The BMW M140i, gone but not forgotten, is a future classic, particularly in the rear-wheel-drive variant. Apart from the M livery, this LCI exemplar has undergone a number of modifications to make it more fit for a track day. What better place to put such modifications to the test than the Nürburgring?
Misha Charoudin, a YouTuber, was asked to ride shotgun in the hot hatch, which has been made even hotter by its owner’s upgrading of the engine. Maiko claims that his F20’s B58 has been tuned to produce 450 horsepower while running on high-octane Shell V Power. That’s a significant increase over the basic 3.0-liter inline-six, which produced 335 horsepower back in the day. There’s no news on torque, but anticipate it to be more than the 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) number offered by BMW. The extra punch was gained using an MHD remap.
Aside from the beefed-up engine, the M140i has reduced weight by deleting the rear bench. A roll cage has been placed in its stead for enhanced safety, and the ride height has been dropped by a KW Clubsport V3 suspension to improve handling. The OEM wheels were replaced with a custom OZ Racing set wrapped in Nankang NS-2R semi-slicks since the owner still drives it on public roads on occasion.
While it wasn’t a full-fledged hot lap, Maiko did push his M140i every now and again, as demonstrated by the traction control activating many times. The vehicle, which has just 55,000 kilometers (34,000 miles) on the clock, seems to be a lot of fun on such a difficult track as the Nordschleife. Maiko does a lot of overtaking, and we’re astonished to see a Volvo C30 being driven so aggressively.
Misha Charoudin’s / YouTube
