Well it’s been a little while since I posted up, and that’s because I’ve been busy shooting some new rides. Fear not. I’d never let a social life get in the way.

I ran into Jay’s stunning black M3 convertible at a meet earlier this spring and knew right away I had to shoot this car. That was as far as I got. His idea was to shoot downtown so the day we met up I figured ok, if he wants to rip his lip off trolling the pothole ridden streets of downtown Toronto, his game. Surprisingly, this car championed its way around.

Rolling on some M5 fitment BBS RS wheels, this car just oozes style wherever you place it. Like any enthusiasts car, to really appreciate this one you have to go back to the start and understand how far it came. How far exactly? Well, this car started life as a 328i and by middle life it’s become a fully fledged M3.

This is possible since the E36 generation 3 series cars were the same chassis (minus bolt ons) as the M3. The only generation of M3 that this is true for is the E36, so E30, E46, E92 fans are all out of luck if they want to do this kind of ‘build your own’ of their favorite generation M3 when they become more affordable.

Although Jay might debate with you on this being the affordable route to get your own M3. In fact his words on the subject were short and consisted mostly of four letters. But the upside to doing your M3 this way is that you have full control over the parts that go into your car. You aren’t buying someone else’s problems if you properly research and look over the components you buy. The wonderful straight six came out of a southern US car and is in predictably great condition.

Perhaps that’s me trying to put a silver lining on it…

Considering it’s riding so low on its Bilstein PSS9 coilovers the front clearance on the Bimmer isn’t that bad allowing Jay to nearly tuck rim and still get in and out of driveways without leaving his bumper behind every time. Somehow zip-ties wouldn’t suit this car…

The interiors of the latest BMW’s are pretty bland affairs in my opinion. The E36 and E30 gen though are much more full of character. The seats are organic and look like they’d welcome a human form like a baseball glove. The worked in leather is warm and the detailing in the leather surfaces is what set these German cars apart from the competition.

Nice touches populate the interior.

There really isn’t a bad angle on this M3, the wheels dominate the car’s presence, but it makes no difference roof up or down, front or rear, it has proper stance all around, and as much attention was paid to what shouldn’t be fiddled with as what should be.

I love how deep the factory chin splitter is on the E36′s, it echo’s the deep dish of the BBS RS’s nicely.

Suitable camber goes along with such a stance, but Jay’s car avoids looking like its had its knees broken.

See what I mean about angles? Front and rear this thing just properly pops at you. The best part is this car may be for sale soon, so unless I grab it up you should get in touch with Jay if this is your dream car. Once it goes on the market, it won’t last long.

Having experienced the sights and sounds of and ALMS weekend in person last year for the first time, you can’t help but have a few favourites that you tend to capture a few more photos.  For myself, the works GT BMW M3 cars are a couple of my favourites.  Everything from the refined but distinct sound of the inline motor, to the widebody fender flares that give it that MEAN yet polished look…something about these cars keep you wanting more!

Here’s a great behind the scenes look at the cars from the guys at MotoIQ.  Take a look at all the dry carbon work within the engine bay and my personal favourite feature of having very trick carbon fiber exhaust chimney leading to the a-pillar…enjoy!

A Look Inside: The Rahal Letterman ALMS GT BMW M3 Coupes

The BMW M1 is a car that went down in history as one of the rarest cars BMW ever produced. Another homologation special like the CSL 3.0, the M1 was built to allow BMW an entry into sports car racing.  The race version of the car is so much more beautiful and aggressive than the road version in my view though, so I was thrilled to come across one that’s not sitting in a museum, rather being raced at Mosport!

A lot of this car looks like it’s been replaced and upgraded over the years – that doesn’t look like the type of sway-bar mount that would have been on the M1 originally However, the exhaust is fairly period correct I think! Adjustable sway bars were an addition only on the M1 Procar, another differentiation from the M1 street car.

The livery on this car is great, it really highlights the lines of the Giugiaro designed body in typical 1970′s fashion without being gaudy.

There’s something funny about a car like the M1 having street approved turn signals and light clusters, but that’s what comes with being a homologation special!

The front end of this wedge shaped beauty is all purpose. Rads in the front, noise in the rear – the way god intended.

This will give you an idea of the size of the rubber these cars were running. I love the dual rondels on either side of the rear deck – a trademark of the M1 that was carried over into the recent design study BMW did with an eye to reviving the M1.

This car is a regular runner in the Vintage Auto Racing series VARAC and competes in the (duh) 1970+ group. I don’t advocate smoking but race cars should always promote smoking if you ask me, it just fits. Goodyear tires were actually the tire of choice for these cars in the M1 specific series.  I wasn’t able to find specific info on the history of this particular car, but will continue to hunt and if I can update with more later.

That’s a wing that aims to please! The gurney flap isn’t really visible in this shot (check the rear view) but it’s huge! Hiding under that classic slatted rear deck lid is a modified version of the M88 3.5 liter inline 6 cylinder that would eventually find its way into the very first edition of the BMW M5 sedan. Only in this iteration it was putting out 465bhp up around 9000rpm.

The suspension on the M1 procars was completely revamped from the street-going M1, but the 5 speed ZF gearbox was used albeit with an allowance for varied gear ratios for racing.

It’s quite a substantial look car, but the M1 only weighs in at 2200lbs which puts it in Lotus territory! Combined with that screaming inline 6 the M1 would top out at just under 200mph and make the run to 60 in a very respectable 4.3 seconds.

Subtle German influence…

A peek inside the hood slats at the radiator.

That lightweight was the result of stripping the car of anything it didn’t need. As a result the office is, to say the least, minimal and efficient.

In case you’re wondering what the strange hubs are on the wheels, those are actually used only when the car is in transit. They are tie-downs that go on. The car has regular single bolts on while racing.

The interior is as fiberglass as the exterior, which obviously makes it quite light weight, but I’d always drive with the visor down as I imagine a decent smack-up could send great clouds fiber flying all around the cockpit.

Great to see one of these venerable old racers up close and personal, and hear it out on the track. Here’s a stellar video from back when the M1 Procar series was still running of one of these cars (sans wing) testing out on the Nürburgring. A track full of these angry straight-sixes must’ve been a sight and sound to behold.

Why “batmobile”? That should be fairly obvious. This was the first project built entirely by BMW Motorsport entirely, and resulted in like many of the best race cars, a homologation special race car. This was BMW’s way of getting it’s 3.2 (340bhp) and 3.5 (430bhp) liter engines certified for racing.

This particular car is wearing the Alpina wheels from the CSL 3.0 Group2 cars.

This shot gives you the overall profile of the car and you start to get an impression of just how wide this car really is to accommodate the massive rubber on those substantially dished wheels.

Fuel fillers feel more like aircraft grade!

The interior of this car was in great condition considering it’s now nearly 40 years old. Granted, most if it is likely not original, but even the vinyl dash and gauges, which certainly looked period correct, were in surprisingly good condition. Worn, but good.

Inside and out, the details are what make race cars truly cool to poke around…

The rondel on the hood bears the marks of many high-speed runs!

Here’s a closer look at those wide flares pulling in air for the brakes, I believe. I wish I had poked my head in there to see if there was a oil or diff cooler hidden in there, but judging by the amount of space between the front of the wheel I would be surprised.

Every little detail and aspect of this car is as cool today as it was in the 1970s when these cars ran. From the BMW M colours, to the rondels on the headlights, to the slats on the hood and the chrome trim!

This particular car really is in excellent condition for its vintage, and it’s raced too!

What’s better than a side-exit exhaust? Nothing. Exactly.

Fixtures like the rear lights and trim are all in excellent condition as well, it must be a nightmare trying to locate parts for these cars.

At least the crazy wide body parts are largely fiberglass! This is an amazing car to see in person, hopefully I’ll get to see it run at a CASC event this year and catch some video and motion shots of it.

If you’ve made it this far, here’s a little gift to close off the post and reward your curiosity! Two great videos of the 3.0CSL in action: