Sam Ratcliffe is one of our oldest customers, having assisted a great deal with parts development and testing with his E46 M3 track car. However, that car was sold a couple of years ago and to replace it, Sam purchased an F87 M2.Though not destined to be a highly modified track car like the E46 M3 before it, Sam has...
Mark is no stranger to the drifting scene, with a couple of E36s that he uses - this is one of them. The E36 Touring never came with an M50, but this one has been swapped with a non-Vanos version and turbo'd for good measure. However, previous bad experiences with other specialists left Mark frustrated and with a car that...
Marty's E46 M3, 'Bumblebee', was a very well known machine a few years back. However, having had it parked up for some time, Marty decided to send it down to us for re-commissioning along with some maintenance and modification.The engine and drivetrain were to be the main points of focus. Having been supercharged (ESS-525) for some time, the big end...
Phil Morrison, owner of Driftworks, made himself very well known in the BMW scene almost a decade ago by fitting an S85 V10 from an E60 M5 into his E46 M3. It shortly became, and remains, one of the best known M3 builds on the planet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ5w5YvrSKs However it was sold some time ago, eventually being discovered in Germany by...
As a regular on the UK tracks and Time Attack championship, Oli Danker's M3 gets used hard. With 86,000 miles on the clock, the last 14,000 of those being in its current format as a track/race car, Oli wisely decided to get it down to us for 'the big three' - big end bearings, head gasket and Vanos. The engine...
'The Big Three' on E46 M3 engines, especially at the 100,000 mile mark, are the head gasket, Vanos and big end bearings. With Chris' M3 on 99k miles, he wisely chose to get it booked in with us to have the lot overhauled. This is a particular trio that we're very well versed with. The big end bearings were certainly...
Though considered perhaps BMW's finest straight-six engine, the S54 does have its flaws – the big end (or rod) bearings, head gasket and VANOS to name the big three. When being used on track, the strain on these components is increased and so overhauling and upgrading them is the best way to go. This is where we often step in...
Kelvin is the lucky owner of one of just fifty E36 M3 GT Imola Individuals, and as part of the restoration work he's doing, approached us with the task of refreshing the S50B32 engine. Though presenting no particular issues, Kelvin wisely wanted the engine to be given a clean bill of health. This included fitting new piston rings, big end...
Tom's S65 engine came to us after a serious failure - boost strikes again. Detonation had caused six of the eight pistons to break, resulting in damage to the block and much more. Tom's answer was simple enough - to take things from a relatively simple supercharged build on a standard engine, to a fully forged monster. The basis...
Steve has owned big power Nissan GTR and E92 M3 track cars in the past but wanting to move to something smaller, simpler and more fun, he chose an S54-swapped E36 M3 track car as his next steed. The M3 came already caged and fitted with numerous modifications to make it ready for the track. However, Steve had a few...
