Track specific cars make up a large proportion of our customer base. With us stocking an incredibly vast array of parts, perfect for the track day enthusiast or even full-blown race cars. We love it when a customer comes to us with a vision, and we enable them to bring their vision to life.

This time, the customer came to us with his F82 M4 with the vision of turning it into a full-blown track car built specifically for the Nurburgring. What does this entail? Weight saving, high speed cornering ability, safety, and braking.

For those that have been living under a rock, the Nurburgring is the world’s longest racetrack with one single lap being 20 KM long. Within that single lap there are 154 corners and an elevation difference of 1000ft. It is the most notorious racing circuit in the world, having claimed numerous lives over the years.  

Supplying a car with the parts to be able to handle this sort of track is one that requires top of the shelf parts that can endure the 20KMS of punishment. The parts also must be TUV approved so they pass Germany’s safety standards. Luckily, we know exactly what parts are best suited for this project and where to source them.

First item to be ticked off the list was the handling. The M4 platform is the perfect base to start with as it is already such a capable car and being German, was developed at the ‘Ring. For this we supplied and fitted KW Suspension V4 coilovers. KW is a German company, so we know instantly that the products have the special TUV approval.  The V4 variant is specifically designed for track usage with 3 way racing damper adjustment technology, uniball top mount, trapezoidal thread and external fluid reservoirs which aid cooling in high stress environments. Perfect. Combine that with an H&R ARB kit, Powerflex bushes, Millway solid front and rear lower arm bushes, this car should be stuck to the floor when taking on the infamous triple apexes.

Having amazing suspension doesn’t mean you’re ready to go and smash lap times. There are two very crucial components that ensure the coilovers will do their job properly. Wheels and tyres. The car came standard with the 437M wheels, which look great, but they’re heavy. Solution inbound. As some of you may know we have recently been able to supply ProTrack Wheels. Fun fact (One that may come as no shock) but Protrack are also a German based wheel manufacture company meaning TUV is no issue, also Protrack are found to be used by a large proportion of race cars that compete competitively in the DTM (German touring car) and are becoming increasingly popular in the UK market. If you remember, we also have a set on demo F40. ProTrack wheels are designed specifically for track use. They’re incredibly light, weighing just 9.5KG and 10.3KG (18x10F/18x11R). We wrapped these wheels within a set of Nankang AR1 Semi Slick tyres which are renowned for their ability to perform exceptionally well in tough conditions as well as the exceptional grip they provide and durability.

Visually there are a few changes that you will notice instantly; others require a closer eye for detail. The first and most prominent one is the rear wing. If you have ever been to the ‘Ring you will notice that a lot of the M Cars have these rear mounted wings. I'm sure it helps with downforce to some degree but it just adds a much more aggressive look to the car. In terms of looks we think it looks unreal, it adds copious amounts of aggression to the look and works amazingly with the entire theme.

If you look at the front end of the car you will notice, there are some cooling ducts on the front bumper. These are here to assist the brakes. When you’re going from 150 to 40 in a split second your brakes tend to get very hot, very quickly, multiply that by 154 times and come to the end of it your brakes will either disintegrate or at this point, cease to function. Cooling is paramount, especially when it comes to braking and assisting the engine. A factor often overlooked.

At a glance the interior is exactly as it left BMW. Upon closer inspection you will see the steering wheel has lost some weight. We replaced the standard M wheel with an Alcantara wheel. Contrary to belief this does improve the drivability of the vehicle. Paired with a set of gloves, it's almost as if your hands are glued to the steering wheel keeping the driver firmly in control of the car at breakneck speeds. If there is one thing that is essential for a track car it's gauges. Knowing what your engine is doing at any given point is of maximum importance. We supplied the P3 Performance Digital Vent Gauge because of the plethora of read outs available. This gauge will tell you everything you need to know from boost pressure, coolant temps, air/fuel ratio, ignition timing, throttle angle, vehicle speed and so on.

We thoroughly enjoyed working on this car, we see a lot of track orientated cars but very few do we get to build from the ground up and see it transform from a standard car to one that’s going to smash BTG (Bridge to Gantry) times like no tomorrow.

As always, any parts mentioned in this write up we are able to supply and fit. Just contact us with a product and we will do the rest.