Our customer Steve from Euroklasse has always been known for wanting to build the most absurd street cars imaginable, so it was no surprise when he presented us with the idea of recreating the venerable FIA-spec Z4 GT3 racecar using his E89 Z4 3.5is as a base. Nothing too crazy, right? The only catch: a short time frame and an impending deadline for SEMA. Never ones to back away from a challenge, we sourced the entire FRP and CFRP kit directly from Germany, including a gorgeous one piece, vacuum-bagged carbon fixed roof panel and the OEM dry carbon fixed wing mirrors pulled directly from the real racecar. It should be noted up front that making motorsports panels fit on a street car is no small feat. Every bracket for the bumpers, quarter panels, roof, functional front splitter and rear diffuser, the 70″ APR GT-250 wing, and even the exhaust were fabricated by us in-house, along with the frames and mesh grilles for the front and rear.
Equally as challenging was making the race parts fit as flawlessly as a factory car, especially since motorsports pieces are notorious for strange fitments, questionable exterior quality, and imperfections. These parts are made to work on the racetrack, not look pretty. Still, we took every step and effort to ensure that the finished product would be a polished and well-built road car, that could easily be taken to the track and driven home on the street afterwards without issue. After perfecting the fitment of the kit and finishing the bodywork, the car entered the paint booth with scant less than a week to spare before the 2018 SEMA show. More than enough time to get the time buttoned up and squared away. Always seeking a unique look, we opted to paint the car in Alpine White, with a bespoke satin eggshell blend, utilizing PPG’s Envirobase line. The aerodynamic pieces and the carbon roof were painted in frozen black to provide a stark contrast to the sleek body-in-white race panels.
While the car was in the shop we also installed some ultra-wide (and ultra light!) Litespeed Racing GT10 wheels, which are a whopping 18×13 in the rear! We fitted them with some 335/30R18 R888R rubber to put down the Z4’s newly acquired 700hp, thanks to a Pure Turbo Stage 2 kit for the N54, a custom modified Meisterschaft stainless exhaust, downpipes, a cast DOCRACE intake manifold, a CSF oil cooler, and a CSF intercooler, all of which were installed by our resident mechanic. A Meth Injection tank and pump were also routed to compliment the Burger Motorsports tune. Absolutely no way is this car all show and no go. To ensure the car would remain safe with the new fixed roof, we also added a Studio RSR roll cage setup. Finally, a set of Status Gruppe coilovers with their optional front lift cup, Turner Motorsports control arms, H&R sway bars, a set of F8X monoblock calipers, and ECS 2-Piece rotors were fitted to ensure the car could stop and handle like a real track car should.
Never ones to leave out details, we commissioned our in-shop upholsterer AP to help finish off the interior and truly give the car that completed touch. He built custom trunk panels and flooring to house the meth tank and cover the spaces where the factory collapsible hard top would normally be stored when it was retracted. He also covered the entire roof inside with gorgeous black genuine Alcantara, along with the roof pillars. Finally, we added a Dinmann forged carbon GT style steering wheel and carbon-finish interior trim.
The car headed off to SEMA in Las Vegas with a motorsports-style livery designed and installed by our local friends and wrap geniuses at Viral Vinyl Works. Our Z4 GT3 build was placed in the main entryway hall under the sponsorship of CSF Radiators, and was well-received. Most importantly, Soofy loves his new car, and another build has left 2M Autowerks that we are proud of. What more could we ask for?
