Warts and All: Fresh Eggplant P1
It’s an understandable request, but still frustrating anyway. Every once in a while a new McLaren arrives with a note: DO NOT DETAIL. Although the cars roll out of their covered carriers in impressive condition, they’re still not immaculate; our cleaning crew puts the finishing touches on each car to make them showroom-ready. But if you’ve ever wanted to know what a McLaren P1 looks like fresh out of the wrapper, you’re in the right place…
Car and Driver recently posed an interesting question to McLaren in their test of the P1; how many people who have the means to afford to buy a P1 also possess the driving skills to fully exploit its performance?
“Well, Jenson Button’s getting one,” a McLaren test driver noted.
Although I can’t reveal where this car is going, rest assured: it will be in good hands. You’ll notice minor swirls, smudges, and dust in these photos. They’ll be taken care of.
And what about the 903hp, sticky Pirelli tires, and active aerodynamics that endow this car with incredible performance? Sure, the car is beautiful, but will it ever get driven properly?
I can’t confirm that this car will be driven properly, only that I’m sure it could.
When I initially uploaded the photos for this car, I called it “Purple”. Almost immediately my phone lit up with a text; I was told to change it to Blue.
What do you think? The sun reveals hidden hot pink tones on top of a blue base, but shade and fluorescent lighting bring out purple tones.
It’s definitely a sophisticated shade, but the biggest shock is that it’s completely non-metallic. Once upon a time nothing except show cars had metallic flake paint, and nowadays we expect even a Hyundai to sparkle in the sun.
One thing is for sure though: that interior is purple.
A few combos have been through here, but this one is my favorite, with the purple leather perfectly accenting the black alcantara and sea of carbon fiber.
Go eat an aubergine!
Beater and The Beast
It’s funny how perspectives change. When Art only had one car, his 135i, it was the do-everything, all-around machine. On one hand, it was a comfy cruiser; the stock engine and interior lending themselves well to a life of shuttling its owner up and down the peninsula every day. However, the muffler delete, wide wheels and tires, and lower, stiffer, pillowball-mounted suspension give a hint of how its driven when the chance arises: hard.
In comparison with the E30, the E82 is certainly much faster–but it hardly feels that way. It’s funny that just last month the constantly clunking pillow-ball mounts were becoming unbearable and the exhaust actually seemed loud. But now? It seems like a gentleman’s chariot.
And that’s all good news here, because the quiet, smooth, refined, and effortlessly quick 135i simultaneously shows not only how far BMW has come with their small coupés, but how much has been lost.
The M3 is much more raw, direct, and visceral. When you’re behind the wheel, you always feel like you’re driving a car, and not just shuttling yourself from one place to another in a bubble. As manufacturers continue to tailor new cars to reflect modern conditions and end-user desires, they become more isolated from their surroundings.
Why is there a GoPro on the bumper? Well, that low-pressure zone is the best place to record exhaust notes, because you get almost zero wind noise. I know turbos have their place in the modern world of torque demands and emissions standards, but I’m a little disappointed with the modern proliferation of forced induction because there’s nothing like a naturally aspirated exhaust note. Turn up your speakers and enjoy!
Picture Me Rolling
Not much has really changed with Pepe’s W123, although he did swap on the wheels from his 300D. He drove up to the city yesterday and I managed to grab a couple shots on the way.
It kind of bounces down the road like a lowrider, but that’s just a couple dampers away from being fixed. Other than that, it certainly gives off a stately aura, eh?
See you next time.
Make It Your Own: Art’s M3
The first time I posted about this M3, Art had just picked it up. Although–or maybe even because–there were several details on the car that were going to be changed as soon as possible, I really wanted to get some snaps of it to show where it came from. After all, you get a much better appreciation for where something is if you know where it came from and how it got here.
Since I originally posted about this car, it’s gone through a few changes that have made a huge impact. I consider this the baseline–the major problems have been ironed out, and now it’s time for tweaks and improvements.
First of all, the headlight tint has been removed, and now the Euro headlights and grille stand out much more.
All the window tint has also been removed, but the major change is right there: wheels, tires, and ride height. The OEM Style 42 wheels were swapped for a set of 16×8 BBS RX, which were promptly wrapped in a brand new set of Falken Azenis RT615K. Furthermore, the car was originally riding on the bumpstops, which made for a predictably horrible ride. Simply raising the car up to a proper height and getting it aligned resulted in an incredible improvement in ride quality and handling dynamics. So what do you do when your car is, quite literally, ready to roll?
You take it down some sexy Northern California backroads, of course.
Euro headlights and grille plus the Evo II lip are in contrast with the funky US reflector bumper. Safety first!
In any case, it’s sexy. E30’s are handsome cars, but the M3 takes it to another level with the quintessentially 80’s box flares.
Not sure why, but that wooden bridge kinda gave me a pirate ship vibe.
However, there’s nothing reminding you of a wooden ship in this bay. They say that Hondas are like Legos for the way that parts can be swapped among different models, but this shows the Lego side of BMW: that M50 from an E36 looks it was in this chassis when it rolled off the assembly line. Conceptually, it’s an interesting swap; the straight-six 2.5L M50 has about the same power as the original 2.3L four-pot S14, but more torque. And let me tell you, with the short-geared US-spec E30 M3 rear end, hitting the mechanically-limited top speed is not at all a challenge…
Spent gasses are expelled through this neat looking custom exhaust.
These 16×8 BBS RX were a great find. Not only are they just the right size, but they give off a nice period-correct vibe. Furthermore, they were recently powder-coated and have hardly any miles since then–score!
Similar to the front end with its beefy fenders and bumper, here’s a view of purely M3-specific panels joined together in a holy union of 80’s panel gaps. The only body panel that the M3 shares with a regular E30 is the hood. Even the windshields are different!
What a glorious car. It’s amazing the range of wheel sizes that work on an E30 M3–the stock 15’s look good, and by 1992 the DTM racecars were running 18×9 fronts and 19×9 rears and looked great doing it. Smaller wheels are usually my preference, so 16″ is a nice happy medium that not only looks good, but importantly in this case just barely clears the E36 M3 brakes! The only bummer about 16″ wheels is the relative dearth of high-performance tire choices.
Art: it’s for the cats. Stay tuned for more M3 updates!
Star Road 