance side skirt extensions, there’s a carbon roof spoiler and an aggressive RK Tuning diffuser finishing things off at the rear and these elements combine to give this car some extra presence.

If the outside of this modified BMW M135i is subtle, the interior is anything but and Duncan has really gone to town on the colour-coding and we love it. “After starting to modify the car to make it suitable for the track, the harnesses and cage were the main priority. SW Motorsports built me a custom cage as there were no off-the-shelf options at the time. The seats I had viewed before and I found them supportive and comfortable so I knew these were the right ones for my car while the harnesses had to be orange to go with the car so the TRS five-points fitted the bill,” he smiles. The Corbeau Clubsport seats that Duncan has chosen look absolutely awesome and are perfect for the track. To help reduce weight he removed the rear seats and made his own delete kit by getting a piece of plywood and covering it in carpet to match the rest of the interior, though since the shoot he has removed the delete setup and stripped all the carpet from the rear of the car to reduce weight further still. In addition to that, Duncan has added a selection of orange accents, wrapping the trim in orange along with fitting an Alcantara steering wheel with an orange centre stripe while the finishing touch is a super-sexy Awron digital vent gauge.

Duncan’s been working on his modified BMW M135i for about two-and-a-half years and he’s transformed it into a fully committed track build that never fails to put a smile on his face. “All my modifications stand alone in terms of why I went for them but what I was most excited for and still am the most excited about to this day are the seats and the harnesses. Nothing starts the journey better than tightening the harnesses ready for track,” he grins, “while the most useful modification I would say was the Awron gauge.” Even with the amount of work that’s already gone into this build he’s not planning on slowing down anytime soon, which is no surprise seeing as he’s been modding continuously this year after we shot the car for this feature. “Moving forward I’d like to fit a big brake kit and cooling plates, MMR’s sump baffle and a BTCC-style rear wing. I also want to upgrade the seats to something more track-focused and more supportive,” he says and that should keep him busy for a while. Considering his plans for this car, you might be surprised to learn that he’s considering another car, but it’s not what you might think. “I have no idea what could come next, there’s a lot out there, but if the car keeps going down the track route I’ll be needing something to tow it,” he laughs and that’s the sort of commitment to a build that we love to see.

Tech Spec: Modified BMW M135i

Engine & Transmission

3.0-litre turbo straight-six N55B30, aFe Magnum Force intake, FTP turbo inlet, GFB DV+ blow-off valve, Forge charge pipe, BMS intercooler, NGK 97506 plugs, Scorpion downpipe, Cobra Sport non-resonated cat-back exhaust, MHD Stage 2+ tune. ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox, XHP Stage 3 flash, M Performance LSD

Chassis:

8.5×18” ET35 (front and rear) Apex EC-7 wheels with 245/40 (front and rear) Yokohama AD08R tyres, stud kit, Bilstein B14 coilovers, Millway Motorsport camber plates, H&R ARBs, Whiteline adjustable drop links, Direnza rear adjustable camber arms, Powerflex poly bushes in radius arms, control arms, rear subframe and LSD, MTEC C-hook discs, Pagid RS29 pads, HEL braided lines, Motul RBF 660 fluid

Exterior:

Valencia orange, Maxton front splitter, carbon mirror caps, M Performance side skirt extensions, RK Tuning diffuser, rolled arches (front and rear)

Interior:

Corbeau Club Sport seats, SW Motorsports roll-cage, TRS five-point harnesses, custom rear seat delete, Awron vent gauge, carbon and orange-wrapped trim, Alcantara-wrapped wheel with orange centre stripe

With a carbon Group 4 wide-body, sequential race gearbox and a 1000hp boosted S38, this incredible turbocharged BMW E9 CSL recreation is a project on a scale that’s hard to comprehend.

Feature from Performance BMW. Words: Elizabeth de Latour. Photos: Krisztian Bolgar, FTF Pictures/Tamas Farkas, Viktor Benyi

Considering how long PBMW has been around, how many modified BMWs we’ve featured and how many more we’ve seen out in the wild, it takes something truly special to blow our minds, and the E9 you’re looking at is one such car. We can appreciate every build, and we genuinely get excited about all the cars we feature, but occasionally we come across something that’s just on a completely different level, one that mere mortals can never hope to touch, a build that’s almost beyond comprehension in terms of scale and ambition and something that occupies that fantasy, lottery-winning project spot in our minds, which is exactly what this car is.

Finding a BMW E9 is hard enough: they’re elusive, iconic, not cheap to buy and certainly not a casual purchase nor one that’s easy to look after and care for – if you buy a classic icon like this you’ve got to be committed to it. To take an E9, then, and to turn it into a completely custom CSL race car replica is something truly astonishing and the effort, cost and passion that have been poured into this car are something else.

The story of this build is as unique as the car itself and to learn about its creation we must travel to Hungary, to the city of Miskolc, where you will find the headquarters of both drinks manufacturer Hell Energy and Gabura Motorsport. Both Hell Energy and Gabura Motorsport have a long history with cars; Hell’s founders and owners have always been car and motorsport enthusiasts and the company became one of the official sponsors of the AT&T Williams F1 team for the 2009/2010 season. Gabura Motorsport has been working together with Hell for 10 years, and their co-operation has resulted in several stunning show cars. With a passion for cars and being in the fortunate position to be able to indulge that passion, the owners of both companies have never been ones to settle for conventional machinery and have always chosen something unique and different, and this turbocharged BMW E9 is most definitely that.

Krisztián Gabura, founder and owner of Gabura Motorsport, had the idea for this turbocharged BMW E9 build after he ‘barn-found’ an E9 shell in an abandoned steel factory. The car itself had been used as a personal race car back in its heyday and had often been driven at the Nürburgring. He thought it would be an interesting project to salvage the body and re-build it from scratch, creating something really special in the process, so he shared the idea with the Hell guys who immediately gave him the green light for the project, and the build got under way.

Of course, that’s easier said than done when you’re attempting to turn a BMW E9 into a Group 4 race recreation and it was an extremely challenging project, as Krisztián explains. “The build required a different way of thinking: full restoration of a classic car to the factory dimensions and to build a custom race car, while (obviously) not disturbing the original shape of the car. Therefore it is difficult to determine what the toughest part of the build was since the whole project and all the details required special attention. In addition to all this, the requirement was to recreate that museum show car quality where every mm counts.”

The first main problem was that there was no accurate information about the CSL race car available anywhere, so Krisztián drove all the way to the BMW Museum in Munich and, with the permission of the museum management, used a professional 3D scanner tool to take measurements from and digitalise the BMW E9 race car they had on display. With all this data he proceeded to build a 3D model of the E9 on his computer and with that, he could start producing 100% accurate body panels. However, where the original race cars used aluminium body panels, Krisztián chose to produce his panels from carbon fibre, which makes this car all the more awesome. Before any work could begin, however, the entire shell had to undergo an extensive sanding, restoration and reinforcement process to ensure that it was perfect and would also be able to cope with the power that Krisztián was planning to put through it.

With the shell prepped, assembly of the car could begin and taking a look inside you’ll see that the interior is exactly what you would expect from a race car, with nothing but the best modern motorsport equipment and a healthy helping of custom touches to make it that much more special. The first thing you’ll notice is the full custom Chromoly roll-cage and then you’ll no doubt notice the custom carbon door panels that have been designed to fit around it when the doors are closed, and there are even custom carbon housings in the roll cage for the fluid reservoirs, and that level of attention to detail is simply breathtaking. Carbon features extensively throughout the cabin and it’s everywhere you look: there’s a carbon dash which has been flocked, a carbon centre console, a carbon battery and compressor housing with ventilation, and a custom carbon steering wheel that looks like it’s come straight out of an F1 car. We’re not finished with the carbon yet – the Recaro seats are made from carbon as is the fire extinguisher, and you’ll notice that even the driver’s footplate is made from carbon. This BMW E9 has been equipped with an AP Racing pedal kit, there’s a MoTeC C127 digital display and a Lifeline fire suppression system has been fitted. This is a seriously hardcore race car interior and there have been absolutely no compromises made or corners cut and the end result is simply awesome.

When it came to the chassis, the same no-compromise approach was taken and a huge amount of work has gone into the setup on this car. All the suspension has been custom-engineered for the track and it uses custom-manufactured parts throughout to achieve the best possible setup, with only the wheel bearings being off-the-shelf items, and that’s incredible. The dampers are custom items from Hadik Suspension, and then there are the motorsport anti-roll bars, custom hubs, alloy and Chromoly control arms, a CNC’d Chromoly front subframe, E92 M3 rack and pinion steering with a TRW Motorsport electric power steering pump, and CNC’d Chromoly bearing housings at the rear along with adjustable camber and toe. The brakes, meanwhile, are suitably massive, with AP Racing GT3 calipers at either end, six-pots up front and four-pots at the rear, with 385mm front and 355mm rear racing discs and Endless brake pads all-round, and this heavy-duty setup ensures that the lightweight E9 stops hard and fast lap after lap. Naturally, a build on this scale requires a suitably spectacular set of wheels – Krisztián has opted for a set of custom HREs and the Vintage Series 501 three-piece cross-spokes are the perfect choice. They’ve got that classic motorsport look that works so well here, especially in their centrelock configuration, and the combo of polished stepped lips and silver centres is timeless. The sizes, however, are far more modern and much larger than you’d expect to see on a car like this, with the E9’s vast arches more than happy to swallow 10x19s up front and 12x19s at the rear, and the wheels are wrapped in seriously wide Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R rubber measuring 265 at the front and 325 at the rear, giving the car exceptional grip and traction out on track.

If you thought all that was impressive you really haven’t seen anything yet because the centrepiece of the entire build is without the engine and it is insane. A car like this needs a seriously impressive powerplant and the goal here was 1000hp, but the engine couldn’t be too modern so as not to look out of place in a car like this, so an S38B36 was selected due it being that little bit older as well as bulletproof and then it was completely transformed. Displacement has been increased to 3620cc up from 3535cc and it has been equipped with an Arrow forged crank, rods and pistons, ARP studs, there’s a custom-ported head with Supertech Inconel valves, Supertech valve springs and titanium spring plates, a Cometic head gasket, there are Schrick hydraulic lifters with a DLC coating, a Cat Cams 282°cam, but of course what really matters is the turbo and it’s a beast. It’s a BorgWarner EFR 9180, the largest turbo in BW’s EFR range and can be found on numerous turbocharged racing cars, making it the perfect choice for this build. It sits on a custom exhaust manifold that runs to a custom side-exit exhaust, and uses a Tial MV-S water-cooled wastegate, there’s a huge custom front-mount intercooler built by Nagrad and Gabura Motorsport with bolt-on carbon elbows, and normally you’d see a carbon intake manifold with a built-in Tial blow-off valve under the bonnet but it cracked due to the boost pressure and so a new one was designed, built and fitted after the shoot. You’ve also got alloy pulleys, a custom oil pump and custom CNC’d oil pan, a custom radiator and oil cooler by Nagrad, Bosch Motorsport coil packs and twin fuel pumps, DeatschWerks 1200cc injectors, a high-capacity fuel rail, a Fuelab FPR, in the boot you’ll find the ATL 80-litre fuel cell with integrated swirl pot, while a Life Racing F90F ECU manages everything. That’s an incredible array of engine modifications and they mean that this S38 is capable of putting out over 1000hp and 738lb ft of torque, though for race use it’s dialled-back to a mere 818hp and 701lb ft… Either way, with this E9 tipping the scales at just 1320kg, that means a power-to-weight ratio of 758hp/tonne at full power, far beyond that of just about any modern hypercar you can think of, and that means terrifying mind-blowing performance. With that level of performance, the transmission needs to be something pretty serious to be able to cope and it is – the car runs a Gabura five-speed sequential gearbox with a custom forged flywheel and a three-plate carbon clutch, a Life Racing paddle shift system, and a custom propshaft sends power to a Type 210 diff with a custom LSD and custom driveshafts, all of which ensures that all that turbocharged fury gets to the tarmac.

This E9 is truly an incredible build on a scale that is difficult to comprehend and 14 months were spent putting the car together, which actually seems like a remarkably short amount of time considering how much work has gone into it. Even though we’ve gone into so much detail about this build there’s so much more that has gone into it that it’s simply impossible to cover it all. For example, all the original chrome trims and emblems had to be sourced, and in perfect condition, which is almost impossible when you’re dealing with a car of this age, and the livery that covers that majestic carbon fibre wide-body is actually a freehand airbrushed design that’s covered by nine layers of clear coat. This truly is a money-no-object dream build and we are really happy that there are people like Krisztián and companies like Hell and Gabura out there that have the vision and the means to make a car like this so that the rest of us can enjoy it. This is pure indulgence for anyone who’s a fan of modified performance machinery, the sort of car we’d build if we ever won the lottery and it’s the builds of this incredible magnitude that inspire people, which is why they’re so important and why we’re so happy they exist.

Tech Spec: Turbocharged BMW E9

Engine:

Straight-six S38B36, capacity increased to 3620cc, Arrow forged crank, rods, pistons, custom ported head with Supertech Inconel valves, Supertech valve springs, titanium spring plates, Cat Cams Performance 282° camshaft, Schrick hydraulic lifters with DLC coating, ARP studs, custom Cometic head gasket, Bosch Motorsport coil packs, custom CNC’d alloy oil pan, custom oil pump, custom carbon intake with built-in Tial blow-off valve, Tial MV-S water-cooled wastegate, BorgWarner EFR 9180 T4 twin-scroll turbo, custom exhaust and turbo manifold, alloy pulleys, BSS alternator, BMW M3 throttle actuator, EGT sensors, EMAP sensors, custom exhaust system with uniball linkage and side-exit, custom Nagrad 18.5-litre racing radiator and custom 8.8-litre oil cooler, custom Nagrad/Gabura Motorsport intercooler with bolt-on carbon elbows, Spal fan, ATEC fluid system, professional motorsport wiring harness by BorzaTech, 38-piece motorsport sensors, twin Bosch Motorsport fuel pumps, Stäubli valves, ATEC PTFE hose system, high-capacity fuel rail, DeatschWerks 1200cc injectors, Fuelab fuel pressure regulator, Life Racing F90F ECU and
PDU34 module

Power and Torque:

1000hp+ and 738lb ft+

Transmission:

Gabura five-speed sequential gearbox, three-plate carbon clutch, custom forged flywheel, AP Racing slave cylinder, Life Racing paddle shift system, additional gearbox cooling, custom propshaft, differential oil cooling setup, custom driveshafts, BMW Type 210 differential with custom LSD

Chassis:

10×19” (front) and 12×19” (rear) HRE Vintage Series 501 three-piece centrelock wheels with 265/35 (front) and 325/30 Pirelli Trofeo R tyres, Hadik Suspension custom shocks with alloy housing, motorsport anti-roll bars, custom front spindles, aluminium/Chromoly front control arms, CNC’d Chromoly front subframe, E92 M3 rack and pinion steering and uniball joint, TRW Motorsport electric power steering pump, CNC Chromoly rear bearing housings, Chromoly rear control arms, adjustable camber/toe, AP Racing brake master cylinder and bias adjuster, ATEC hard line tube system, AP Racing GT3 six-piston calipers and 385mm racing discs (front), GT3 four-piston calipers and 355mm racing discs (rear), Endless brake pads

Exterior:

Group 4 carbon wide-body, paint by ‘Borsos Fecó’, nine layers of clear coat, polycarbonate windows, unibody galvanised and KTL painted

Interior:

Custom Chromoly roll-cage with custom built-in housing for fluid reservoirs, AP Racing air jack system, custom carbon door panels, flocked carbon dash, carbon centre console, carbon battery and compressor housing with ventilation system, custom carbon steering wheel, AP Racing pedal kit, Recaro seats with custom carbon shells, Schroth Enduro harnesses, Firesense carbon handheld fire extinguisher, Lifeline aluminium fire suppression system, motorsport air ventilation/defog system, MoTeC C127 digital dash and eight-button keypad, Odyssey PC950 Extreme Racing battery, ATL 80-litre fuel cell with integrated swirl pot