It’s nearly impossible to consider the history of motorized sports without Colin Chapman, the gentleman who designed Formula 1 race cars under the “add lightness” mantra. The Lotus founder’s legacy soldiers on today in regular cars, including the E46 in the following clip.
Owned by ChrisFix, the BMW 330xi weighs 3,370 pounds (1,529 kilograms) according to the DYI extraordinaire. The best run to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) ended in 6.79 seconds while braking from 60 miles per hour to zero took as little as 168 feet (51 meters) with old tires.
After taking off 430 pounds (195 kilograms) of weight, every single metric improves by considerable margins. 60 mph now occurs in 5.97 seconds, representing an improvement of 0.8 seconds over the bone-stock car, while braking improves to 138 feet (42 meters) with a quarter of a tank of gasoline.
Just by removing the OEM seats, the car shed 180 pounds (82 kilograms). The primary modification ChrisFix did to his vehicle comes in the guise of an OMP racing seat, which tips the scales at just 30 pounds (14 kilograms).
The whatnots removed from the Bimmer’s trunk, including the sound-insulating materials and 12-volt battery, come in at 75 pounds (34 kilograms), many of the interior bits and pieces weigh 50 pounds (23 kilograms), and the carpeting alone weighs 45 pounds (20 kilograms). It may be difficult to see to the untrained eye, but approximately 25 pounds (11 kilograms) of sound deadening is bonded to the vehicle’s floor and transmission tunnel.
Even the headliner and sunroof can make a huge difference by lowering the center of gravity, thus improving handling in the corners. A fiberglass panel replaces the sunroof, and Chris isn’t done yet because the side-curtain airbags are still there. Before it gets hooned on the track, the budget-oriented race car will also get semi-slick tires for better grip as well as a roll cage.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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