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Hello all, I come from the BMW world and don't yet own an AM, but have secretly obsessed about one day owning one. I just had ankle surgery this week so I am laid up recovering and it's given me plenty opportunity to read up on the V8V. And it's confirmed that a purchase may need to take place in the near future
My stable currently holds a full bolt-on 2007 BMW 335i (450whp) that serves as DD and the occasional weekend track car; as well as a fully gutted/race prepped 1989 BMW E30 track car. Below is a little more about both.
I am curious to know if are there any Chicagoland based AM V8V owners on these forums or are there any AM monthly meet ups in the Chicagoland area to know about. I've not yet driven in a V8V and would love to get that first hand experience, also because I have some concerns about whether a 6'3" guy like myself would fit properly. So shoot me a PM if you're in the area or have any info about local meet ups.
It's also encouraging to hear that a few of you track your V8V's which is great news. Aside from the weight, she looks like she'd be a lot of running going WOT on back straights.
Well it's great to meet you guys. Look forward to chatting with you all!
Nice E30 and Welcome. I'm 6'2 and some change and I fit in the Vantage just fine. Funnily enough, I fit better in there than a DB9/DBS/Vanquish for some reason.
Vantage is a really fun car on the track. The GT4 race cars can be made to go pretty damn quick and are fundamentally not much more than a caged and stripped road car. There's a great chassis under there which is very user-friendly. I find it one of the easiest cars to get in and get comfortable with straight away. There's no big surprises.
There's also a few pretty easy bolt-ons (or bolt-offs) that will drop 100lbs or more without going too crazy.
__________________ Stuart Dickinson Managing Director Velocity Automotive Performance Limited 206 Maple Avenue Oliver, BC Canada V2A 4W6 Office: (1)250-485-5126 www.velocityap.com
A V8V is a great car from the factory but, yes, the weight is a buzzkill on track. You can easily drop ~100 lbs from it, though (well, easy but costly, as is plenty of stuff on these cars). The weight loss with an extra 50 HP (from the 4.3L, at least), makes a big difference and the car can really fly.
Wheels, tires, brake rotors, battery, and exhaust can be swapped with zero effect on drivability/comfort. Bucket seats and flywheel may affect it but that's up to your own preferences - I've been perfectly comfortable daily driving a Recaro Pole Position, some people might not be, and a lightweight flywheel may change the car too much for some people to like (I haven't driven a V8V with a lightweight flywheel so I can't personally say on these cars).
These aren't ideal track cars, but so long as you're not racing, they're fantastic. Much of the weight comes from being over-built (in a good way). But like Stuart said, the GT4 race cars aren't too different than the production street cars. Going from a BMW to a V8V will be a comfortable transition, just gotta pay attention to the car's personality and quirks.
AMOC Midwest host monthly events and gatherings. There's a cars and coffee at Naplton AM in DG on 4/2. Bring your helmet.
Bring the helmet eh? thanks for the link, I'll definitely check it out!
Originally Posted by Stuart@VelocityAP
Nice E30 and Welcome. I'm 6'2 and some change and I fit in the Vantage just fine. Funnily enough, I fit better in there than a DB9/DBS/Vanquish for some reason.
Vantage is a really fun car on the track. The GT4 race cars can be made to go pretty damn quick and are fundamentally not much more than a caged and stripped road car. There's a great chassis under there which is very user-friendly. I find it one of the easiest cars to get in and get comfortable with straight away. There's no big surprises.
There's also a few pretty easy bolt-ons (or bolt-offs) that will drop 100lbs or more without going too crazy.
Thanks Stuart!
Originally Posted by telum01
Welcome!
A V8V is a great car from the factory but, yes, the weight is a buzzkill on track. You can easily drop ~100 lbs from it, though (well, easy but costly, as is plenty of stuff on these cars). The weight loss with an extra 50 HP (from the 4.3L, at least), makes a big difference and the car can really fly.
Wheels, tires, brake rotors, battery, and exhaust can be swapped with zero effect on drivability/comfort. Bucket seats and flywheel may affect it but that's up to your own preferences - I've been perfectly comfortable daily driving a Recaro Pole Position, some people might not be, and a lightweight flywheel may change the car too much for some people to like (I haven't driven a V8V with a lightweight flywheel so I can't personally say on these cars).
These aren't ideal track cars, but so long as you're not racing, they're fantastic. Much of the weight comes from being over-built (in a good way). But like Stuart said, the GT4 race cars aren't too different than the production street cars. Going from a BMW to a V8V will be a comfortable transition, just gotta pay attention to the car's personality and quirks.
Thanks for the reply! My full expectation going into making a V8V purchase is not that it would be the fastest car in the world (in fact, expect it to be a downgrade in speed from the 335); but more so just a stunning gentlemans car. In fact, part of what spurred me to really want one was that I would LOVE to drive in an AM up the Pacific coast on PCH with the windows down to hear the exhaust sometime in the next few years with either my son or father.
Also curious, both Stuart and yourself said that you can easily shed weight. I assume via lighter wheels, sound deadening, lighter exhaust, etc? I know the e30 had considerable weight due to the tar sound deadening inlaid in the back seat and trunk. Not sure if that's also the case for the V8V's.
Originally Posted by norbertaston
Great stable! Love the E30, have a M50 swapped one for the track myself, yours is much cleaner though.
Definitely come to the Cars & Coffee in Downers Grove on April 2nd with your E90. You'll get a chance to sit in a Vantage and meet some owners!
Thanks so much! Do you ever track it or make it out to VintageFest with the e30? And the pics of my e30 do wonders! She's actually pretty dinged up but it didnt look that way in the pic due to the pre-photo wash and wax. I ractually co-own the e30 with a good buddy and we've had bit aspirations to s5x swap it or go FI. But between kids, our jobs and other hobbies, every year we just keep romping on the stock M20 waiting for it to grenade on us. Pretty sure the e30 has been as perfect of a track car as one could expect from a reliability standpoint.
And Cars and Coffee in April would be great, but unfortunately we're doing a big family trip to the Dells that weekend But look forward to meeting some of you local AM guys another time hopefully not too long after. I'm in the west suburbs (Wheaton), so I'm never too far from most meets in the area.
Last edited by Sirdaft1; 03-15-2016 at 08:15 PM.
Reason: Spelling
Also curious, both Stuart and yourself said that you can easily shed weight. I assume via lighter wheels, sound deadening, lighter exhaust, etc? I know the e30 had considerable weight due to the tar sound deadening inlaid in the back seat and trunk. Not sure if that's also the case for the V8V's.
I've dropped about 44 lbs with wheels, tires, and brake rotors.
Exhaust was 27 lbs.
Losing 30 lbs with a lightweight battery.
Also working on a Recaro Pole Position, custom-shod in OEM Aston leather (40 lbs per seat).
I'm not removing any sound deadening, but there's plenty that can go. My goal is to make it the best track-capable car that I can without sacrificing street drivability. If I can't manage a 6-hour drive in it, I'm not doing it. So, full stereo, full sound deadening, original glass, etc.
I've dropped about 44 lbs with wheels, tires, and brake rotors.
Exhaust was 27 lbs.
Losing 30 lbs with a lightweight battery.
Also working on a Recaro Pole Position, custom-shod in OEM Aston leather (40 lbs per seat).
I'm not removing any sound deadening, but there's plenty that can go. My goal is to make it the best track-capable car that I can without sacrificing street drivability. If I can't manage a 6-hour drive in it, I'm not doing it. So, full stereo, full sound deadening, original glass, etc.
Great thread :thumbsup:
The one fear I had when stepping into these forums was a lack of "tinkering". But it appears that tinkering is alive and well over here as well. (I love to tinker, it's therapy for me after a busy day at the office :-)). I'm actually going to try making a carbon fiber sunroof insert to replace the full sunroof cartridge for the E90 (an estimated 70lbs of high center of gravity savings!). I heard that CF can be a PITA to work with, but nothing like trial and error!
Thanks so much! Do you ever track it or make it out to VintageFest with the e30? And the pics of my e30 do wonders! She's actually pretty dinged up but it didnt look that way in the pic due to the pre-photo wash and wax. I ractually co-own the e30 with a good buddy and we've had bit aspirations to s5x swap it or go FI. But between kids, our jobs and other hobbies, every year we just keep romping on the stock M20 waiting for it to grenade on us. Pretty sure the e30 has been as perfect of a track car as one could expect from a reliability standpoint.
And Cars and Coffee in April would be great, but unfortunately we're doing a big family trip to the Dells that weekend But look forward to meeting some of you local AM guys another time hopefully not too long after. I'm in the west suburbs (Wheaton), so I'm never too far from most meets in the area.
Welcome. Tinkering is definitely alive and well with these cars. I have done headers, HFC, springs, spacers, and several appearance items.
Also good to see another E30 track enthusiast. My team is trying to corner the market on 87 325is's, lol. We currently have 3, but within the past year we had two others (sold to individuals to develop as track cars). If you ever want to get rid of yours, please let me know . Yours would be our lowest mile car!
Thanks so much! Do you ever track it or make it out to VintageFest with the e30? And the pics of my e30 do wonders! She's actually pretty dinged up but it didnt look that way in the pic due to the pre-photo wash and wax. I ractually co-own the e30 with a good buddy and we've had bit aspirations to s5x swap it or go FI. But between kids, our jobs and other hobbies, every year we just keep romping on the stock M20 waiting for it to grenade on us. Pretty sure the e30 has been as perfect of a track car as one could expect from a reliability standpoint.
And Cars and Coffee in April would be great, but unfortunately we're doing a big family trip to the Dells that weekend But look forward to meeting some of you local AM guys another time hopefully not too long after. I'm in the west suburbs (Wheaton), so I'm never too far from most meets in the area.
Eric (cret) and I will keep you updated on any meets in the future
Never been to Vintage Fest, definitely want to make it this year as my friend just bought a mint E34 540i
I've tracked the E30 a lot, before the M50 swap it was a 325E and even with that motor it was great fun! Your video definitely makes me want to visit Blackhawk this year!
03-15-2016, 01:04 AM
thanks for the link, I'll definitely check it out!
But look forward to meeting some of you local AM guys another time hopefully not too long after. I'm in the west suburbs (Wheaton), so I'm never too far from most meets in the area.
