530bhp modified 2014 BMW M3 F80
Stancing Queen. It took a lot to entice Beth Halsey away from the VW and Audi show cars she was previously famed for building. We examine her F80 M3 and explore why modified examples are starting to make a lot of sense as the giant killers of choice… Words: Graham Leigh. Photography: Jason Dodd
530bhp modified 2014 BMW M3 F80
Is this uprated F80 better than a standard M3 G80?
Twenty-four-year old Essex based Beth Halsey is the owner of successful underwear and loungewear brand, White Tiger Label and is also a social media content creator.
With a creative brain and eye for detail, it’s no surprise that Beth likes to stamp her individuality on the cars she owns too. She explained: “I’d been attending shows like Ultimate Dubs since before I could drive so it was only natural that my first car was a VW. I went for a Lupo back in 2014 shortly after I had passed my test”. Acting promptly on the show influences around her it wasn’t long before the diminutive dub was on air-ride suspension with a full boot install. The rear seats were removed and the fronts were replaced with those from a Mk6 Golf GTD. Fully polished Stance Encore wheels fitted snugly under the widened arches whilst smoothed bumpers cleaned up the styling. The car was wrapped in gloss black cherry and was a pretty epic way to pop one’s modified cherry.
Hot on the heels of the Lupo was the replacement Audi A1 the following year. This was Stage 1 tuned, also lowered on air-ride and, as is often the case within VWG circles, was on multiple sets of wheels throughout ownership. Fully trimmed Alcantara VW Wingbacks dominated the interior and were subsequently bought back after the car was moved on. These posh pews now reside in partner and Gravity/Slammed UK owner, Jordan Clarke’s Audi R8. The couple are proof that today’s modified movement is more bright young things than the McDonald’s car park image of yesteryear. An Audi S1 followed for Beth in 2017 that got the same treatment and the need for speed seed was planted. “I don’t think I could ever own a car and not modify it” muses Beth.
“The F80 M3 is the first BMW I’ve owned! I’ve always loved F80s ever since they came out and they’ve always been a dream car for me. I wanted something that looked aggressive, was reliable but also fun. The F80 was the obvious choice. I was looking for a ‘daily’ and the F80 ticks all the boxes for me. It looks good, it’s fast, reliable and so much fun to drive”.
Praise indeed. As the F80 M3 advances in years, it’s becoming somewhat of a performance bargain. As is so often the case with M3s and BMWs at large, the market and enthusiast audience warms to them as time goes on. Introduced back in 2014, the F80 M3’s S55 powerplant employed twin turbos for emissions reasons – which was a departure from the screaming straight-sixes in both the E36 and E46 variants and the highly-strung cross-plane cranked V8 in the E9X. What this new forced-induced inline-six lacked in naturally aspirated scalpelsharp responsiveness, it more than made up for in torque, brute power and the more accessible nature of the peak power. Whilst in standard form the S55 engine only made 11hp more than the S65 it replaced, peak power in the F80 comes in between 5500- 7300rpm as opposed to a heady 8300rpm in its predecessor. The real revolution was the torque and although finding it in the older models was all part of the fun for some, in the F80 it sucker-punched its 406lb ft from 1850- 5500rpm making the 295lb ft at 3900rpm feel comparatively gutless driven back-to-back.
As with many recent turbocharged cars, there are serious gains to be had from the aftermarket even using standard turbos and internals. ECU tweaks from an expert can have the F80 playing in a European Superleague all of its own.
Even before this car was purchased modifying maestro, Beth, had hatched a cunning plan: “I’ve always loved older style BBS wheels and the opportunity came up to buy these sought-after 20-inch BBS RS2s last year during lockdown at a really good price. I hadn’t even bought the car yet but knew these were the wheels I wanted, so I went for them and trusted I’d find the right F80 soon after”.
The car was found on Auto Trader in September 2020 and was completely standard. The first modification was the fitment of a full exterior carbon fibre kit from CT Carbon. The exterior silver grills and badges were then swapped for genuine OEM black items. “I’ve also got a genuine BMW carbon fibre fuel cap cover. Maybe the most pointless mod in the world but I love it!” laughed Beth. We have to agree that the carbon add-ons retain a classy subtlety against the black paint and it’s the sort of car that requires a second look to drink-in all the details.
The F80 has been lowered 30mm using H&R Springs which look great with the aforementioned wheels. Next on the list were some interior upgrades where the carbon fibre theme has continued. The seatbacks and gear surround add a subtle motorsport nod in contrast to the luxurious Silverstone White leather.
Engine tuning has been the most recent change to the M3. Essex performance specialist, GAD Tuning fitted catless downpipes and installed their Stage 2 tune. With the only other engine modification being the addition of performance Pipercross air filters, the car now puts out an impressive dyno-proven 530hp and 557lb-ft of torque.
Beth has only owned this car for nine months and the build is still evolving. The lowering springs will soon be replaced with an air-ride system. This adjustability will be bad news for Beth’s splitter suppliers but good news for her sanity: “It’s a running joke that I go through splitters almost monthly. We keep forgetting how low the car is and our potholed UK roads make it pretty easy to catch your splitter regularly!”. New wheels are on the way and given the esteemed rolling stock they’re set to replace, we are excited to see what has been chosen.
Beth is delighted with the car and feels that it is her best build yet. Impressive stuff given the serious nature of her previous show scene regulars but what will finally replace it? “That’s a good question and something we talk about a lot, a 530hp F80 M3 is a difficult car to upgrade from. I’ve always wanted a Porsche, so maybe, a 992 911 Turbo? The list of cars I’d like to own one day is so long, we’d be here for a while! I’m certainly not done with the M3 yet. I had no idea how crazy fast the car would be after going Stage 2, it’s been sideways on more than one occasion on the drive home. It was an experience, to say the least! I cannot fault GAD Tuning. Great service and amazing results”.
WHY THE LONG FACE?
As we touched upon earlier, the BMW enthusiast seems to warm to a model with time. This is especially true with the subjective area of styling but it must be said that the current G80 incarnation of the M3 with its oversized kidney grilles and scowling ‘face’ is Marmite. Arguably it was looking a lot more handsome in BMW’s latest press shots with black grills and new hues, such as Isle of Man Green and Sao Paulo Yellow, as showcased in our June 2021 issue, but, anecdotally at least, we have seen many of you rather unmoved by its looks.
Beth gave us her impression of the G80: “In my opinion, they have moved too far away from the classic, and iconic kidney grille shape and they’ve moved closer to an Audi-style front end. That being said, the interior of the G80 looks amazing and is a huge step up. BMW interiors are usually where the cars let themselves down and in recent years they haven’t been able to compete with the Audi or Mercedes equivalent, but with the G80 it might be the best bit about the car – especially those carbon bucket seats!”
Could a modified F80, thus, be worthy of consideration whilst you let the passage of time gift you the chance to allow the G80 to warm on you. A quick check in the usual popular classifieds reveals that a leggy (93k) F80 M3 can be yours for as little as £23,450.
There were a couple of options at around the £30k mark where well-specced cars with around 50k on the odometers were available. The F80 is no slouch out of the box but, as with Beth’s example, they respond amazingly well to tuning. Always do your homework in this sphere as established specialists may be more expensive than a friend of a friend down the Red Lion. As ever, there’s no such thing as a free lunch and although good value, the base cars are still a substantial investment in the first place. Different tuners will use slightly different software packages and the numbered ‘stage’ terminology can be slightly confusing as it varies from place to place as to exactly what it involves. For example, some companies incorporate an aftermarket exhaust on a Stage 2 package and others deem it unnecessary. Hit up the forums, get horse’s mouth experiences or, even better, go out in a company demonstrator or two. Assess what power delivery, package and price tag suits your needs and wallet. A Stage 1 tune is purely software-based for many tuners and can be installed for around the £700 mark. A dyno session is usually around the £150 mark.Typical power figures will see the car jump from its factory settings of 431hp and 406lb-ft to 520hp and 510lb-ft. Stage 2 tuning starts at around the £1000 mark but prices vary considerably depending on accompanying breathing and exhaust choices.
Of course, with an open chequebook, almost anything can be achieved, but the S55 powerplant is a hardy tuning base. Stock fueling, turbos and internals which feature partially forged components, a closed deck and unique coated cylinder wall and pistons are capable of handling up to 600whp but crank hub and charge pipe upgrades are known Achilles heels and are worth changing on anything more than most tuners’ Stage 1 packages. As ever with modified cars, as the horsepower goes up there is a certain ceiling where the bang to buck ratio slows but headline numbers have never been cheap. Beth informed that if her numbers came up on the lottery she would consider Pure Turbos. These CNC machined beauties with their billet compressor wheels and hi-flow turbine wheels weigh in at £4549 for the pair but handle a proven 700whp plus on Pure’s company demonstrator.
The G80 M3 Competition (which is the only UK package available) boasts 503hp and 480lb-ft and will also set you back at least £74,755 if you ensure that none of the optional extra boxes are ticked. Sure, it won’t be a new car with the main dealer benefits but at less than half the price you could buy a tidy F80 and have it tuned to blow a G80 out of the water. Food for thought.
Beth’s M3 has huge presence on the road. These modifications might be considered extreme by some, but they showcase the possibilities with the F80.
At less than half the price, you could buy a tidy F80 and have it tuned to blow a G80 out of the water...
TECH DATA BMW F80 M3
- ENGINE: S55 3.0 Twin Turbo Inline-6, GAD Tuning cat-less downpipes and Stage 2 tune, Pipercross air filters (530bhp and 557lb ft), Transmission: DCT
- CAPACITY: H&R 30mm Lowering Springs, 20” BBS RS2s (9x20” ET22 front, 10x20” ET25 rear), Michelin PS4s
- EXTERIOR: Full exterior CT Carbon styling, grills and badges replaced with OEM black items, genuine BMW carbon fibre fuel cap cover
- INTERIOR: OEM Silverstone White leather, carbon fibre seatbacks and gear surround
- THANKS: CT Carbon — All exterior carbon fibre and carbon fibre and Alcantara steering wheel (not pictured) GAD Tuning — Cat-less downpipes, Stage 2 Tune with Dyno
Performance Company — Carbon Seat Backs, Pipercross
Performance Filters SlammedUK & Gravity Show — Merchandise & Events
Buds N Suds Co — Car wash maintenance & detailing Stoke By Nayland Golf Club & Resort — Photoshoot location