Note: The following story was excerpted from the August 2021 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine.

It’s fair to say the idea of 700-plus-horsepower Dodges isn’t as shocking as it once was. Starting with the original 707-hp 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat, the 2021 Durango SRT Hellcat is the fifth supercharged, Hemi-powered Dodge we’ve considered in this space.

Final Drive:

Future Collectibles: 2012-2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8

Car Stuff Podcast

I’ve wanted to attend a 24 Hours of Spa race for a very long time.

In 2017, I even got so far as to gain media accreditation, but then sadly ended up not being able to go. After following the amazing Nürburgring 24h coverage on Speedhunters this year, I was motivated to apply for accreditation again. And this time I finally made it to Belgian Ardennes for the world’s biggest GT3 race.

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Shooting a 24-hour race is challenging at the best of times, let alone when inclement weather plays a role. In the hills of the Liège region, the weather conditions are constantly changing, so rain is almost expected during the race. But surprisingly, the forecast showed dry weather, and it stayed that way with a mild 75°F (24°C) temperature throughout the weekend.

Looking back, I think I can say that the stable weather took some of the excitement out of the event. I would have enjoyed a strong shower to add some extra drama to the photos, but maybe that’s only because I’m back at home now, and didn’t get to experience what surely would have been misery, trudging up and down the endless hills around the circuit in the pouring rain.

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Practice sessions took place throughout Thursday, with qualifying on Friday evening. Even at this stage I had walked over 15 miles and climbed what felt like three million stairs. Because this was my first time at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, I wanted to familiarize myself with every corner, and that did involve a couple of dead ends. The track marshals, arguably the people most in love with the sport, were always helpful though.

The 2022 TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa was the third 24-hour race I’ve attended, so I had a rough understanding of how the day would progress and what to expect. With that in mind, I took it very easy before the green flag dropped. I ate a healthy breakfast, stocked up with water and snacks, prepared all my equipment and started thinking about where I’d shoot the race start from.

Eau Rouge, the famous first corner after the start – but technically the circuit’s second turn – was the obvious choice for a first-timer like me, but positioning myself there meant missing the grid walk and the unique perspective of what happens just before the race begins.

So I made a compromise; I set myself up in a spot where I could spectate grid preparations from a distance, but also shoot the start.

At 4:45pm. the Audi R8 safety car was ready to lead the field of 66 GT3 cars for the warm-up lap that would set the 24-hour marathon in motion.

Within a short couple of minutes, nine different brands plunged into Eau Rouge and then made the climb up through Raidillon, kicking off a full day and night of competition at the 74th running of this iconic endurance race. I was standing just under the grandstands, and was amazed how the roar of the crowd was just as loud as the passing field of race cars.

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There’s one main reason why I like GT3 racing: Even though there are many vehicle regulations, the engines are varied. You can easily distinguish between a BMW straight-six, a Porsche flat-six, the V8s in Mercedes-Benzes and Aston Martins, and the Lamborghini V10. Furthermore, there are different engine layouts and a mix of naturally aspirated and forced induction.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, the cars are not all the same.

In the first hour of paint-swapping and there were at least four tire punctures and a couple of spins.

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And when a field is so large like this one was, it’s only a matter of time before someone gets it wrong and spreads a whole lot of small rocks across the track. At one point, the surface at Les Combes looked very sketchy.

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It’s very easy at an event like this to set yourself up at a corner and fire away, so every now and then I needed to remind myself to keep looking for unique and creative angles. The trees and the long straight in the background seemed like a good place to do some panning, and I particularly like how the shot above came out with a group of police officers walking by in the opposite direction.

I returned to Eau Rouge, but this time had a perfect vantage point looking towards the grandstand I’d been standing on earlier.

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Like I said, it was a real marathon, but after what felt like only a short while the sun started heading for the horizon. I really wanted to get some atmospheric sunset shots and experiment with long exposures in the dark, so there wasn’t much time to waste.

I caught a media shuttle to an inside part of the track, where at the Bruxelles turn I was able to get really close to the action. This was an ideal place for me to use my wide lens.

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I was traveling light so didn’t have any flashes or strobes with me, not that I’m a great fan of that sort of artificial light anyway. There are a couple of tricks I like using at night races. Firstly, using what the headlights from a chasing car illuminate, and secondly, catching someone else’s flash. I didn’t have to wait long for another photographer to blind the passing drivers.

By now it was approaching midnight and completely dark, and the only thing on my mind was how I was going to get back to the media center so I could then drive to the hotel and grab a short sleep before sunrise. It’s a luxury I had; the team photographers weren’t so lucky.

Luckily for me, an empty media shuttle showed up soon after, so I caught a ride and focused on the final two tasks I’d set myself for the night: long exposures and pit lane.

The pits were a hive of activity, so I decided to enjoy the view from the top and document the action below.

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The race was close and it felt like any of the professional teams could take the overall victory. Of course, the only thing that’s guaranteed in an endurance race like this is the unexpected.

I’ll be back soon with the second half of the 2022 TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa.

Vladimir Ljadov
Instagram: wheelsbywovka
because@wheelsbywovka.com
www.wheelsbywovka.com

For GREAT deals on a new or used Buick or GMC check out Motor City Buick GMC TODAY!

The new BYD Seal electric saloon has gone on sale in China, with BYD confirming that initial deliveries are planned to begin by the end of the month.

Revealed in May, the Tesla Model 3 rival is claimed to have attracted up to 60,000 pre-orders from Chinese customers.

The exterior styling of the EV inherits cues first revealed on the Ocean X concept car and what BYD calls its “ocean aesthetics” design lineage.

At 4800mm long, 1875mm wide and 1460mm tall, it's 106mm longer, 58mm narrower and 17mm taller than the Model 3. Its wheelbase is 45mm longer than its Tesla rival's, at 2920mm.   

A long-range rear-wheel-drive model occupies the middle of the Seal line-up. Its 308bhp rear-mounted electric motor is combined with the 82.5kWh battery, giving a 0-62mph time of 5.9sec and a 150km (93-mile) increase in the CLTC range over its less powerful sibling at 700km (435 miles).

Read Article

Aug 04, 2022Brian LohnesBangShift News, BangShift XL, XL Truck Feature, XL Truck News

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Simple Things

Picking up where we left off in the last Project 345 update, my E36 BMW M3 sedan was still in need of better headlights and brake pads.

This isn’t a super exciting SH Garage post, but I wanted to cover these items quickly and share some driving impressions after getting the car back to the track again. I’m glad to say that I finally felt more at home behind the wheel, but I’ll dive into that in a moment.

First, after seeing my own photos of my car on track at Laguna Seca, I just couldn’t bear those halo-style headlights for another day. They promptly came off, and as you can see above my Hella units from eBay Kleinanzeigen were a big upgrade in the aesthetic department. A huge thank you to my friend Max in Germany who handled pick-up and shipping to the US for me.

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I actually took a number of images I was planning to include here showing the differences between the glass Euro headlight assemblies and my US-spec ones, as well as my aftermarket Depo lights that were previously installed. I seem to have misplaced those and it’s no great loss because they weren’t terribly interesting anyway.

The gist of it is that the Euro and US lights shared the same plug, the housings were similar but not identical, and they mounted up with no modifications. All European-market E36s received glass lenses, and the Hella ones I have are equipped with significantly larger lamps. These ones are also manual-leveling, and if I could figure out the wiring I could add a switch for that in the interior. I’ve just bypassed this for now.

They arrived with quite a bit of pitting from many miles kilometers covered on the German autobahn, but I didn’t mind at all. I think it’s a kind of cool in a way to transfer that history over to my car, which quite clearly has its own share of highway miles and is not in the best shape. Damn German ’90s clear-coat… And it doesn’t help that I didn’t bother cleaning the car for these shots, either.

More importantly than all of that, the output of these Hella headlights even with standard bulbs is simply insane compared to the aftermarket pieces I had. They’re also much brighter than my stock setup, and I have greatly appreciated this on many late-night drives since. I also carried over the German corner lights, which are amber like US ones but have a simplified look without the integrated reflectors.

Now an old man might reverse into me at night and I can get a free paint job. I think that’s how it works?

Moving on, I also needed to address the vibration coming from the front under braking. To fix this, I had my rotors cleaned up at a local machine shop – the last one left in town – and went for a set of Project Mu Club Racer pads.

I’ve gone for a half black-and-white image here so that the car looks less dirty. Did it work? No? Okay.

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The install was super easy, especially as the calipers were already extended from my previous pads, which were still basically like new. They just couldn’t withstand the temperatures at Laguna Seca.

So how would these Project Mu pads do at Thunderhill with Corsa Club?

Driver Mod

In as few words as possible, the Club Racers performed perfectly. It shouldn’t come as a surprise at all as these are a pretty serious pad, meant for more hardcore applications than they’ll ever see with me behind the wheel.

Speaking of being behind the wheel, I felt a lot better here than during my first time out. At Laguna Seca I was pretty uncomfortable, but here on the more-familiar-to-me Thunderhill West course I really started to come to terms with the chassis.

And my headlights looked way better, so that’s a win.

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Being on the stock suspension with worn Koni Yellows, we’re seeing a lot of body roll but at least the car felt like it was doing exactly what I expected. As the day went on I felt more and more like I was part of the car. Still on those Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires – that’s Dry, Wet, Snow – I was getting the rear to step out with some regularity and catching it with more and more ease as I put my right foot down to pick up speed for the straights earlier each lap.

The E36 really is such a great chassis, and whether I keep the car stock or go with more hardcore suspension it’s clear what we really need most is a driver mod. AKA, more seat time.

Putting more heat in the tires this time out, I eventually wore through the all-seasons. It’s time to track down a 200-treadwear tire, but nothing seems to be stocked in a 235/40R17 for my fronts.

The car was solid all day long, though, proving what I said earlier: all you need to track an E36 is pads and a cooling upgrade. You could probably get away without a cooling upgrade, but who wants to be surprised by that? Not me, and I am happy to report that with my CSF radiator and Stewart Components water pump my temperature needle didn’t move a hair even when driving back-to-back sessions. Nor has it moved in stop-and-go traffic or hours-long backroad romps.

As for the brakes, it was (very) smooth sailing all day. The EBC website claims that their Yellow Stuff compound – used on my old pads – is rated up to 900°C, but looking at their more detailed graphs you can see that the wear rate jumps by a factor of nearly six between 600°C and 800°C. Compared to their Yellows, the wear-rate of more hardcore EBC compounds is 50% less over this jump in temperature. As mentioned in my last update, the Yellows felt great on the street but overheated at the track and began to fade a bit and deposit unevenly after a couple of sessions.

Meanwhile the Project Mu Club Racer RC09 pads are rated to 800°C according to their website, but perhaps more importantly their coefficient of friction is actually slightly lower, between 0.42 and .55μ compared to ~0.6μ with the Yellows. This means roughly 30% more pressure is required to achieve full braking force, and I experienced this first-hand at the track with less aggressive bite and better overall feel. I’d broken PMu pads in less for many less miles on the street than I had with the EBC compound, too, yet they delivered more consistent results over the course of the day.

Most importantly, no overheating, no brake fade, and no more vibration.

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There are some more significant upgrades in the pipeline, but in the meantime I’m happy that Project 345 is finally on the right track and is getting hammered around a race track like it should be.

The E36 is such a good car to drive, so let’s do more of that.

Trevor Ryan
Instagram: trevornotryan
tyrphoto.com

Whether you drive a car, need a car, or just occasionally bum a ride with friends, you’ve come to the right place. Join the editors of Consumer Guide Automotive as they break down everything that’s going on in the auto world. New-car reviews, shopping tips, driving green, electric cars, classic cars, and plenty of great guests. This is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast.

Episode: 142

Broadcast date: July 31, 2022

Guest: Brendan Dougherty

Generation Z Goes Car Shopping, 3 Quick Car Reviews

The Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast is broadcast every Sunday on Chicago’s WCPT AM 820 at 1:00 PM and 8:00 PM CT.

Discussed this week:

Test Drive: 2022 Infiniti QX60 Autograph

CDK Global Insights

Brendan’s Generation Z blog post

Test Drive: 2022 Honda Civic Si

Classic Car Ads: Luxury Cars of 1985

Test Drive: 2022 BMW i4 M50

Follow the crew:

The CG Daily Drive Blog

Car Stuff Facebook Page

Consumer Guide on Twitter

Tom on Twitter

Damon on Twitter

Jill on Twitter

Tom on the radio:

Tom on WGN Radio

Tom on Green Sense Radio

Tom on the Nick D Podcast

Tom on the Stan Milam Show

The Crew

To advertise on the Car Stuff Podcast call Andy Lieb: 847-291-7414

Generation Z Goes Car Shopping

Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast, Episode 141: Used-Car Sales Tricks in the 1960s, 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV

Generation Z Goes Car Shopping

Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast, Episode 140: What Makes Electric-Vehicle Tires Different?, 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6

 

 

Our ninth, and final, gallery of photos from Dragway 42 starts right here and we’ve got all kinds of cool action shots! If you missed any of the photos from our previous galleries, use the link below to see them all too.

(Words by Joe Grippo, Photos by Dan Grippo) We just returned home from a fantastic weekend of blue oval greatness at the Fast Fords at Dragway 42 event held at where else but Dragway 42 in West Salem, Ohio. If you don’t know it by now, I am the resident FoMoCo-file here at BangShift.com, so it was my duty to attend and participate at this shindig. No arm twisting needed, so we hitched up the Super Duty, loaded up the Mach 1 and headed westward.

Fast Fords at 42 was born out of a desire by a few Ohio Ford racers to bring back an old school Ford event back to the area. When the word got out, Ron and Maryanne Matchum immediately stepped up and said this needs to be at our facility, Dragway 42. The Matchum’s purchased and have been rebuilding the venerable Ohio dragstrip for a few years now, pumping untold dollars, time and sweat into the tack, and it is readily apparent. The expansive grounds are well kept, with lots of grass pit areas, all paved pit roads, and a great spectator vantage point. One detail I loved and appreciated was the sloped staging lanes, a small thing, but it is very nice when you can coast your car down the lanes without starting it up all the time, especially when getting into the later rounds. I don’t know who Ron and MaryAnne paid, but we had absolutely perfect weather all weekend, cool in the mornings, moderate afternoon temps, gorgeous blue skies and dry all weekend, those great atmospheric conditions combined with decent starting line hook helped the race live up to its name.
Fast Fords at Dragway 42, indeed.

The principal forces behind the event were brothers Tony and Joe Fritz, Mike Weaks, Carl Binius owner of Carl’s Ford Parts, and Bill Spangler. All are big time Ford dudes and put a ton of effort to make this deal a success. Sponsor support from Trick Flow Specialties, Harland Sharp, Mickey Thompson included a trackside presence and very sizeable gift certificate door prizes. Sarchione Ford, Terry Hedricks Ford and CTS – Complete Truck Service kicked in some additional support. Summit Racing provided each entrant with a $25 gift certificate just for showing up! I used mine at the Summit Retail store in Tallmadge on the ride home Sunday…we were going right past it, so why not stop.

Two full days of drag racing with individual eliminations, a nice car show, and a solid swap meet where the planned weekend activities. Race classes included Box (1/8 mile), No-Box (1/4 mile), an FE Shoot-Out, The Y-Block Nationals, and Quick 8’s for the FE and Box cars. No-Box was the largest, but all the classes had a solid turn-out, hopefully even more show up for 2023! I turned on the Big Red Death Ray on Saturday but redeemed myself with a semi-final finish on Sunday. Not going to lie, we burned quite a bit of $5 a gallon gas making the tow from Pennsylvania, but I don’t regret it in the least. We saw some old friends and made some new ones and raced at a first-class track with like-minded Ford folks. The adage is true…” You can’t put a price on a good time.” Support the event in 2023 and look for us when you do!

Since I was racing, my brother Dan Grippo happily manned the camera and documented everything.
Dig into the gallery for what we saw…

Fast Fords at Dragway 42 – Facebook
https://www.dragway42.com/
https://www.trickflow.com/
https://harlandsharp.com/
https://www.mickeythompsontires.com/
http://www.carlsfordparts.com

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE FUN FORDS FROM DRAGWAY 42

There are many theories of why VW's Diess had to go but here are some 'supposed' insider theories.

Why do YOU think it happened?

Diess out at VW not so much due to the group’s ongoing software issues but for attributing some of the software blame to Audi and Porsche’s software customization requests

(A sure sign that the software issues will magically resolve with the change in leadership) https://t.co/fyBI92EJ2g

— Brett Winton (@wintonARK) July 24, 2022

Satisfaction with fuel economy/range is typically stronger among owners of gas-powered vehicles than satisfaction with range/charging speed among owners of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). This year, while BEV owners have a similar, albeit slightly lower, level of satisfaction with charge times and driving range as they did a year ago, high gas prices have led to a noticeable decrease in fuel economy/range satisfaction among owners of gas-powered vehicles, according to the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study,^SM released today. The gap between economy/range is only 7 points (on a 1,000-point scale).

The drop in satisfaction with economy/range also has contributed to a one-point decline in overall new-vehicle satisfaction, the first decline since 2014 and only the fifth year-over-year decline in the 27-year history of the study.

“The most important factor leading to the industry decline this year is owners’ perception of their vehicle’s fuel economy,” said David Amodeo, director of global automotive at J.D. Power. "The study was fielded as fuel prices were experiencing a meteoric rise, and that pinch at the pump is conveyed in lower vehicle satisfaction. Battery-electric vehicles have not been negatively affected by the increase in fuel costs but do have issues related to battery range and charging time.”

Some BEVs have bucked that trend, though. The recently launched Kia EV6 compact SUV and Mercedes-Benz EQS large premium car are two BEV models that rank highest in their respective segments. However, most segment leaders in emotional appeal are conventional gasoline-powered cars, trucks, vans and SUVs. Newcomers to the market that top their segments are the Jeep Wagoneer large SUV, Jeep Grand Wagoneer large premium SUV, Kia Carnival minivan, Genesis GV70 compact premium SUV and Hyundai Santa Cruz midsize pickup.

Now in its 27th year, the APEAL Study complements the J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS)^SM and the J.D. Power U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) Study^SM by measuring owners' emotional attachment and level of excitement with their new vehicle. The APEAL Study asks owners to consider 37 attributes, ranging from the sense of comfort they feel when climbing into the driver's seat to the exhilaration they get when they step on the accelerator. Vehicle owners' responses to queries about these attributes are aggregated to compute an overall APEAL Index score measured on a 1,000-point scale.

Following are key findings of the 2022 study:

• Mass market brands decrease in emotional appeal: The 19-point gap in score between premium and mass market brands in 2021 has widened to 31 points this year, as mass market brands decline 4 points and premium brands improve 8 points.
• Repeats for top mass market and premium brands: Dodge is the highest-ranked mass market brand in APEAL for a third consecutive year with a score of 882, identical to its score a year ago. Porsche, a perennial top-performing premium brand in APEAL, ranks highest among all brands with a score of 888, a six-point improvement from 2021. “While these brands are very different, both Dodge and Porsche owners identify strongly with their vehicles,” Amodeo said. “That certainly contributes to their stellar APEAL Study results.”
• Electrified vehicles are not as appealing as gas vehicles: Hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) have lower composite APEAL Index scores than conventional gasoline-powered vehicles. The score for PHEVs is 835 and is 832 for hybrids. In comparison, the composite index score for gasoline-powered vehicles is 846. Battery-electric vehicles (excluding Tesla) also underperform gasoline vehicles in APEAL with an index score of 838. Tesla vehicles are summarized separately from the BEV composite score because the brand's dominance in the category would skew the results of all other BEVs. It is important to understand that certain attributes of Tesla models continue to outperform other BEVs, though there are notable challengers emerging such as the Mercedes-Benz EQS.
• Tesla Motors officially included for the first time: Tesla Motors is included in the industry calculation for the first time, with a score of 887. However, because Tesla Motors does not allow J.D. Power access to owner information in the states where that permission is required by law, Tesla models remain ineligible for awards.

Highest-Ranking Brands

Porsche ranks highest among premium brands with a score of 888. Genesis (886) ranks second and Cadillac (885) ranks third among premium brands.

Dodge ranks highest among mass market brands with a score of 882. Ram (863) ranks second and GMC (856) ranks third among mass market brands.

Jeep is the biggest gainer in the mass market rankings, placing seven rank positions higher than in 2021. Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Infiniti gain the most in the premium brand rankings, up three places year over year. Infiniti is the biggest gainer in terms of points, improving 24 points from a year ago.

Model-Level APEAL Awards

The parent company receiving the most model-level awards (for models ranking highest in their respective segments) is Hyundai Motor Group (seven awards), followed by BMW AG, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., and Stellantis NV with three awards each.

The complete list of award recipients is:

• Hyundai Motor Group: Genesis G80, Genesis GV70, Hyundai Palisade, Hyundai Santa Cruz, Kia Carnival, Kia EV6 and Kia K5
• BMW AG: BMW X6, MINI Clubman and MINI Cooper
• Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.: Infiniti QX60, Nissan Murano and Nissan Versa
• Stellantis NV: Jeep Wagoneer, Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Ram 1500
• Ford Motor Company: Ford Bronco Sport and Ford Super Duty
• Mercedes-Benz Group AG: Mercedes-Benz GLA and Mercedes-Benz EQS
• Toyota Motor Corporation: Lexus IS
• Volkswagen AG: Porsche 911

The BMW X6 is the highest-ranking individual model

The BMW X6, Nissan Versa and Ram 1500 each receive model-level awards for a third consecutive year.

The 2022 U.S. APEAL Study is based on responses from 84,165 owners of new 2022 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. The study was fielded from February 2022 through May 2022, based on vehicles registered from November 2021 through February 2022.

I’m not going to lie, snacking on cakes was definitely the best thing about meeting Hide-san and his CSL-inspired Alpine White E46 BMW M3.

Not because the M3 was any less appetising than the cakes, but because finding out you have the same sweet treat hankerings as a complete stranger, means you’re bound to have the ice well and truly broken when you meet them in a car park for the first time.

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How did we get talking about sweets? Well, before the shoot I had asked Hide-san what he likes to get up to in his M3, and one thing he said struck a chord: “Driving into the mountains to get anpan.”

Some of you might be wondering what in the world anpan is, so let me show you…

Basically, anpan are little sweet breads filled with an azuki bean paste (like tiny kidney beans). At Ogipan, who have been operating near 50 years now, you’ll find a huge selection of fillings including pistachio, sweet potato and chestnuts.

But the best laid plans often crumble. Hide-san and the lads ended up bypassing the anpan entirely in favour of curry agepan. These are deep fried sweet breads with a curry filling. Regardless though, it was well worth the drive.

With our tummies full, we set off to find a place to take a closer look at Hide-san’s M3, because, as usual, the Ogipan carpark was packed.

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From the outside, it’s easy to see the CSL inspiration. The front of Hide-san’s car is sporting a Alsatek CSL replica carbon fiber front bumper, complete with the iconic single intake hole.

Surrounding the M3-specific Gruppe M exhaust system is a Status Gruppe CSL-style rear diffuser. You might also notice a few stone chips here and there, and they’ve come about through all the track day action the car sees.

Hide-san started his automotive journey in an RPS13 Nissan 180SX, attending drift and gymkhana events as a college student. He made the jump to Euro cars when he had the chance to drive a friend’s E82 1M Coupe. Needless to say, Hide-san was impressed. He found himself a left-hand drive M3 and began building it up with a grip race focus.

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Sitting proudly above the quad-pipe noise-makers you’ll find an OEM CSL boot lid. A slap on the roof might leave you a little disappointed; that’s still good old steel, and not fancy carbon fibre like a real CSL. But don’t be too judgmental though, because you will find custom-widened rear arches.

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For Fuji Speedway lapping duties, Hiro-san has equipped his E46 with motorsport-spec Spirit coilovers, H&R sway bars, CSL camber arms and an OEM E46 330i ZHP quick ratio steering rack.

Being a man with unquestionable taste, Hide-san is also running RAYS Volk Racing TE37SAGA wheels in 18×10.5-inch at all four corners, wrapped up in Nankang CR-S semi-slicks. An Endless Mono6 brake upgrade up front ensures plenty of stopping power.

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CSL boot lids and bumpers, genuine or replica, find their way onto many E46 M3s, but they’re not what makes an M3 a CSL. There are a number of things which do, but primarily I would say it’s the 110kg (243lb) that BMW’s M division managed to shed from the stock M3’s mass. I mean it’s right there in the CSL name: Coupe, Sports, Lightweight.

Fitting the carbon fibre roof is perhaps a bit of a stretch for Hide-san, as is sourcing some wafer-thin rear glass. But there are plenty of other things he’s done which tip this M3 closer to CSL spec.

Inside, it’s very much ‘Mr. Dusseldorf takes a business trip to Hamburg’ comfortable, clinical and lavished with wood trim. But what really makes things special is that 6-speed manual shifter, something, to the lament of owners and motoring journalists alike, you won’t find in a real CSL.

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The Getrag 420G 6-speed is mated to the same S54 inline-six as the CSL via an OS Giken twin-plate clutch, but the engine internals remain as they came in the M3. Power gets to the rear via a BMW Motorsport 3.91 final drive gear and Cusco 2-way LSD.

The M3 motor does however get a bit of a nudge with the help of OEM CSL (DME) plus tuning, plus ‘M-Track’ mode. There’s also a Haimus Racing Tuning CSL air box, an OEM CSL air rail and OEM CSL MAP sensor, which all support better air flow and give the M3 a rather nasty-sounding (in a good way) induction note.

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They’re all subtle upgrades on their own, but together they give Hiro-san’s M3 a little more edge. They elevate it above fast executive coupe, and more in line with the track-focused CSL.

The aggressive stance, improved handling and that spine-tingling intake noise make this CSL-inspired M3 an amazing daily driver and track day toy. Plus, you know if you get a hankering for anpan - or strudel for that matter – you can be at the bakery quicker than you can say Bavarian performance legend.

Toby Thyer
Instagram _tobinsta_
tobythyer.co.uk

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