GREEN with envy… What happens when you cross a V8 with a 1 Series...?

You produce a ‘1M3’, and it’s b.e.a.utiful!

I’ve always had a thirst for speed, which tended to come hand in hand with high emitting gas guzzlers. However, times are changing, and everywhere I turn there seems to be another advert for the latest green car, so I felt it was time I rolled with the change… Well, does painting my new car Java Green count? Perhaps I misunderstood the criteria, but I like it, and I like it a lot.

Let’s take a step back; where did it all begin?

Having come from a family of car enthusiasts I’d say there’s no surprise I ended up with a penchant for motor vehicles, and in particular Motorsport. My uncle was a keen racer of another German marque; Porsche, having founded the Porsche Open. My father on the other hand always had a weakness for American muscle and Lamborghini (quite the dichotomy), so you may wonder where my passion for BMW spawned? Glancing at the photo below will reveal you needn’t look far, once you spot the E30 323i parked next to the Trans Am… My mothers car.

Fast forward…

My first foray into BMW came in 2011 when I purchased a lovely sapphire black E81 130i M sport. Prior to the hatch I had owned an MX-5 (a gorgeous 1.6ltr equipped with hard top!), but after a few years, the need to quench that thirst for speed eventually took hold; and having been won over by the handling of my mums E87 variant, I looked into the nippy 1 series. The yearn to one day own a Motorsport model gnawed at the back of my mind, and after setting my eyes upon (yet again) my mums then Z4M roadster, I had a goal in mind. The day to dip into the £500 pa tax bracket (or ///M tax as I like to call it) dawned, and after 9 gruelling months of searching, I picked myself up a stunning low mileage Interlagos M coupé which I sadly parted with in order to fund my new, and current project… Project 1M3.

This was by far an easy decision; the coupé embodied the two-seated sportster feel that I love so dearly, and nothing from the marque outside of a breadvan (Z3M coupé) had the same appeal. Being encapsulated within that small cockpit made me feel a touch ‘race driver’ and being selfish, it was nice to not be called upon to chauffeur a car full of people too. This said, whilst there was no doubt the Z4 felt like a special occasion each time I shut the door and heard that glorious S54 tick over, when driven enthusiastically, it wasn’t BMW’s finest offering in the driving department. So, with that came my decision to move on. If I was being sensible, I probably should have put my money into an E46 M3 CSL as that to me is one of the finest cars I have driven. However, I don’t often pick the simple route and couldn’t convince myself to invest in a ‘46, so it was time to be brave and step into the unknown.

Two of my favourite modern M-powered cars are the 1M and the E9x M3. I love the looks of the aggressive little coupé, but didn’t want a turbo charged car, and I absolutely buzzed at the thought of owning an S65 driven machine. So, if I could pull it off, it was time to do something different; a one off, a BMW Frankenstein of sorts. A few conversations later, it was confirmed… I’d embark on my very own DCT, S65 V8 1M coupé!

Stick or not to stick? That was the question.

Transmission was another tough call. I’m normally a bit of a ‘manual purist’, but heard an awful lot of chatter surrounding the apparent sublime nature of the DCT box when mated with an S65, so I had to experience both back to back in order to make up my mind. A test drive later confirmed my direction, and to my surprise I fell in love with the dual clutch. With the revvy nature of the V8, I found the quick change seriously fun and involving, which enables you to utilize those 414 horses all the more. Combined with my intention to increase the power in the future, I felt this was the best all-round way to go. On top of that, to my knowledge, this will also be the first of it’s kind here in the U.K.

At this point in time, I’m not mechanically trained, so this meant working alongside someone with the build. Having seen their work, and having trekked up North to discuss the idea, I had no doubt that Quarry Motors (and in particular, Ashley) would pull this off to an exceptional degree for me. They don’t run these cars off of a production line, so I felt privileged and very excited to be working on this with them.

What did this car start out as?

I haven’t modified a genuine 1M firstly. This was an initial consideration, however the thought of colour changing the shell (I’m not a fan of wraps) and ripping out the manual gear box seemed to void the purpose of starting with a valuable car. So the first port of call was to source a clean E82, which led us to this 120i M sport to use as the base. Then there was the case of scouting a panel damaged M3 so that all of it’s unscathed elements could be brought back to life. All in all, this is essentially a full blooded M3 contained within a smaller package.

There were no corners cut when it came to the body work; brand new OEM 1M panels were ordered from BMW and there was not a weld in sight when it came to my rear arches, with full rear quarter replacements instead.

Java green with envy…

The colour was by far the hardest decision I’ve had to make, and I probably changed my mind 20 times, not to mention annoy anyone who would listen about which path to take. When the sky’s the limit, it’s not a simple task, and I felt such a project should have an equally ballsy finish. I eventually settled on a BMW heritage colour, however at the last moment I changed direction again after falling in love with a Java green M4 I saw at Santa Pod (thanks for the inspiration Jimmy). I was desperate to create something that hadn’t been done before, and therefore trying to envisage the end result was difficult because there were no references… However, after seeing how the sunlight danced with this luminous metallic, I knew it was the one, regardless of whether it was the latest BMW individual colour to own.

Wondered how much room there would be with that V8 shoe-horned in?

An M3-styled bonnet had to be the way forward (both practically for the height at which the engine sits and aesthetically where I felt the 1M lacked that finishing touch)… If any major issues flare up that require the use of bonnet pins, I would like to go down the route of having an aluminium version fashioned.

Who needs reindeer when you have over 400 horses to pull a sleigh…

All being well, Bruce (explanation to follow) should be ready in time for Christmas; not a bad present to buy oneself huh!? I must thank Adam, John and the team at B-Trim, whom have just completed my interior which I can’t wait to see in the car. Their craftsmanship is second to none and I’m thrilled with the attention to detail. In combination with getting the interior installed, we’ve got to settle on the exhaust and then it will be a case of getting the style 359 (competition wheels) on fresh from the painters, and running the car for a period to ensure no initial niggles flag up. Sounds straight forward, right? We‘ll see…

If you have embarked on a custom build, you’ll soon become familiar with having to dip back into your wallet… What starts off as one budget soon escalates, and you really can make these projects cost whatever you want. This will be an evolutionary project for me, with plans to add a supercharger at some point in the future. With that will come a revision of the brakes and suspension, and over the next year I’ve got some tweaks to the styling in mind.

Alrighty then…

I like naming my car(s), and so I was wondering what would be an adequate name for ‘the beast’, ‘the green hornet’ or ‘hulk’ as some people have titled him. Then there it was; ‘Bruce’. It sounded amusing and just stuck. It’s a strong alter-ego name when you consider Bruce Banner, Bruce Wayne or simply Bruce Almighty… I’m a massive fan of Heath Ledger’s ‘Joker’ so I’m keeping that in the back of my mind for now. Or there’s always ‘the Mask’; another manic, greenly attired mad man. Either way, Bruce certainly has, ‘got the power’.

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