We had the pleasure of working along side Rich, who was looking to sell his super clean BMW F32 4 Series.
You can see from the image below just how clean Rich’s modified BMW 428i is. His 4 Series is a great example of a tastefully modified BMW with a focus on performance.
Click the plus icons on the image below to see some of the aftermarket parts that have been installed.
Rich trusted us with the process of selling his car for him after he had no luck advertising it himself. We listed his BMW on Modified-Autos cars for sale and it sold in under a week. That was mainly a testament to how well presented the car was, rather than our hard work!
While working with Rich, we discussed his car, and he was happy to partake in a short interview about his car.
We wanted to get a good understanding of the car build itself. And Rich was happy to tell us how he got into modifying an already well presented BMW.
Question – What made you want to modify your BMW?
Rich – Growing up I’ve always been a fan of fast cars, which fed through from watching motorsport. Visiting tracks such as Brands Hatch and Donnington to watch touring cars really was the begin of my love for cars. Seeing track ready versions of road cars, fitted with low body kits and loud exhausts was enough to make me love modified cars.
Therefor ever since owning my first car, a modified Clio Renault Sport 197, I’ve been fitting aftermarket upgrades to maximise performance. Looking back at the touring cars of the 90’s also gave me the desire to fit big aftermarket body kits to all the cars I owned.
This attitude towards upgrading cars continued through multiple BMW cars, including a 1 series, a couple of 3 series and on to this 4 series.
Question – How did you make the decision to purchase a BMW over other cars?
Rich – I’ve owned BMW cars for a long time, and they are simply great cars to drive. With a BMW you always know that you are going to get the perfect mixture of luxury, style, drive-ability and reliability.
My first BMW was an E46 3 series 320i. It wasn’t overly quick, but it gave me a great introduction into modifying a BMW. It was an easy car to work on, aftermarket parts were relatively cheap and widely available. And despite being a slightly older car it still got attention wherever I drove it.
From there I moved on to a slightly newer 1 series, and then an E92 3 series. After owning a couple of E92 3 series I finally decided the step up to a 4 series was attainable.
When looking for a modern German car, the 4 series in my mind was the obvious winner. In comparison to the Mercedes and Audi equivalent, the BMW without a doubt looked the meanest. Even when stock.
From there I decided I didn’t want to modify it externally too much, as it’s a beautiful car. I didn’t want to ruin that. In fact most of the work has been done to maximise performance.
Question – With that in mind, which aftermarket parts have you used in the build?
Rich – When I first bought the car I quickly upgraded a few stock parts on the exterior. I fitted a new set of alloys, a carbon performance spoiler, a carbon front splitter and a new diffuser. These parts all made the car instantly look meaner, and from there I was happy with the way the car looked.
I then delved into upgrading the performance. The 428i is already a quick car, however this car is now much quicker thanks to the parts fitted. The full list is;
EBC Brakes OE Replacement Discs And Yellowstuff Pads Kit – £263.57 – View The Product
H&R Comfort Suspension Kit – £719.59 – View The Product
Mishimoto Performance Air Intake – £339.02 – View The Product
Stage 1 Remap (dyno run at 310bhp)
Milltek 3.00″ Cat Back Exhaust System – £1,007.66 – View The Product
Carbon Fibre Performance Spoiler
BMW Performance Rear Diffuser
BMW Performance Carbon Front Splitter
Bola B8R Alloy Wheels in Black Matt – £685 – View The Product
As you can see I haven’t added too much, my goal was to upgrade the essentials. The upgrades I have made, make the car faster, stop better, handle better and sound much much louder! For me the above upgrades are essentials and are the core parts I tend to upgrade on every car I purchase.
Question – What part of the car are you most proud of?
Rich – Without a doubt the sound that it makes. When I purchased it, it was completely stock and so quiet that BMW played an artificial engine sound into the cabin. That’s not a good sign!
The Milltek exhaust system I installed honestly transformed the car. It doesn’t add any performance, however it is the one single modification that has bought me the most joy. Whenever people see the car, either parked or at a set of lights it does get looked at. However when you start the engine or pull away everyone looks. It just sounds amazing.
Question – Tell me about the performance of the car?
Rich – As I mentioned, it was already a quick car. Fitted with an automatic transmission it blasts away from traffic lights, and not much can beat it.
However, being a 2.0 litre petrol it lacked a bit of mid range grunt. I installed a new intake system and had it remapped which pushes the engine a bit more, giving a notable improvement to speed pickup when already cruising.
The suspension also makes a nice difference when cornering. It only dropped the car by 15mm, so not a huge drop, but the added stiffness allows much more speed and control when cornering.
Question – Do you show the car at events or track the car?
Rich – I haven’t ever shown the car at an event. In my mind it isn’t radical enough to show, maybe if the suspension drop was much more I would consider it. But performance and drive-ability is my favourite part of this car.
I have driven multiple track days at Brands Hatch, and it’s a blast to drive without restrictions.
The automatic transmission, when driven in manual shifting mode, is lightening fast and shifts through the gears without any drama. Although I do miss a bit of heel and toe action!
For me the car is a great mixture of performance, luxury and style. And it’s been my favourite car to own by far.
If you wanted to view any of the products that Rich installed on his 4 series you can click on the image below. Each icon will take you to more detailed product info when clicked on.
Check out our current stock of modified cars for sale, including modified BMW cars.