First Fondles; BMW E90 M3

kev — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:37:05 +0000

A pretty lady

Well, my job took me to Sapura Auto’s showroom along Jalan Tun Razak today for an event, and hello, hello, this baby was staring at me, waiting for me to make a move on her. Of course, it’s not one of their many sales advisors, but a full-fledged BMW M3 (E90). I have a rather soft spot for the performance versions of the 3-series, especially for the E30 generation – boxy, small, lightweight and blisteringly fast, even on local tarmac which is a far resemblance to the Autobahn these machines are made for. Of course, these images are taken after the event was over, and I was waiting out a traffic jam that was unfolding on that notorious stretch of road, so enjoy the images……Some specs, if you don’t know them already,
Engine: 4l V8, with 12.0:1 compression ratio making a whopping 420BHP @ 8300rpm and 400Nm @ 3900rpm, naturally aspirated!

Gearbox: 6-speed sequential iirc with flappy paddle gearbox option

Performance figures: 4.8sec 0-60mph, 155mph/250kmh electronically limited top speed

It comes with crosdrilled rotors as well as Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tyres on 19″ M3 rims. Rear tyre size? 265/35ZR19. WOW.

Check out the bling

No indications on how much the uber-cool single lug conversion would cost though!

Check out the interior. Actually, I don’t dig the cluster; it looks dull when the car’s switched off. Otherwise, i like how the steering wheel is trimmed in red and blue stitching; reminds me of the M-Power vinyls on the older M sedans, as well as the M logo itself. Besides the satnav, all the other buttons are rather too civilized for something like this; I’d take one in raw carbon or aluminum instead – no twiddly buttons to distract me from the joys of barreling down the LDP or taking Ulu Yam corners at high speed. The seats were supportive, the pedal placement was near perfect – I felt the brake pedal was too large. For a six-footer like me, the driving position was more laidback than say, a JDM car. You can even rest your hand on the center console, while lounging on the smooth leather seats, if you really want to.

Its all in the details, baby; side indicator lights integrated into a somewhat functioning outlet, emblazoned with a tiny M logo. Poseurs beware!

See the two holes in the hood? Apparently only one of them is functional; acting as a cold air intake for the massive airbox up front. A closer inspection reveals that the other hole can be ‘activated’ by just pulling out a small piece of foam-thingy. Twin turbo setup in the future, anyone? *hehehehehe*

I bet that 80% of Bimmer owners don’t know how their engines look like without this cover.

Subtle aerodynamics there, working when you’re cruising at 200km/h. The Alpina White really makes the surfacing blend into the car, which is nice. I never liked Chris Bangle-influenced designs. Give me boxy cars, I love ‘em!

Another shot of the beast. You can barely see the power bump on the hood, but that’s really unnessacary. It does add the machoness and agressiveness to a somewhat ‘regular’ looking 3-series.

And a happy, cute customer! My friend Mel showing the perfect contrast between machine and woman!

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First Fondles; BMW E90 M3