Since the first M3 was released in the 1980s, BMW have used the same two characters to describe what is arguably their most desirable flier. This model - the E36 - is a fair step up in size over the original M3 and it kicks heads with a much more purposeful 6-cylinder engine. Generating some 210kW in standard form, the M-enhanced 3-litre DOHC six can scoot a 1995-spec M3 over the quarter mile in 14.1 seconds. Fairly hiking.
But there's an obvious avenue for extra performance that the house of M has left wide open for the aftermarket - forced induction. That's right, blow the induction air into a 3-litre M-motor and you're talking serious power and exotica. Just ask Bruce Read of the Gold Coast.
Bruce recently owned a yellow BMW M3 and - on seeing a local magazine article featuring a blown bee-em - started investigating the costs involved in going for a blower upgrade. But when he contacted the Perth company that had done the work seen in the magazine, Bruce was informed that he could short-track the sizeable task by purchasing the actual car that he'd seen featured. Hmm, not a bad idea.
It turns out that the original owner had already sold it to another bloke but that he also was already interested in selling. Bruce took the opportunity - while on holiday - to get an optic over the blown Beemer and decided it'd be much easier to buy a vehicle with the supercharger conversion already done. His trusty yellow M3 was therefore discarded to make way for the 1995 blown beauty you see before you.
But this machine wasn't always that beautiful. Almost criminally, the previous owner "wasn't much of an enthusiast" and had run the car into the ground; Bruce said it arrived in appalling condition. Unable to bear the sight of such a neglected piece of auto exotica, Bruce had the Gold Coast's highly regarded Kit Smash Repairs conduct all that needed to be done. The body was fully stripped back, small dents were massaged out and a mirror-finish coat of (standard colour) Avusblau metallic blue was applied. The front spoiler had also been smashed, so this was re-fibreglass'd to as-new condition. Incidentally, the front spoiler, the side skirts and rear wing are all M3-R issue. The sexy little exterior mirrors you can see are standard M3, though the headlight eyebrows and the 'supercharged' badges are subtle add-ons. Oh, and the as-arrived damaged window tint was replaced with new high-grade stuff.
For some reason, the previous owner had got rid of the aftermarket rims that the original owner had fitted, and stuck the BMW stockies back on. Bruce didn't agree with this logic, quickly opting to select his own set of 18-inch brushed AMG Matrix alloys. These combine with Falken 235/40 ZRs at the front and 255/35ZRs at the rear. Just when you thought an M3 couldn't look any tastier...
And what of the mechanicals?
The whole reason that Bruce bought this car was for its aftermarket mechanicals; and there sure are a lot of them. Inside the 3.0-litre blue printed block are APEP 7.9:1 full-floating forged pistons with Saenz conrods and the head has been mildly ported. In short, the engine is purpose-built for forced induction and is virtually bulletproof.
The blower unit itself is a Whipple 2100A twin-screw supercharger, which - when the vehicle arrived on the Coast - wasn't producing the boost that it should have been. This explained why the vehicle didn't feel all that quick. A replacement Whipple 2100A was bolted in, with the pulleys set to deliver 16.5 psi of boost. Note that to prevent problems with purging and rapid compressor stalling, the massive 4½-inch diameter throttle is located pre-supercharger.
To help compensate for the lack of an intercooler, a water/methanol mix is injected immediately prior to the blower intake. When the car arrived, the air intake to the blower left something to be desired, so Bruce had a custom polypropylene airbox made up, together with a forward-facing pick-up. A K&N filter lives inside the box.
Another improvement Bruce has made is in the exhaust department. Spilling out the spent gasses are twin 2 3/8-inch mandrel SuperSprint pipes, which merge into a single pipe in a similar location to the M3-R. A dual tip M3-R N-series muffler is incorporated at the rear.
Due to the complexities of the BMW M3's engine and body computers, the Perth builder (ForMaz Performance) deemed it would be wisest to simply add a piggyback MicroTech MT-2 micro-fueller to control two 550cc extra injectors. The rest of the fuel system is upgraded with a Bosch Motorsport pump, while a diet of Shell Optimax (98 RON) has been ruled essential for the sake of engine health.
Without intercooling, the addition of an OZ Nos 100hp 'wet shot' of giggle gas makes perfect sense. In addition to giving obvious scope for more power, nitrous also cools the intake charge, giving reduced chance of detonation. Bruce has the gas hooked up to a 'main' switch on the gearknob as well as a throttle position input. The nitrous will activate only when the main switch is 'on' and full throttle has been detected. Though - as Bruce says - there's no point in using the nitrous system in first or second gear. Those Falken tyres have a propensity to turn into smouldering patches on the bitumen!
Such ferocious boosted grunt is channelled to the Bee-Em's rear tyres through a custom brass button clutch with a lightened flywheel, a standard (H pattern) M3 5-speed gearbox and a seriously grippy rear-end. This is a low ratio 3.74:1 M3-R N-spec with a 75 percent LSD centre. Needless to say, traction is something that a RWD vehicle with this much torque is always on the hunt for.
Discs are M3-R N-series working with the standard ABS, while Eibach springs and Bilstein shocks give the chassis excellent poise. Quality gear all the way.
Not keen on having the Spartan level of interior comfort that usually goes with a vehicle of such performance, Bruce has kept the cabin pretty much M-spec. That means power everything, airbags and a top-end audio system.
The only eye-catching aftermarket additions - which were fitted through necessity - are the A-pillar mounted GReddy boost and water temperature gauges. Tucked away at the base of the console, there is also a Pivot shift light and A'PEXi timer for turbo and naturally aspirated vehicles.
Bruce hasn't yet taken his machine to the local drag strip, but he's got a pretty clear picture of what times it should run (with traction permitting). Power has recently been measured at over 400 horsepower at the back wheels (on 16.5 psi boost), and a weighbridge reveals that the vehicle (together with half a tank of fuel an a driver) weighs 1490kg. From this, Bruce says the car should be running in the 11s. He's even more confident of this by the way that the Bee-Em wipes off modified Subaru WRXs.
Ain't it nice to hear of a modified Euro supercar that actually gets driven!
Contacts:
ChipTorque
+61 7 5596 4204
ForMaz Performance
+61 9 331 5599
Kit Smash Repairs
+61 7 5597 0022
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