What about gutting a new M3 of all the unnecessary weight?

[panic]

I believe the new M3 is a real sport car, its engine is the business, its chassis is well sorted out, It's more then a year I have one as a daily driver and every morning I switch the engine on it makes my day.

To become a proper sportcar though it would have to go on a strick diet...I know I won't be able to take the family out, or drive to the office every morning if I did drop 600 lbs from the car, but wtf, I think it would worthwhile.

Has any of you thought about making a real sportcar out of the new M3?

No A/C, no heater, no electric windows nor seats (instead two carbon fiber Recaros), whole interior gutted, lightweight wheels, carbon bonnet, lexan windows...and a lightweight Stack sistem right behind the steering.

I would not care about the reselling price because done that I'd keep the car forever...

Comments? Ideas? Advices?

[E36GUY]

This sounds like an excellent idea to me! Go on, go on!

[mat205125]

panic said:

I would not care about the reselling price because done that I'd keep the car forever...

Most who can actually afford a new M3 would most likely be very concerned about the resale value, and also unlikely to throw the kind of money that you are contemplating spending at a brand new car.

I really hope you go ahead and do it as it sounds like a fascinating project, and would produce and awesome car .... I can't help thinking, however, that as nice as the car would end up, your money would be better invested in an GT3 or GT3RS 911. If your intention were to change it into a track only car, then there are a lot of M3s already prepared for the track and running in Britcar championships and the like. How about a WTC BMW with an engine upgrade?

[stevesingo]

The weights of individual components can be found here... http://bmwfans.info/parts/catalog/E90/Sedan/Europe...

I think the biggest issue will be the electronics. All of the systems are integrated and removing one will have consequences for the others.

Steve

[dan101smith]

If you can really afford to lose the resale value and the cost of all the modifications then I say go for it!

If not, an alternative would be a race-prepared E46 M3 with a supercharger. Which will be a lot cheaper and just about as good.

[mat205125]

stevesingo said:

The weights of individual components can be found here... http://bmwfans.info/parts/catalog/E90/Sedan/Europe...

Great little geeky website, however I'm not sure that the quoted weights are net for the items themselves, or gross for the dealers ordering requirements, i.e. packed weight for delivery to the dealer to install onto the customers cars.

[panic]

stevesingo said:

I think the biggest issue will be the electronics. All of the systems are integrated and removing one will have consequences for the others.

Steve

This is my only and biggest concern.

Thanks for the web site.

[SkinnyBoy]

what about upsetting the weight balance of the car, you can't just gut the car and expect it to miraculously redistribute the weight.

[panic]

SkinnyBoy said:

what about upsetting the weight balance of the car, you can't just gut the car and expect it to miraculously redistribute the weight.

It would have to be studied, make a plan.

I've gutted my Corvette C3 during the last 2 years, I've dropped its weight from 1.640 kgs down to 1.240...(and have swapped in a 575hp SB from 'American Speed', the american builder that supplies engines to Ultima cars...), the result has been outrageous and I didn't have any balance prob.

Of course an M3 is all another animal and the chassis will ''feel'' any weight variation because its fine tuning...

[dan101smith]

SkinnyBoy said:

what about upsetting the weight balance of the car, you can't just gut the car and expect it to miraculously redistribute the weight.

That's what corner-weighting is for.

[GTWayne]

dan101smith said:

SkinnyBoy said:

what about upsetting the weight balance of the car, you can't just gut the car and expect it to miraculously redistribute the weight.

That's what corner-weighting is for.

Actually that is a popular miss conception and the only way to correct an unbalanced chassis is to add ballast in specific areas, raising or lowering the car will not do this.

[dan101smith]

You're absolutely right, but it will resolve some of the issues of balance to a point. It certainly is enough to restore the balance of a stripped E36.

[contracttor]

How much do you weigh?