A sunny Saturday, the Nordschleife and an E92 M3 that has very little left of a standard M3: that is the programme for this fourth track test, featuring the build by tuner DM Performance.
The M3...
When you look back at BMW's history, you can only note an impressive record in competition, all over the world. From the 24 Hours of Le Mans to the Nürburgring 24 Hours, via F1 and the DTM, BMW and its Motorsport division stand for innovation and performance for a great many fans. But what about the road cars we can take on track? From the 1 Series to the 6 Series there are "M" badged models to suit every user, but let's be honest: for us dedicated trackday drivers, only the 1M and the M3 are of any interest on a circuit. Some will try a few laps in an M5 or an M6, or even an X5M for the boldest, and we wish them the best of luck!
That leaves the M3 GTS, which was supposed to succeed the magnificent M3 E46 CSL. This version was offered to celebrate the M3's 25th anniversary, but at 138,000 € when it came out, with a performance gap over a standard version that is not that big, it is hard to justify the price difference. The next version promises big changes: forced induction and a new name for our Bavarian coupé: the M4! I will pass over any comment on this new name... well, no, I can't help myself: what kind of half-baked idea is that!!! An M3 has a soul, a history, it lives, it sings! It's as if Porsche suddenly decided to change the name of the 911... unthinkable. We hope it is only a market study and that they will backtrack when the Motorsport coupé is officially launched.
Our choice for this track test is therefore an E92 M3, no longer quite standard after passing through the hands of DM Performance. This is the start of a series in which we will try several versions from different tuners, because this generation of the M3 is a very good base for building a track car that gives its driver sensations and emotions. Here we touch a sore point of the Motorsport division, shared by many mainstream manufacturers: to drive on a circuit and string laps together, a few routine modifications are needed. These are rather heavy cars which, however sporty they are, are not made for that. You have to be aware of this when you decide to invest in a BMW for track driving. Stiffening the chassis or upgrading the braking system are examples of work that is generally quite expensive.
A Clubsport atmosphere
This DM Performance build has one major appeal that matches how many trackday drivers use their cars: it remains civilised. It is not a radical version stripped of all comfort, but a build combining top-level performance and refinement. You can drive there quietly on the road, string laps together and head home enjoying the good sound system once you've had your fill.
When I walk up to it, my first thought takes me back to the Porsche GT3 RS (you know, a benchmark for us). You can see the brightly coloured half roll cage through the windows, the same colour as the wheels, and the magnificent BMW Performance bucket seats invite you to climb aboard. Everything is well integrated, the emptied rear section is carpeted in the style of the M3 GTS, and you keep all the comfort of a standard M3. An extra display has been added to the dashboard, again neatly integrated, giving all the basic information to keep an eye on the car: water, oil, gearbox, intake and exhaust temperatures and so on. It is, by the way, absurd that you cannot simply monitor the water temperature on a standard E92 M3: you have to go into a hidden menu with several steps, in other words not very practical on a circuit. A pair of Schroth harnesses completes the interior equipment. A racing yet refined atmosphere: I like it!
I take advantage of the static photo session to look at it more closely. Looks-wise, the modifications are subtle and, in my opinion, tasteful, with Vorsteiner bumpers and "flashy" wheels. You like them or you don't, but they certainly make an impression! Note also the carbon boot lid, recalling the curvature of the CSL. It has been painted in the body colour, leaving just the tip of the lid in carbon colour, a small touch that adds further to the refined spirit of this build. You also begin to spot the "performance" parts: big Brembo brakes with 6-piston calipers, Akrapovic exhaust and Bilstein PSS10 dampers. These are the weak points of a standard M3 put right; we will see later on track what that gives.
G-Power
Next we open the bonnet to discover the heart of the beast. On this point, everyone agrees on handing BMW a big red card: the standard V8 lacks punch, doesn't deliver its horsepower and makes us miss the straight-six engines of earlier generations. You can fix that by modifying the exhaust and reprogramming the ECU, but it is a pity!
Here, the "power" problem no longer arises: a G-Power supercharger kit has been fitted, taking the output to a little over 600 hp for 600 Nm of torque measured on the dyno. This is a DKG gearbox version, but it is perfectly possible to fit this kit to a manual version. The maximum boost pressure is fairly low, at 0.6 bar, to guarantee maximum reliability. It remains to be seen how the power curve is distributed, but it promises good sensations at the wheel. Yum!
Chassis
The discussion continues with David, the owner, and we go through the rest of the modifications. The whole suspension is modified with components from the M3 GT4, the competition/customer version closest to the production car. All of it is coupled to Bilstein PSS10 coilovers with adjustable top mounts to set camber and caster at the front. The brakes are entrusted to a Brembo GT kit with 6-piston calipers at the front and 4 at the rear, and several wheel configurations are possible. For our test, we will be on 19-inch BBS CH-R wheels with Dunlop semi-slick tyres. In short, plenty of good things on paper, but I can't wait to try it!
First impressions
It is time for me to get behind the wheel and see what it can do. We are at the Nürburgring, on a Saturday, and the weather is fine. Needless to say, it is crowded and it will be impossible for me to set a lap time worthy of the name... So I will concentrate on the driving sensations and on how this M3 behaves.
You find your driving position naturally, as in most models from the Bavarian marque, and the BMW Performance seats offer a very good compromise between comfort and support. The Akrapovic exhaust makes the V8 purr with a pleasant sound that is not too intrusive in the cabin; I put the DKG gearbox in manual mode and set off on a first familiarisation lap. The very firm damping immediately gives a feeling of precision, you feel everything going on under the wheels and body movements seem small. I take this first lap calmly to get a feel for the behaviour of this rear-wheel-drive car with more than 600 hp. The first hard acceleration is a very pleasant surprise: the way the power arrives is not distorted by the addition of the supercharger kit. It stays close to the behaviour of a naturally aspirated engine, linear and with a very wide usable range. There is very little response lag, unlike a turbocharged engine, which is often a nuisance on a circuit. But the big difference from a conventional naturally aspirated engine is that, whatever the engine speed, the rev counter is devoured in no time! It pulls hard in 4th at 3,000 rpm without flinching, with an unusual sound.
This time, the Akrapovic exhaust gives voice and blends with the characteristic whistle of supercharged engines, and every lift of the throttle produces a blow-off reminding us that there is something serious under the bonnet. The feel at the brake pedal is very good: bitey, powerful and precise. The Brembos are doing their job perfectly for the moment. It always takes some adjusting to drive a 600 hp rear-wheel-drive car, but here, without pushing too hard and well helped by the DKG gearbox, there is no difficulty at all. Of course, I'm not going to stop there and I will ask a bit more of it, but the car's consistency is a good point.
Picking up the pace
The easy handling inspires confidence, and since I'm not here to mess about, I quickly start picking up the pace! I flirt with the top of the rev counter and the very good impression of the engine is confirmed: the dashboard lights remind us that we will soon need to change gear as we approach 8,000 rpm. It pulls without any parasitic torque effect and the high revs are a delight for the senses! I like it and I want more... The first big braking shows a very well balanced, stable car. The initial bite is good, you can brake late and handle a good trail-off of the brakes without difficulty. The Dunlop semi-slicks offer good grip, but you still feel there is weight to carry on the front. It is also at this moment that an unpleasant sensation appears: the front end "skips" and "bounces" over some bumpy turn-in points. The setting of the Bilstein PSS10 dampers is too firm for the Green Hell circuit; it should be softened a little. The first lap is quickly swallowed and all signals are green for a second lap in a row: nothing is overheating and the brakes are still there. What more could you ask for to raise the pace even further?
Once through the toll gate, I set off on a fast lap where I will try to push it harder, despite the heavy traffic. As mentioned earlier, the front end is quite heavy. You have to brake properly to manage to catch the first apex in the Tiergarten corner, otherwise the front pulls us towards the outside and it understeers. Once the front is turned in, the rear follows without complaint. I unwind the steering and get back on the power in second... and it quickly reminds me that I'm not in a standard M3: "there's more than 600 hp here, buddy, and all of it on the rear wheels". But once again, it is very healthy: it warns you, it is easily manageable and I have a mad urge to throw it sideways! But I'm not here for that...
The sequences of fast corners are a delight to tackle, the car settles and even if the rear slides a little in places, it remains effective. Even though I'm held up by a red Italian car on the crest before Flugplatz, the speedometer goes past 250 km/h on the following descent, and I still have just as good a feel with the brakes arriving at Aremberg. I start the descent towards the Fuchsröhre compression, which I take in 6th.
The DKG gearbox...
I regret not having a manual gearbox version: the DKG is showing signs of weakness. An annoying phenomenon appears: at high speed, when I try to downshift quickly and need to get back on the throttle right afterwards, there is a significant delay. For example, just after the compression I brake and select 5th to take the following fast left, which must be taken on the throttle to properly stabilise the rear. But when I put my foot back on the right-hand pedal, nothing happens for a good second: unsettling! I will be caught out by this once or twice more over the rest of the lap, before deciding to hold the gear and lug on the torque instead of downshifting when I need to. It is a problem inherent to BMW's DKG gearbox, which is overheating...
On this subject we will have a very interesting discussion with a local tuner who runs well-honed M3s. Cooling on the E92 versions, particularly on models with the DKG gearbox, is a problem they struggle to get around. There is not enough room at the front to fit a very large radiator and increase airflow. If you want to keep a more or less civilised car, there is no real lasting solution. You have to go for much heavier and more extensive modifications to improve the system. In short, there are no two ways about it: learn to heel-and-toe and add a clutch pedal and a gear lever to all this!!!
I then arrive at the long section descending towards the village of Adenau. The brakes are still there and even though I'm caught out by my arrival speed at the tight left with the unpronounceable name of Wehrseifen, it goes through without a fuss. I hit the brakes very hard, my pedal goes down a bit further than usual but it stops. We are slightly on the brakes here, so my rear end slides with the sudden load transfer to the front... but I was expecting it and I correct easily with the steering. I catch up with a group of slower cars just before the long climb to the Karussell. No pressure, I calmly wait until the way is clear to pull out and overtake them, helped by the smooth usability of the supercharger. In these fast sections, this M3 is really effective. The front end's heftiness that you feel at low speed is completely forgotten at pace, the car settles in the long corners and doesn't move. I reach the end of the lap and see someone at the side of the track waving a yellow vest. Another Bavarian has crashed on the exit of the small Karussell, on the left, and two cars have stopped to secure the area while waiting for the marshals. The joys of the Nordschleife...
Verdict
This will conclude our test, since the track will not reopen this evening. I complete this lap in 8'05 BTG and I'm really won over by this configuration from DM Performance. With fewer people on the track, I think it is capable of lapping in 7'30 without the slightest difficulty, but I won't have the chance to get back behind the wheel to try for a real lap time. It is only postponed; we will find a slot to try it again on a clear lap as soon as possible...
It is admittedly not the most radical M3 E92 that exists, nor the best track car you can find for this exercise, but it offers a concept that BMW, in my view, failed to deliver with this generation: a true Clubsport in the way that a German colleague, Porsche to name no names, knows how to do. You arrive quietly by road for your track day, in a refined car with all the necessary comfort, and when you cross to the other side of the pit wall it knows how to make you sweat with big sensations in store! It brakes, the chassis is sharp and it goes hard. You will tell me that the M3 GTS existed, and you are right... But writing a cheque for 138,000 € for an orange car, only two seconds faster at the Ring than an M3 E46 CSL almost 10 years its elder: would you sign? It will certainly be a collector's item (it holds a very high value), but I don't think it is suited to our use as trackday drivers. For that budget, a Porsche GT3 is much better!
That is why I like this build so much. It was for sale at 60,000 € to make way for a new, more radical project the following year... that is half the price of a used M3 GTS. For anyone who likes German cars and the BMW brand, it is a really accomplished build. The Clubsport concept is pushed to the maximum, with a big herd of horses under the bonnet that does not distort the engine's character, and top-level equipment from reputable, proven brands.
The only downside comes from the DKG gearbox, which shows signs of weakness at high temperatures... It bothered me at a high pace, but I think that for the majority of users the phenomenon cannot be that troublesome. Given the choice, I would of course take a manual gearbox. But in that case, it won't be for just anyone: more than 600 hp in a rear-wheel-drive car with a manual gearbox, you have to start working seriously behind the wheel!
In 2014, DM Performance will return with a new project based on the M3 E92. This time it will be a much more radical version intended exclusively for the track. The one tested in this issue is equally capable of crossing France for the holidays, with reasonable consumption thanks to the disengageable supercharger, and of lapping the circuit at a high pace. Sensations for the driver, top-flight performance... You are at RACER'S!
This article comes from issue 4 of Racer's, Marc Peraldi's magazine. Thank you Marc!
