Just another M3, this time with a V8.

[-Rob]

Thought I'd make a little build thread on here, I regret not doing so for my previous M3 CS. So the idea with the V8 is to make a ringtool that is still driveable on the British roads.

My previous M3 I owned for 3 years, but after an old guy drove into it in January, I knew it's days were numbered. It's just been sold and on its way to Spain for a new life.

So, about the V8.. I was scouring eBay late one night and came across it - sent it to my friend and he dug up the previous owner on Facebook and the last for sale ad. To say that it had been looked after is an understatement. Everything had been done, rod bearings, major services, both throttle actuators and even looking through the piles of receipts it has ones for fixtures and fittings from BMW for miscellaneous bolts and seals just so it was perfect.

This is a picture when I went to near North Wales to pick it up, unfortunately I had to let my brother drive the CS back.

The specification upon collection was;
Manual
EDC
Logic 7 sound system
Heated red leather interior
RTD shortened short shifter
BMW Performance V2 LED steering wheel
BMW Performance handbrake and gear gaitor.
Tegiwa primary decats
4 pipe modified standard backbox with Euro tips
Custom remap by DMS performance
Lowered on H&R springs with e36 bumpstops and shaved top mounts
GTS V1 front splitter
Carbon side skirts
Carbon rear spats
Carbon duckbil spoiler
Carbon GTS wing
Carbon rear diffuser
Custom white HALO lights

Probably 101 other things I've forgotten, but it had been very well looked after by previous owners and has a whole host of choice modifications. The exhaust is absolutely barmy, turns out.. day 1 of ownership I had some expected problems with it.

I decided to pop down to Snetterton to hopefully get a little bit of afternoon track time and to get my exhaust noise tested..

Turns out a straight through exhaust with only 2 cats is a little too loud for all British trackdays which is a shame, weather was perfect.

I managed a few passenger laps in my friends very well sorted e46

Later in the evening my favourite British E92 turned up out of nowhere.

This E92 was last owned by a good friend of mine, supercharged and extremely well setup with no expense spared. Lovely car this one!

I got home later that evening and gave the engine bay a little tidy up.

 

[-Rob]

After a week of literally not being able to put the keys down and having bought some more shares in Shell petrol, I thought I'd give it a clean.

The first clean of a new car is always quite daunting I find. You look at little details that you'd never normally see when just looking over the car.

Fortunately enough, nothing at all to report other than a tiny stonechip on the entire car.

A picture of the steering wheel which is much overdue a clean (that I still haven't got around to doing!)

She scrubs up nice!

 

[imprezaworks]

Nice ride.

 

[Cookson]

Lovely motor (bar that wing) and it looks clean. Shame about the E46. There is something still so alluring about them

 

[Short Norman]

I love them and that colour, that wing though

but hey it's not my car....

 

[NorthloopCup]

Great looking car that mate! I’ve been tempted by a Melbourne red one, but no price can be agreed at present.

 

[Stay Puft]

Lovely

 

[RSRowe]

age old question needs answering though......... which is better?

 

[Short Norman]

age old question needs answering though......... which is better?

E46...…………….because I've owned one.

 

[gez 172]

Stunning car!

I like the big wing, but the other boot lip needs to be taken off, the two spoilers look odd together.

 

[-Rob]

age old question needs answering though......... which is better?

E46 for nimbleness, steering feel and MPG.
E92 for everything else.

Stunning car!

I like the big wing, but the other boot lip needs to be taken off, the two spoilers look odd together.

Thank you, the wings are staying. I may be raising the GTS wing higher up onto the bootlid so may give more of a breakup at the rear.

 

[-Rob]

Next up, I changed the gear knob. If you know - you know.

I then decided to fit my brand new Recaro SPA's I've had sitting around for 4 months. New Vac motorsport adaptors, harness receptacles and all Recaro runners.

If you have a bigger waist than 33" you're not fitting into these seats, they're sublime for track work and weigh 4.9kg each which is some of the lightest seats available.

Happy to finally have a manual M3 with these seats in - part of me does still miss the heated seats..

 

[-Rob]

New front brakes that have gone on, AP Racing 9960 callipers with S Vane AP Racing discs with Ray Bestos ST45 pads. Absolutely next level stopping power. I had these on my E46 about a year ago.. couldn't rate them high enough so had to get them again.

 

[-Rob]

The plan is to build an E92 that can lap a BTG LapTime of 7:2X consistently so with the help of a specialist that's going to be setting up the car - I ordered these custom made Nitron R3's. As you can tell, I got rather excited opening them! Works of art and quite proud to have some British made products on the car.

 

[Cookie]

I love the stupid wing. Nice car

 

[Cookson]

FFS, this thread now has me on AT/Ebay and Cutters looking at E46s

 

[-Rob]

FFS, this thread now has me on AT/Ebay and Cutters looking at E46s

Hahah, does this help?

 

[Crybert]

Nitrons look amazing. Probably the best kit you can get for these. You don’t hang about on the mods either. I really want an e9* m3 at some point in my life

 

[frayz]

Absolutely stunning parts going into this fella.
The AP Pro series and Nitrons are "bolt to the wall to look at" stuff.

Love threads like this

 

[JamesBryan]

Throwing some cash about here

 

[-Rob]

Nitrons look amazing. Probably the best kit you can get for these. You don’t hang about on the mods either. I really want an e9* m3 at some point in my life

I think they do too, Bilstein Clubsports were coming in at £1000 less than these. But after seeing the results on other M3's with the Nitrons it had to be done.

I had a budget to build it all in preparation for the end of this month, so far I'm on track to have it completed.

Sometimes you've just got to go for it, the E9X market has slumped recently so grab yourself a bargain!

Absolutely stunning parts going into this fella.
The AP Pro series and Nitrons are "bolt to the wall to look at" stuff.

Love threads like this

Thanks mate, means a lot. I contemplated mounting them to the wall, wouldn't look out of place as pieces of art and it's great to be able to say they're both made by British companies.

 

[JB21]

Proper car, cannot wait to see it on track. 7:20's with that spec is very achievable I would think. I'll be joining you in the big gay wing brigade soon enough

 

[-Rob]

Next up, some new square wheels from BBS and some extortionately expensive Dunlop Direzza Dz03G tyres.. hoping they'll make the difference after running every other semi slick on the ring so far, thought I'd save the best till last.

Also managed to get the private plate on, some say it's tacky but it fits in with the purpose of the car and it matches up with its sister cars.

Shorter plate or longer plate?

 

[frayz]

Thanks mate, means a lot. I contemplated mounting them to the wall, wouldn't look out of place as pieces of art and it's great to be able to say they're both made by British companies.

One of the Cayman R boys put Pro 5000 all round on his Cayman R, they look immense. Didn't get much change from £10k for the lot.
Ive still got the genuine WRC SACHS from the impreza at home, i should flog those and get some Nitrons for mine. I probably would if it didn't drive so well on standard kit to be fair

 

[Fletcher]

Recaro spa and nitrons ? Great build!

 

[cat171]

Longer plate, much better!

You're not hanging around!! I'm not into the rear wing, but everything else is great!!!

(clocked the GTi gear knob.. you've got the Mk2 yeah ? )

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

That's a proper car with some proper bits on it! Will be a serious tool I should think. I think you need to get rid of the red leather bits now though, looks a bit odd. Not 100% sure on the carbon rear corner splitter things myself, but each to their own. Lovely car all the same.

Oh, and long plate, short plates make it look a bit chavvy for me.

 

[-Rob]

Longer plate, much better!

You're not hanging around!! I'm not into the rear wing, but everything else is great!!!

(clocked the GTi gear knob.. you've got the Mk2 yeah ? )

I think so too, longer plate fills it nicely. Think I'll daily the longer plate but go shorter one on track as it saves 26g ?

Here's a sneak peak of the gearknobs origin. I think it's slightly different than the Golf gearknobs, slightly softer rubber im led to believe..

 

[-Rob]

That's a proper car with some proper bits on it! Will be a serious tool I should think. I think you need to get rid of the red leather bits now though, looks a bit odd. Not 100% sure on the carbon rear corner splitter things myself, but each to their own. Lovely car all the same.

Oh, and long plate, short plates make it look a bit chavvy for me.

I'm on it! Just sent off loads of interior parts to LG Trimming so he can work his magic on them.

Neither am I, but I hate to see what's underneath if I took them off plus it kind of has an entire carbon skirt around the bottom of the car which while it's adding weight - I think it compliments the rest of it.

 

[cat171]

That's wicked mate!!

 

[v15ben]

Very purposeful, properly nice motor this!

 

[Ol’ Tarby]

FFS this isn't helping my want for an E9x

 

[-Rob]

FFS this isn't helping my want for an E9x

Happy to help!

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

I'm on it! Just sent off loads of interior parts to LG Trimming so he can work his magic on them.

Neither am I, but I hate to see what's underneath if I took them off plus it kind of has an entire carbon skirt around the bottom of the car which while it's adding weight - I think it compliments the rest of it.

That will make it look a lot better. I know what you mean about the skirts, always a risk removing stuff like that. I think I would have to though. I think it would still work as you still have the diffuser. To each his own though. It's still a lovely car, regardless of what I think!

 

[JamesBryan]

Can i ask what you do for work and have you got any jobs going haha

Long reg plate definitely.

 

[yeecup]

this is a truly epic build and amazing car. bit different to the usual cliosport build thread tbf. on a different level. videos of the exhaust needed.

 

[-Rob]

That will make it look a lot better. I know what you mean about the skirts, always a risk removing stuff like that. I think I would have to though. I think it would still work as you still have the diffuser. To each his own though. It's still a lovely car, regardless of what I think!

I know what you mean. I'm thinking if I spank it sideways into a wall or barrier then they'll come off by themselves.

Can i ask what you do for work and have you got any jobs going haha

Long reg plate definitely.

Work on the railway, always jobs going but you'll be with the other 6-12,000 that apply for them ?

this is a truly epic build and amazing car. bit different to the usual cliosport build thread tbf. on a different level. videos of the exhaust needed.

Thanks man, I'm thinking of getting another cheap 182 once my Abarth runaround sells.

I'll see what I can do, it's going into the garage now for 2 weeks to have all the underside work done to it. Should be a completely different car once it's corner weighted and dialled in.

Can't wait!

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

I know what you mean. I'm thinking if I spank it sideways into a wall or barrier then they'll come off by themselves.

I mean it's probably a dramatic method, but it should work I guess

 

[Matt W]

Beast!
Love seeing more M3’s on here!

 

[-Rob]

Seeing as the M3's been in having some bushes fitted and a full driver weight string alignment, I thought I'd get a start on the interior pieces I could trim myself.

Entire dashboard trimmed in Genuine BMW alcantara bought straight from the manufacturer in Germany. Turned out alright I think..

I had intentions of painting the start button surround in Interlagos Blue (colour of my last M3) but someone's misplaced the paint, so I literally went for primer grey.

Hopefully the interior looks a little better once I get the door trims back from the trimmers and it all fitted.