450hp V8 S65 engined BMW F21 1 Series
With masses of wide-body presence, a sublime custom interior, and V8 power nestling beneath its sculpted bonnet, this 1 Series build is a true one-off and what a special machine this is...
Words: Elizabeth de Latour
Photos: @nook_2m
The One 1 SERIES
Spectacular S65-swapped wide-body beast!
Blending M2 Comp bodywork with an S65 V8, this F21 1 Series is an incredible build that’s absolutely dripping with eye-popping attention to detail, and it’s simply on another level.
BMW is, without question, best known for being the master of the straight-six. The company produced its first straight-six, the M78, in 1933, which powered the 303 and has refined the concept over the following 91 years, and it remains a staple of the BMW lineup, even if smaller cylinder counts are the flavour of the moment. However, BMW’s engine repertoire extends far beyond six cylinders, and among the more exotic engines the company has offered throughout its history, the V8 has featured prominently.
Cast your eye over BMW’s engine archives, and you will see that its very first V8, referred to as the OHV, appeared way back in 1954 and first featured in the 502. It wasn’t until the M60 appeared in 1992 that V8s were back on the menu, and it wasn’t until the S62 arrived in 1998 that BMW had its first true high-performance road-going V8. And out of all the M-enhanced V8s that have followed, we reckon the S65 might just be the most significant. There are two reasons. The first is that it powered the first – and only – mass-produced road-going V8 M3, and, secondly, it was BMW’s last naturally aspirated V8, as well as one of its last naturally aspirated engines. And what a swansong for BMW’s NA M engine legacy the S65 is – 420hp delivered at a screaming 8300rpm, 100rpm shy of its redline, with a magnificent, soaring eight-cylinder soundtrack to stir the soul. It’s a special piece of engineering and no mistake, so it’s no surprise that the owner of the mighty 1 Series that sits before you here decided it was the right engine for his absolutely epic creation.
The person responsible for this wide-body V8-powered F21 is the mysterious and enigmatic Mr Saugmotoren (@mr.saugmotoren). That translates from German to Mr Naturally Aspirated Engines, which doesn’t trip off the tongue quite so easily, but we certainly appreciate the sentiment behind it. Mr S is clearly something of a BMW fan because you don’t build a car like this on a whim, and he has been for many years. “I’ve been interested in BMWs probably since the day I got my driver’s license,” he tells us.
“Before that, I was interested in other manufacturers like Porsche or Ferrari. With my fresh driver’s license, however, I had to orient myself in price regions that were realistic for me,” he reasons.
“With the prerequisite of a great engine and rear-wheel drive, I quickly got stuck with BMW. Even today, when other manufacturers are also financially accessible, I would still consider myself a BMW guy,” Mr S says with a smile, and he’s not joking. And not just because Germans don’t joke…
His collection is enough to make any BMW fan drop to their knees in awe, and he holds the keys to a mouthwatering selection of Bavaria’s finest, though these make up a small portion of his 20-car line-up... There’s a completely restored 1986 catless E30 M3 making 255hp, and an E46 M3 converted to full CSL spec, with every single OEM CSL part fitted, along with a manual gearbox, but with a GTR uniball chassis setup. Then there’s the Frozen Silver Edition E92 M3 rebuilt as a Schirmer V8 GT (“It’s pretty famous at the Nurburgring, and it’s probably my favourite M3 since I get this question pretty often,” says Mr S), and a mildly modded F80 M3, as well as an OEM+/Clubsport E82 1 M Coupe build with sold axles, KW Clubsport suspension and BMW M Performance seats. Then there’s the rarest car in his whole collection, his 2014 Z4 GT3. Yes, that’s right, a genuine Z4 GT3 race car... “It’s not any Z4 GT3, but probably the most famous one out of the 49 that were built due to a huge racing history at the Nurburgring in the Dunlop Art Car livery from the German YouTuber JP Performance,” grins Mr S. Oh, and then there’s the E36 Cabrio that’s been converted into a couch, because why not...?
And then, of course, we have the subject of our feature today, this absolutely glorious wide- body V8-powered 1 Series, and it is magnificent, an absolute masterpiece of a build on every level. The vision behind it, the execution, the level of details, it’s honestly staggering. ‘Wow’ kind of covers it.
“So the initial situation was that I drove my 1M Coupe as a daily but was looking for a successor,” explains Mr S as we take a deep dive into the background of this build. “It should be small but practical, rear-wheel drive, with a powerful NA engine and the perfect looks. The problem was that the perfect car didn’t exist,” he shrugs. “Little by little, I came up with the idea of simply building it according to my own ideas,” he grins, and if you can, then why wouldn’t you? “Credits to the German company Speedtec. They took care of the whole build,” he adds, and what a job they’ve done.
Somewhere beneath all of this awesomeness sits a 116i, though there’s really not much of it left: “The chassis was in good condition. All the other parts were new anyway,” says Mr S. But before anything could be done, he had to get permission and approval to build his creation, because you can’t just do whatever you want over in Germany. “Before I bought the car, we discussed everything with the TUV. It was important that I could officially register everything later so that I could drive the car daily without any problems,” Mr S explains, and with automotive planning permission granted, the build could begin.
“In the first step, we took care of the engine. That was in June 2021: the old four-cylinder engine came out, and the new S65 four-litre V8 went in. Then came the radiator package, most of which came from the M5 F90,” says Mr S. “The axles were a surprise for me, personally. The axles from the M4 are a plug-and-play fit into the F21 body. Thanks to the axles, we were later able to fit the ceramic brakes from the M4,” which is a nice thing to have.
“In November 2021, after work on the tank and especially the electronics, the car was ready to be started for the first time. The difficult thing with the electronics is to marry the F-series in the car with the E-series engine,” Mr S explains. “Once the engine was running, we continued with the bodywork. At the front, all M2 Competition parts fit plug-and- play on the F21. At the rear, we had to rebuild everything with great effort to fit the wide fenders of the M2. There are so many details here - it would go completely beyond the scope if I told you everything,” he laughs, so we’ll just take his word for it that it was an undertaking of vast effort. “When the body came back from the painter in May 2022, everything went very quickly. I found G80 M3 seats on the Internet, which I then had completely reupholstered together with the rest of the interior by a saddler. In August 2022, I had the car at home for
the first time after one and a half years of construction. Only then did I really realise what a great car it had become,” says Mr S with a satisfied smile, and we can only imagine how good it must have felt to bring this beast home after waiting so long.
While MrS has very succinctly told the story of his 1 Series build, we want to dive in and explore some of the countless details you'll find throughout this car. Let’s talk colour - because while the wide arches are what deliver all the visual drama, the choice of paint was essential for maximum impact, and Mr S made an awesome call on this front. “The question of what colour to paint the car was on my mind for a long time,” he says. “Blue, black, purple, it was all there at one time or another. At some point, I saw the then-new MS CS at a car event. It was immediately clear: I had to have this colour,” he grins, and that colour is Frozen Deep Green Metallic. It's a stunning shade, a muted matt metallic hue that catches the light and uses it to effortlessly highlight and accentuate the many complex lines that flow across the F21 's bodywork. And, in keeping with the MS CS-inspired paintwork, it also wears matt gold M2 CS wheels, matching the colour combo of the mighty MS that Mr S took inspiration from, and these elements work so well together.
While the entire build comprises OEM parts, the only exception to that rule can be found beneath the surface, where KW V3 coilovers with camber-adjustable dome mounts and a selection of uniball components deliver the perfect ride height and perfect handling.
And then we have the interior, which will leave you speechless. The entire cabin has been finished in a divine combination of brown leather and black Alcantara, and virtually every surface has been covered in this perfect pairing. The dashboard, the gaiters, and the steering wheel rim have all been finished in Alcantara with contrasting brown stitching, while the door cards and armrest are covered in brown leather with black stitching. Those stunning G80 M3 seats wear a combination of the two, while the lower dash has been colour-matched to the brown leather. Elsewhere, there are flashes of carbon fibre trim, and a full Alcantara headliner adds the final, opulent finishing flourish. It’s breathtaking.
As is the whole build, let’s be honest. The amount of work that has gone into making this car is staggering, and the end result is something seriously special, even among Mr Saugmotoren's incredible collection, which is saying something. The M2 Comp bodywork has given this 1 Series incredible presence and muscle, while the matt green metallic bodywork and the contrasting matt gold wheels add the perfect touch of visual flair. Then you’ve got the interior, which is an another level - the two-tone trimming, the G80 M3 seats, the attention to detail - it’s just something else. And then, of course, the S65 V8 is the perfect finishing touch that takes the whole thing above and beyond.
The fact that this car has been executed to such an incredible standard throughout and has remained true to Mr S’s perfect vision is unsurprising because you’re looking at the very definition of a money-no-object build, and what an achievement it is. Even so, Mr Saugmotoren isn’t done yet: “Maybe I would like to try to get 20-30hp more from the engine,” he muses. “Schrick cams and software should do the job,” he says, and that little bit of extra performance will be the cherry on the icing on the cake. So what’s next for Mr S’s extensive collection?
“That's a good question,” he chuckles. "At least I'm sure about the engine: S85,” he adds with a grin, and that will fill a V10-shaped hole in his BMW lineup. But whatever else Mr Saugmotoren adds to his collection, whatever else he decides to build, we doubt it will be on the same level as this absolutely epic 1 Series, and what a car to have created.
I drove my 1M Coupé as a daily but was looking for a successor. It should be small but practical, rear-wheel drive, with a powerful NA engine and the perfect looks. The problem was that the perfect car didn’t exist
The epic S65 V8 seats beneath the sculpted bonnet.
The G80 M3 seats are the highlight of the stunning leather, Alcantara and carboncovered cabin.