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Over the years we’ve often bemoanedthe fact that the choice of colours onBMW test cars are somewhat limiting –dark grey, light grey, mid grey, slategrey… not the most inspiring hues for

dramatic pictures. Every now and then we’ll get a redone, but in general they’re universally subdued.However, when it comes to M cars we’re strangelydrawn to the subtler colours and had we had thecash a few years ago we’d have opted for adebadged E46 M3 in Steel grey with 18-inch rims –when you’re carrying a big stick you don’t really haveto shout about it unless you’re a bit of an extrovert.

Thus the E92 M3 you can see in the photos isalmost our ideal spec, although we’d have gone forthe subtle and less showy 18-inch wheels for thesuper stealthy look. And there’s no doubt about it, thisparticular carries a very big stick indeed. Somewherebetween a telegraph pole and a caber perhaps.Externally there are very few indications that it’sendowed with enough horsepower to rip holes in thespace/time continuum. From the rear the eagle-eyedmight spot that the quad exhausts aren’t standard;from the side there are bright red Brembo front brakecallipers, and if you catch the front at the right angle,you might even spot what appears to be some

orange plastic nestling either side of the radiatorbehind the kidney grilles.

It’s a bit of a sweeping generalisation but M3owners often like to personalise their cars a little so adifferent exhaust and some meaty stoppers aren’treally out of the ordinary, but those who are fullyversed in the BMW tuning world these days shouldbe aware that flashes of orange under the bonnetmeans just one thing – G-Power.

Since G-Power amalgamated with superchargingwizard ASA, there seems to have been no stoppingthe company, and its earned itself a reputation forproducing quality supercharger kits that really produce

It’s not often that we sample the same cartwice in one year, but we just couldn’t turndown the opportunity to sample the UK’sonly 650hp E92 M3!Words: Bob Harper Photography: Craig Pusey

The Ultimate ’Bahnstormer

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it’s endowed with enough horsepower torip holes in the space/time continuum

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G-POWER M3

DECEMBER 2009 27

the goods, and when you consider that ASA blowersare good enough for Alpina’s current B5S and B6Sthen they should be good enough for anyone.

G-Power currently produces three different systemsfor the M3 and the one fitted to this M3 is the all-singing, all-dancing top-of-the-range kit that offers aclaimed 600hp, but once it was installed on thisparticular M3 it appeared that the company wasselling itself short. Luton-based BMW fettler Evolvecarried out the conversion for a customer who wishesto remain nameless, and once the installation hadbeen completed and the fine tuning on the rollerswas being carried out, the chaps at Evolve couldn’tbelieve their read outs. Its Dyno Dynamics rolling roadwas telling them that this M3 was kicking out ascarcely believable 649hp at 8100rpm and amonstrous 445lb ft of torque at 6700rpm – peakgains of 226hp and 135lb ft over what the standardmachine was figured at. Worried that there maypossibly a problem with the installation Evolve put acall into G-Power’s engineers in Germany, but weretold that the quoted figures are achievable in themiddle of the desert when running poor quality fuel,so another 50hp was entirely consistent with coolertemperatures and Shell V-Power!

The headline figures don’t paint the whole picturethough and a gander at the dyno printout reveals thatthe supercharged motor overtakes the standard car’s420hp at just over 5000rpm and from there on inthe power curve climbs at a 45 degree angle until thered line. If the maximum torque looks like the enginemight be a little peaky then consider the fact thatwhen the standard car’s developing its maximumtwist at 3600rpm, the G-Power one is already 40lb ftup on the stock item. Where the standard machine’storque curve stays relatively flat from 4000-7000rpmthe blown V8 keeps building and between 5000 and7000rpm the supercharged version beats thestandard car by between 100 and 150lb ft.

All the facts and figures in the world will count fordiddly squat if it doesn’t feel rapid on the road thoughand as I mosey away from Evolve’s HQ out into thetraffic it doesn’t seem possible that there’s virtually650hp just an ankle flex away – it’s just so tractable!You can hear a slight whine from the ‘charger soyou’re in no doubt that the system is operational, butit’s just so docile in normal driving. Having said that,it’s ability to pull from ridiculously low revs in high

gears suggests that there’s something a bit specialunder the bonnet. Finally we escape Luton’s trafficand find the deserted dual carriageway we’ve beensearching for and can bury the throttle for the firsttime. It’s as if Captain Kirk has just given thecommand to engage warp drive – the scenerybecomes massively blurred, your eyes struggle tofocus and your internal organs nearly end up on theback seat. The performance is simply monstrous andit doesn’t really matter which gear you’re in or whatrevs are displayed on the rev counter – plant thethrottle and it just flies.

As this was a customer’s car who had beengenerous enough to let us sample its performancewe didn’t attempt lots of standing starts or put anyfigures on it, but the one (almost) full-boreacceleration run through the gears did demonstratethat it’s performance is immense. The poor old DSCtraction control nearly has a coronary as it tries toharness 649hp – there’s wheelspin in the first threegears and while it settles down once you hit fourth,the DSC telltale light is still flashing. And that wasn’teven using full throttle! What it would be like in thewet almost doesn’t bear thinking about… This is a carin which you would have to be as restrained as itssober colour scheme if you have any desire to retaina driver’s licence.

Originally, Evolve was simply commissioned toinstall the supercharger, although as this is the highestoutput system that G-Power produces there’s more toit than simply bolting the bright orange ASA T1-522supercharger and air box to the car. There are eightbespoke Siemens injectors, an intercooler, high flowcats and the Akropovic titanium exhaust that bearstips etched with the G-Power logo. However, once thecar was up and running, the chaps at Evolve felt duty-bound to inform their customer that the standardstoppers just weren’t up to the job of coping with theadditional power. So the decision was taken to installthe Brembo brakes – meaty 380mm floating discswith six-pot callipers were deemed sufficient, andthey do a great job of washing off speed, and shoulddo so time after time.

While many companies might have been temptedto go to town on the car and upgrade othercomponents, Evolve felt that the standard EDCsuspension was more than up to the job of copingwith the additional power. The switchable system

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might not give the M3 the road-hugging stance soloved by many tuners and customers, but we reckonthe stealthy stance and the excellent ride qualityafforded by the system along with its great chassiscontrol when pushing on makes it a no-brainer toleave as standard.

While we’re chatting with the Evolve guys aboutthe car we agree on the fact that as this car stands,it’s just too fast for the UK’s road system. If you usethe performance to the full you’ll either lose yourlicence or risk doing yourself some real harm. InGermany it’s probably a different matter, but for theUK we’d probably advise going for one of G-Power’slower boost systems which would not only save you awedge of cash, but make the car more suitable forUK use while still being brutally fast.

Once back at Evolve’s HQ we had a good pokearound under the bonnet and while you might needsunglasses to look at the kit for any length of time, thequality of the parts just can’t be faulted. Evolve agreethat all the G-Power components are beautifullyfabricated and show me the carbon fibre air filterhousing box that’s just arrived for the car. Again it’sbeautifully finished with quality connectors, and eventhe bolts to fit it with have that solid, machined feel tothem – no part of the G-Power system feels like it’sbeen scrimped on or under-engineered. And as aresult it’s not cheap. If this is a conversion you’d liketo have on your M3 then you’d better be sitting downas €22,000 or £20,000 (fitted) is a lot of money inanyone’s book. You’ll need to find an additional£4200 for the Brembos, too. Add that lot to the price

G Power M3ENGINE: V8, 32-valve, 3999ccMODIFICATIONS: ASA T1-521 supercharger, highcapacity intercooler, Siemens high flow injectors,recalibrated ECU, high flow catalytic converters, titaniumexhaust system, Brembo 380mm discs & six-pot callipersMAX POWER: 649hp @ 8100rpmMAX TORQUE: 445lb ft @ 6700rpmTOP SPEED: 200mph (est)0-125MPH: 12.7 seconds (tested in Germany)62-125MPH: 7.8 seconds (tested in Germany)

of a new M3 with a few tasty options and you’relooking at the best part of £80k which puts you in linefor junior exotica such as a Porsche 911, Carrera 4S orGT3. On the other hand a cherished secondhand M3can be bagged these days for around the £30,000mark, and chances are you’ll be able to find one withthe options you want, too. Add the blower and brakesand it’ll cost the same as a new M3, but havesignificantly more performance – the ultimate stealthmachine. We’ll have ours debadged in grey please ●

CONTACT:EvolveTel: 0871 231 1001Web: www.evolveautomotive.comEmail: sales@evo-s.co.uk

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