BMW E90 M3 Performance BMW 11/8/10
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P TO The E90 M3 seems to often be overlooked in the UK, but can this simple and effective effort from Blackpool steal the limelight from its CoupĂŠ sibling? Words: Ben Koflach Photos: Richard Parsons
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et’s face it, given the choice, most of us would probably go for an E92 M3 over the four-door. It’s more traditional to have a two-door M3, and with more parts available for it too, it seems like the preferred route to take. Marcus Brunning, on the other hand, decided that a saloon was the way forward. In March 2008, he took a bold step and tried to keep all of the family happy with a practical, fast, stylish and modified daily driver – and an E90 M3 fitted the bill perfectly. With its 4.0-litre V8, 414 horses, excellent chassis and enough room and doors to easily chuck a baby in the back, along with all the clobber that goes with it, there was little to persuade him against it… apart from maybe the pristine black leather interior. I’m quite sure baby sick doesn’t mix with leather too well, but thankfully Marcus wasn’t put off. Running a busy events and travel firm with his wife, Marcus rarely gets time to himself. “We work bloody hard – we barely go out or anything, so my main outlet is cars,” he explains. And with a history of
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Simple, effective mods playing on the black and white theme, both inside and out, transform this E90 completely
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Range Rovers, X5s, a 130i and much other fancy machinery, Marcus certainly knows his cars. As well as that, he’d always kept a picture of an E46 M3 pinned to his office wall, so when the time came for Marcus to be able to get the newer version, along with two extra doors, he jumped at the chance. The plan was always to modify the Three, although Marcus managed to last a whole two months of owning the Alpine white E90 before bits were on the way. It all kicked off with Blackline rear lights and black vinyl wrap for the roof. At the same time, the bonnet vents, side and kidney grilles were custom-painted matt black. From that, it didn’t take long before Marcus was left wanting to carry on the black and white theme, having the original 19” M Double-spoke wheels powdercoated in satin black to match the vinyl. The next upgrade was to give the V8 a bit more throat, for which a Remus Race exhaust was ordered, along with a Fabspeed X-pipe with secondary cat bypasses and resonators. The lack of modified E90s in this country meant that the parts ordered were actually designed for the E92, necessitating a custom diffuser to avoid the tailpipes looking like they stuck out too far. “I doubt that exhaust setup was even legal – it certainly wouldn’t be allowed on track,” he says (more on that later!). To further complement the performance, a BMC air filter was dropped in, and a TechnoCraft Envy carbon fibre induction elbow sits in front of the V8, creating a smoother internal air flow while lifting the underbonnet appearance in a big way. With that exhaust fitted, and neighbours suitably ruffled, it was time to start adding yet more innovative little touches to the exterior of the four-door. A VRS splitter was bought, painted and installed, while Eibach Sportline springs bring the ride height down a little at the same time as firming up the ride. At this point, the car was spotted on Bimmerpost (Marcus’s favourite forum) as January 2010’s Car of the Month – little did they know, there was plenty to come yet! Despite the large outlay for the Remus exhaust, it wasn’t long until the noise and those tips were just too much, and Marcus was left looking for something a bit less uncompromised. In the meantime, BMW Performance pedals were installed inside, and the wing mirror covers were painted matt black, just as the grilles and vents had been previously, which is a nice and subtle touch. Marcus then got the opportunity to work with Evolve, which, along with Car Planet Racing, was busying developing an M3 GT full exhaust system, and needed an E90 M3, so using his car the company finished development for the four-door. The stainless system features twin rear boxes, each with a resonator, and four black chrome tips, meaning that from the rear it doesn’t look too different to the standard, but with a much more refined rumble (akin to European V8s) and screams like a NASCAR at the redline. The new system cleverly eliminates the in-car drone, which is a massive downside to all but very few aftermarket exhausts for the current M3, and is also 15kg lighter than the stock one. At the same time, the ECU was remapped by Evolve to make the most of the modifications, giving impressive results of 444.9bhp and 326lb ft of torque on the dyno – enough to keep anyone smiling. Marcus also managed to get the matt black VMR v713s you see before you, complete with Yokohama Neova Ad08 tyres, as a bargain from a friend who was selling his car. To say they look good would be an understatement, and they certainly enhance the US flavour of the car. In a staggered fitment, 8.5” wide at the front, 9.5” at the rear, and being 19” in diameter, they fill the arches perfectly, really adding to the aggressive lines of the E90 and giving a look of depth. With power from the factory plentiful, the noise and extra bit of poke is enough for anyone so Marcus was keen to add to the styling of the M3 once again. The “horrid custard yellow angel eyes”, as Marcus puts it, had to go, and in their place he fitted Ice blue versions with matching number plate lights, which freshen it up no end, especially against the Alpine white paint. To give the interior that finishing touch, the trim panels have all been wrapped in a white carbon-effect vinyl, extending the black and white theme further and giving the interior a very classy and personal touch. To top the lot off, Marcus fitted carbon fibre headlight covers under the bonnet and some details like black and white roundels and a black OCTOBER 2010 37
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DATA FILE 4.0-litre V8 S65, BMC air filter, Technocraft Envy carbon fibre charge pipe, Evolve remap, Evolve full GT exhaust system 8.5x19”(front) and 9.5x19”(rear) VMR v713 wheels in matt black shod in Yokohama Neova Ad08 rubber. Eibach Sportline lowering kit VRS front splitter, Challenge GT rear diffuser, Envy carbon fibre headlamp covers, matt black kidney and side grilles and bonnet vents, matt black vinyl-wrapped roof, custom painted mirror covers, black and white roundels, black rear M3 badge, Ice blue angel eyes and number plate lights, Blackline rear lights Custom white carbon-effect vinyl-wrapped trim, BMW Performance pedals Max and the gang at Car Planet Racing, Sal, Imran and Sultan at Evolve Tuning, Oliver Sadler at Phoenix Motorsports, Wafik Rozeik – the trim specialist, Creag Williams at Ultimate Valeting Services
There’s plenty of drama surrounding the V8 powerplant, so just a few carbon touches finish things off rather nicely
M3 boot badge. The final addition, which was fitted only a week before our shoot, was a Challenge GT diffuser to add a good dose of aggression to the rear. Future plans are for a Challenge GT carbon fibre bootlid, which will enable the fitment of LCI face-lift rear lights that will transform the rump of the car. Other than that, Marcus wants to continue the black and white theme by having the front seats re-stitched with white thread – although even he admitted that doing that might be getting a little too finicky! Still, it’s the details that count, eh? Whether that happens or not, Marcus’s plan is to sell the car in the not too distant future. Something a little more hardcore for the weekend (a Lotus Exige) is what is required, now that transporting his son requires a little less luggage, which seems fair enough. All in all, Marcus has proven with ease that with a car that’s a bit different to the norm, alongside some choice modifications to freshen things up, you don’t have to do a lot to make a car like the E90 really stand out. And not just stand out, but take some of the attention away from its more conventionally favoured sibling, too ● 38 PERFORMANCE BMW