Photo: Bimmerpost
The previous BMW E92 M3 was a great car, don’t get us wrong, but while the S65 engine under the bonnet made your skin crawl every time, the sheer size of the car made it rather different from the M character we all grew to love.
Let’s be honest, even the Coupe was rather big and heavy, bigger than most enthusiasts would like their cars to be. The engine, transmission and chassis tune worked though, and transformed the car into a really enjoyable ride.
But what would happen if those bits and pieces were fitted in a smaller car, let’s say a BMW 1 Series Coupe? BMW surely thought of it but wanted the 1M Coupe to have a different personality and gave it an inline 6-cylinder turbocharged 3-liter engine that, as good as it was, still used forced induction.
Nothing yet discovered can match the sharpness of a perfectly designed, naturally aspirated M engine and the S65 unit was still more desirable. Some fans couldn’t take any more when they saw that the 1M wouldn’t get that engine and took matters into their own hands.
That’s why we’re here today, to show you a really unique project that involves a random BMW 135i and an M3 engine. The car belongs to an M3Post member and has more than impressive specs.
It received both the 4-liter V8 engine from an E92 and its manual 6-speed transmission even though it wasn’t even close to an M car. However it became one over the years, as work on it progressed.
Since the V8 is just 15 lbs (7 kg) heavier than the stock N54 unit the car used to have aboard, the change is rather easy to do, without meddling too much with other aspects of the car. Even so, the guys working on it decided to make it lighter and things went crazy.
The E82 got a carbon fibre bonnet, boot lid and roof (that wasn’t installed yet) to make it even lighter. The engine was swapped together with the transmission, steering, diff and axles and received a custom BPM tune, Dinan intake, custom X pipe and a Meisterschaft exhaust.
The suspension was also redone alongside the brakes, to cope with the bigger forces it has to withstand. PSI/Ohlins Raceline coilovers were installed with a complete StopTech brake kit.
Inside, Recaro Profi SPA seats welcome you up front alongside BMW Performance bits and pieces such as the steering wheel, shifter, e-brake and trims. For added safety, a TC Design half cage was installed alongside Schroth 6-point harnesses.
Is that enough? Probably. For now. However, no matter what comes up next, we’ll keep you posted!
But what would happen if those bits and pieces were fitted in a smaller car, let’s say a BMW 1 Series Coupe? BMW surely thought of it but wanted the 1M Coupe to have a different personality and gave it an inline 6-cylinder turbocharged 3-liter engine that, as good as it was, still used forced induction.
Nothing yet discovered can match the sharpness of a perfectly designed, naturally aspirated M engine and the S65 unit was still more desirable. Some fans couldn’t take any more when they saw that the 1M wouldn’t get that engine and took matters into their own hands.
That’s why we’re here today, to show you a really unique project that involves a random BMW 135i and an M3 engine. The car belongs to an M3Post member and has more than impressive specs.
It received both the 4-liter V8 engine from an E92 and its manual 6-speed transmission even though it wasn’t even close to an M car. However it became one over the years, as work on it progressed.
Since the V8 is just 15 lbs (7 kg) heavier than the stock N54 unit the car used to have aboard, the change is rather easy to do, without meddling too much with other aspects of the car. Even so, the guys working on it decided to make it lighter and things went crazy.
The E82 got a carbon fibre bonnet, boot lid and roof (that wasn’t installed yet) to make it even lighter. The engine was swapped together with the transmission, steering, diff and axles and received a custom BPM tune, Dinan intake, custom X pipe and a Meisterschaft exhaust.
The suspension was also redone alongside the brakes, to cope with the bigger forces it has to withstand. PSI/Ohlins Raceline coilovers were installed with a complete StopTech brake kit.
Inside, Recaro Profi SPA seats welcome you up front alongside BMW Performance bits and pieces such as the steering wheel, shifter, e-brake and trims. For added safety, a TC Design half cage was installed alongside Schroth 6-point harnesses.
Is that enough? Probably. For now. However, no matter what comes up next, we’ll keep you posted!
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