Saloon Sports Light

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Saloon Sports Light

If BMW had ever made a CSL (or should that be SSL) version of the E36 M3 Saloon, then it might have looked a lot like this.

Words: Luke Wood Photos: Jamie Lipman

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SL. Three letters made famous by the accomplishments of a ’70s icon and worn by just one other car since, this is the badge that hardcore BMW speed merchants lust over the most. A CSL moniker means that you’ve deliberately sacrificed comfort in search of outright performance and if that means you’re going to get a bit hot under the collar or suffer from ringing in the ears after a long trip, then so be it. Air-con and sound deadening are for wimps after all, and soft suspension is most definitely for girls (not this one sunshine ~ Ed). If you own a CSL you mean business. It’s not so much that you want to be faster than the rest, it’s more a case of you have to be faster.

BMW didn’t make an official CSL version of the E36 M3, the Lightweight being the closest offering, but even this was only made in very limited numbers, and for the US market only. A cruel blow for European enthusiasts, as we’re sure that had such a focused model been available this side of the pond, then it would have sold like hotcakes. Of the 114 that were built between August and October 1995, along with seven pre-production cars made earlier that same year, all featured a raft of identical track-worthy modifications to the chassis, drivetrain and bodywork. In-car entertainment, sound insulation and air conditioning were out, while aluminium doors, BMW Sport seats and a carbon fibre dash were in. In addition, for customers that really wanted to go to town, there were optional extras that included an adjustable rear spoiler, upper and lower strut braces, height adjustable suspension, drilled brake discs and even adjustable camber plates.

The engines remained as per standard 240bhp North American spec, albeit with a derestricted limiter and an assurance from BMW that each unit was tested prior to fitting to ensure that it performed to its full potential. Last, but not least, were the addition of bold BMW Motorsport decals, a chequered flag that was draped across the exclusively Alpine White flanks to mark the Lightweight out as something a little bit special.

Perhaps, if the Lightweight had been made available over here, BMW may have seen fit to attach a CSL badge to the E36’s well honed rump but sadly, the badge of honour was destined to skip a generation. A shame, because as it turns out this would have been an absolute belter of a car, or at least it would have been if BMW had managed to make it look or feel anything like this particular M3, a one-off hybrid that takes all the best bits of a CSL and re-packages them into a four-door bodyshell. A Saloon Sports Light, if you will – we can hear the cogs turning at BMW’s ‘new niche model’ department already…

This car is, as you’ve probably guessed, of a one-off. The product of one man’s desire to have something different, it bears the hallmarks of several of the UK’s top independent BMW specialists, although what makes it doubly intriguing is that it actually started life as a lowly 323i SE. The proud owner, a certain Osman ‘Ozzie’ Hodja, bought the original car nearly eight years

C

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“I took the car to Santa Pod a few times... people were pulling their hair out, they couldn’t figure out why it was so fast!”

ago as a present to himself for passing his driving test, and by all accounts the 170bhp 2.5-litre machine performed admirably. Nothing too surprising there. However, when it came to trade-up time Ozzie was presented with a difficult decision. Swap the 323i for something different, the easy route, or take a deep breath and plunge into the world of modifying what he already had – the much harder, more expensive, but arguably more rewarding option.

If the resulting transformation to E36 M3 Evo proved one thing, it’s that Ozzie is not a person who believes in doing things by halves. A replacement S50 B32 engine was sourced and part funded by the trade-in value of his now defunct six-cylinder S50, while the remainder of the E36 M parts were supplied by BMW specialist FAB Direct, which offers a range of Motorsport upgrade kits for anyone interested in replacing or improving their E36.

Kit One is the most comprehensive, and includes the complete engine, should you need it, gearbox, suspension, drivetrain, exhaust system, wiring loom – in fact every conceivable ancillary that you would need to build a fresh M3, and all delivered on a pallet at a location of your choice. Which in this case was CPC Performance, home of BMW guru Phil Crouch, who had been tasked with reducing Ozzie’s car to a bare shell and then re-building it with the go-faster bits.

An unenviable job if you’re a spanner-phobe, and a fair bit of work even for a maestro such as Phil, but the results most definitely speak for themselves. Stripped back to a bare shell, every single piece of 323 has been replaced with E36 M3 Evo running gear, from the differential to the steering rack, and with such painstaking precision and attention to detail that it’s virtually impossible to identify this as a conversion. There is one big clue however, and that’s the colour. E36 M3s never came in Morea green, something that very much played to Ozzie’s advantage in the early stages of this project.

“I took the car to Santa Pod a few times,” he revealed. “If anyone asked, I’d tell them that it was a standard 318i. I ran a 13.2 second quarter-mile with a 105.5mph terminal speed. People were pulling their hair out, they couldn’t figure out why it was so fast!”

We mentioned early stages, as once the M3 Evo metomorphosis had been completed, work then began on fine tuning the package for track days, and for this, Ozzie turned to Luton-based firm Evolve Automotive, a company that has been working wonders with MPower machinery of late, and which promised to unleash even more potential from the newly born M3.

According to Evolve’s Imran Arshad, one of the big problems with E36 Evo engines is that they very rarely produce the 321bhp that they are supposed to, a claim that will be supported by anyone in the business with an honest rolling road. “The best I’ve ever seen is 300bhp,” he says, “and the ones that seem to consistently make decent power are engines that have had a few miles put on the clock.”

Behind the wheel, it is everything you’d ever want from an M3, and more

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With that in mind, the 360.8bhp that this car now produces would suggest that Ozzie has plenty of power at his disposal, a figure that has been achieved thanks to the addition of an Evolve carbon induction system, a set of Schrick 284 cams, a decat exhaust, a Uni-q ECU and an Evolve live remap, which has also allowed the rev limit to be raised to 8000rpm.

In addition to the engine work Evolve also made sure that the rest of the car was optimised for circuit use with the addition of Variant 3 KW coilovers, Powerflex bushes, adjustable Whiteline anti-roll bars and drop links front and rear, a Wiechers carbon strut brace, AP Racing four-piston calipers and a carbon spoiler. There’s also extra bracing under the engine bay but for this, Ozzie didn’t need to spend huge money on aftermarket kit. “The lower front crossbrace is actually a BMW part,” he revealed. “It cost about £90 and it’s normally found on E36 Cabrios as they come with extra rigidity as standard.”

Not content with just having the right parts, Ozzie then took the unprecedented, yet informed decision, to tackle the issue of ensuring everything was set up properly for track use. Conveniently, he happens to work next door to Frost Motorsport, a firm that specialises in setting up cars for exactly that purpose and which not only advised Ozzie on the correct bump and re-bound settings on the adjustable KWs, but suggested that he swap the standard 3.23:1 differential for a 3.64:1 JC Racing item. “The shorter ratio is much better for when I’m on track,” explains

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In addition to the engine work Evolve also made sure that the rest of the car was optimised for circuit use

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Ozzie. “Top speed is now lower, but it helps keep the revs in the power band.”

Another area that Frost Motorsport helped with was making sure that the M3 was corner weighted properly. A technique normally reserved for motorsport teams to ensure that a car is balanced correctly, corner weighting involves setting a car up on scales at each corner and then adjusting the suspension height to suit. As well as ensuring that the tyres and dampers are working at optimum levels it’s also a good method of finding out exactly how much your car weighs, which again is another vital component to a healthy track weapon. In this case Ozzie’s E36 now tips the scales at 1338kg, exactly the same as an original Lightweight, yet significantly more potent in the all- important power to weight stakes. With 280bhp a Lightweight achieves just 209bhp per tonne while this interpretation manages 269bhp per tonne, although the bigger 3.2-litre up front has played a big part in massaging that figure.

Seven track days later, Ozzie is utterly smitten, although considering the lengths he’s gone to, we’re somewhat surprised that he hasn’t gone the whole hog, fitted a roll-cage and ripped all the seats out. “I want to be able to enjoy the car on the road as well,” is the simple explanation. And why not? Despite its frequent trips to the track, this M3 still looks remarkably fresh, shod in Breyton Magic 19” rims (replaced by standard Evo alloys and Toyo R888s for when the going gets tough) and with dabs of carbon fibre to the front spoiler, grille and door mirrors, if it wasn’t for that black (Seibon Carbon) bonnet you’d be forgiven for thinking that this was just another 3 Series on a set of smart alloys.

At first glance the interior appears to be similarly subtle, but again, on closer inspection, Ozzie’s attention to detail makes itself known. The front seats are Cobra Misano carbon items which, as well as being brilliantly supportive have helped to shave more vital kilograms from the kerb weight. However to maintain a ‘standard’ look the rear seats and doorcards have been retrimmed to match by Cobra’s technicians. The steering wheel is the correct M3 item and even the clocks, which have a carbon surround, are the genuine M article.

Behind the wheel, it is everything you’d ever want from an M3, and more. Apart from a genuine E36 Lightweight, perhaps? Possibly, although we think that if we were Ozzie then we’d stick with what we’d got. Let’s face it, not only does it promise greater performance but it offers greater exclusivity as well. A Morea green, Saloon Sports Light E36 M3 – it doesn’t get much rarer than that ●

DATA FILE

ENGINE: 3.2-litre S50 B32 with Schrick 284 cams, Evolution Automotive carbon induction and remap, Uni-Q ECU, ARP con rod bolts, rpm raised to 8000rpm CHASSIS: 19” Breyton Magic alloys (road), 17” M3 Evo alloys and Toyo R888 (track). KW Variant 3 coilovers, adjustable Whiteline anti-roll bars and drop links, Powerflex bushes, Wiechers carbon strut brace, E36 Cabrio crossbrace. AP Racing four piston calipers EXTERIOR: AC Schnitzer carbon front splitter, adjustable carbon rear wing, Seibon Carbon bonnet, BM Styling carbon grille and door mirrors, angel eye and HID conversion INTERIOR: Carbon Cobra Misano seats, rear seats and door cards retrimmed to match, carbon M3 dials THANKS: CPC Performance (01895 252888), Evolve Automotive (0870 0850111 or www.evolveyourcar.com) FAB Direct (01594 827333 or www.fabdirect.com), Frost Motorsrport Services (01473 250996)