‘Modifying’ is a dirty word to many OEMs these days.
Once upon a time, tuners like Alpina and AC Schnitzer were embraced with open arms by car manufacturers, but cruising and tuning culture in the ’90s and 2000s changed the public’s perception of the modified scene.
Add to that the integration of the best-regarded tuning houses into the OEMs themselves, stricter laws and emissions regulations, and the divide between the new car market and the aftermarket industry was bound to increase.
BMW Park Lane stands out in the UK by being the only non-franchised dealership, and it has been doing things differently as the BMW UK flagship store since the 1980s.
It’s only right then that if any dealership were to allow a celebration of the elite BMW aftermarket industry, it would be Park Lane in London.
This weekend’s event wasn’t Evolve’s first ‘Showroom Takeover’ at BMW Park Lane, and it certainly wasn’t your typical car meet either. For the third time, it was a chance for BMW to welcome its enthusiast fan base into the space with open arms.
There aren’t themes to the Evolve takeovers, not intentionally at least. But 2024 must be the year of the unicorn. As a die-hard lover of cars with blue and white roundels, I can assure you, there was a dream selection on show.
What is quite possibly the most desirable BMW to never exist until recently is the M3 Touring. A capable chassis, responsive engine and space for all the family and their luggage? Sounds like the perfect recipe.
In the case of this example, that perfect recipe has been spiced up a little thanks to the folks over at Pit+Paddock, Precision Sports Industries and Turn14 Distribution in the USA.
Some may remember I wrote about this E91 ‘M3′ GTS Touring and the team behind it back in February, but I didn’t think I would ever see it in person.
The GTS Touring had touched down on from the USA earlier this week as part of the CSF x Pit+Paddock European Tour, and Park Lane was its first stop. It’ll be at a lot of big shows over the next six weeks, so keep your eyes peeled. It’s not come over alone though, and the incredible CSF Porsche 911 will be joining it at some of these events too.
This Fire Orange machine is stunning, and after spending some time inside and around it taking it all in, I couldn’t find a single flaw. I urge you to read the feature if you haven’t done so already to really appreciate the details.
Parked next to the M3 Touring was one of the rarest E9x M3s ever produced – the one-of-67 M3 ‘Carbon Racing Technology’ – or CRT for short. Under the skin, this is essentially an M3 GTS with a 4.4L S65 V8 engine paired with BMW’s DCT gearbox in an aggressive state of tune.
Where the GTS is a hardcore, stripped-out and caged track animal, the CRT is much more road-oriented. It retains a full interior, with bespoke front and rear bucket seats trimmed in two-tone red and black to tie in with the red accents dotted around the exterior. It may not have the GTS’s carbon fibre roof, but it does have a bespoke carbon bonnet.
Speaking of GTS models, the ‘BMW M’ room across the hall from Park Lane’s entrance was home to two more examples wearing the orange accents associated with those letters – an M4 GTS and Evolve’s own take on an M2 GTS.
The M4 took BMW’s GTS formula and turned up the intensity. Imran Arshad, co-founder of Evolve, wanted to push the formula even further and apply it to the little gem of BMW’s M range – the M2.
Affectionately known as Starla, Imran maintains this is his favourite Evolve build to date.
Before GTS, however, came CSL – an abbreviation legendary to BMW M enthusiasts.
While its roots can be traced back to the 1970s and Group 2 touring car homologation, the words ‘Coupé, Sport, Lightweight’ are most fondly associated with the limited-run E46 M3 CSL of the early 2000s.
For the G82 M4 coupé, the GTS formula made way for the CSL badge to come back, this time evolved into ‘Competition, Sport, Lightweight.’
Imran and the team at Evolve saw the M4-only special edition model as an opportunity to build their own take on an M3 CSL Touring; BMW M owners who need more practicality than a coupé can offer don’t have to miss out on all the fun. Eventuri intakes, a Remus titanium exhaust and CSF cooling are just some of the aftermarket upgrades that complement the OEM CSL retrofits on this wagon.
Let me check my list of BMW acronyms… we’re getting to the bottom here.
The centre of the Park Lane exhibition was home to two British racing green coupés. A historic example in the form of an E36 M3 GT, and its spiritual successor in the form of a BMW M2 ‘GT’ – taking the best of the available aftermarket to create a modern rendition of the fabled M3 GT.
The M3 GT is an ode to classic tuning, with intake manifold and camshaft tweaks extracting nine horsepower over a standard M3. Under the M2 GT’s bonnet lives 800hp thanks to turbo upgrades, Eventuri intakes and CSF cooling modifications amongst others.
Just look at the wheels, bodykit accessories and GT-inspired wing. The M2 GT certainly is a modern take on old-school tuning.
To top off the incredible selection? The most recent addition to the Evolve fleet – a BMW 1M Coupé build powered by an E9x M3 V8. Painted in BMW Individual Java Green, this pocket rocket arguably has the most attitude out of all the display cars.
It also has a special place in my heart, as it lived fairly local to me in London for a long time before finding its way to Imran in the past few weeks. I used to see (and hear) it driving around, and it always made me smile.
That’s why BMW’s recognition of the aftermarket industry is so special.
People don’t just buy a BMW to have any old car; they buy a BMW because of its sporting heritage and the aspirational value of the brand. They’re tweaked, fettled and modified across all corners of the globe and by owners of every single generation of the marque.
It was refreshing to hear conversations erupting at Park Lane during the event. Owners of brand new BMW i models learning from modified and classic enthusiasts as to why the M3 GT’s green interior is so special, or why the modified 4.6-litre engine in the orange M3 Touring is notable compared to the 4.0-litre it left the factory with.
But I also overheard owners of older cars listening intently as the owners of the latest BMWs described how their latest purchase – whether an M8 Competition or an i5 – is to drive. Many of these owners have had BMWs for most of their lives, with various degrees of modification.
What does that indicate? A shared connection, emotion and love for the BMW brand.
I’m a real BMW enthusiast, and I have been since my mother picked me up from school in a new-to-her BMW 840ci Sport – with the headlights popped up of course. Since then she’s had BMWs from the M, X, Z and even the MINI ranges. It didn’t take me long to get into a BMW of my own.
My mum still has her 840ci, now with an aftermarket exhaust system, and I still have the 740i Sport I bought at 19.
To see owners, fans, purists and modifiers of BMWs being recognised by the brand itself is incredible. Long may it continue.
Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn
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