Modified BMW E36 318iS Supra Powered Pictures 
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Aussie charmer Sam Eimerl became allies with both the Japs and the Germans ending up with 570hp love child. It may have been a controversial choice but transplanting a Supra engine in a BMW E36 318iS is undeniably effective.
gallery (44 photos)
Sticking to the rules is all well and good but if you want originality that sometimes means poaching the best stuff from rival camps. So while it’s true there are many eligible BMW engines to upgrade a 1995 E36 with, even M5’s and M6’s aren’t quite as ferocious as Sam’s 318i when it comes to sheer pulling power. The choice of transplant was determined by which 4-stroke organ would take the most beats and also require the least internal surgery. The Toyota Supra 2JZ-GTE 3-litre straight six cylinder engine certainly licks most others on both fronts. However to make it even better suited, Sam swapped the original twin-turbo component for a single Garrett GT-42R item which is high-mounted in the bay as a kind of trophy piece.
In fairness the whole car is well above the realms of ordinary. Save for a handful of lucky so-and-so’s who idle for a living and still manage to drive around Lambos, you won’t get that orange paintwork as standard. Sam’s exotic choice has five different pearls and coated over the E36 BTCC-style bodykit it almost looks edible. What about those 20” Vault LDR chrome rims? Crikey, if you kerbed those beauties you’d be kicking yourself! You’d learn very quickly to be the most courteous of drivers too, especially in the city where it’s free for all bumper cars.
More often than not though, Aussie, Sam can be found flaunting his machinery at shows where everyone wants a piece of that 2JZ Supra engine. The transplant was carried out by Extreme Street Performance (ESP) in Canberra, Australia, close by to where Sam lives and works as a Real Estate Agent. When it comes to replacing a whole drivetrain, experts such as these are clearly the best bet. Practically all the subsidiary parts are now custom made and even the manifold, exhaust and front-mounted air-to-air intercooler is ESP’s handiwork. An M5 diff and driveshafts also came in extremely handy once the power and torque was creeping up the insanely quick scale.
The power gains had quite a domino effect on the old five-speed gearbox which was replaced by a Getrag six-speed manual box and then the clutch which he swapped for a Jim Berry custom sort. That should do it, Sam thought but it was soon apparent that the engine bay was about as stifling as spending an afternoon under a Dessert Trooper’s armpit. To rectify this matter, a custom Phillip Radiators rad was added as well as incisions to the front bumper so that the custom intercooler could do its job properly. Next came a turbo nappy to stop the turbine cooking anything too close to it.
The turbo itself is of course a very pricey and comprehensive upgrade, it includes a
GT-42R snail which connects to a Turbosmart 50mm wastegate and is dictated to by a Turbosmart e-Boost2 electronic boost controller. All the extra fuel then has to be managed by Sard 800cc injectors and an uprated Bosch fuel pump. The spark plugs are taken care of by a HKS CDI speciality and the clever, logistical bits by an Autronic SM4 ECU. For the purposes of dyno testing, Sam’s E36 can run at 26psi although ordinarily he keeps it at 18psi. The words Nitrous Oxide have been banded about pretty freely when it comes to future upgrades, so it seems likely that one day this 570rwhp motor will realise 700. Of course it could be pretty savage on track but its power is more of a nuclear sort or so to speak (I’ve got it but don’t make me use it).
Further evidence that the E36 is a pacifist is its Tubular airbag suspension which is pretty soft on the scale of things (good for speed bumps and driveways, that sort of thing). Then you’ve got the interior which would be more suited to diplomatic summits than front line action. Not a bullet hole in sight just luxurious leather and a retrim which covers the hip hugging bucket seats, rear bench, door cards, steering wheel, centre console and the footwells. Look above your head and there’s also a 15.4” Eurovox screen in the new roof lining and this goes with the Alpine monitor in the head unit. Kicker ICE hardware takes care of the 140dB and the custom carbon fibre dash shows off the Turbosmart e-Boost2, AutoMetre and Viair air suspension gauges rather nicely.
So is Sam being fickle or disloyal being allies with both German and Japanese manufacturers? Well only if your E36 isn’t quite as hot we guess!
CAR MAKE & MODEL
Modified BMW E36 318iS Supra Powered Pictures
CAR REF NUMBER
23456
ENGINE MODIFICATIONS
transplanted toyota 2jz-gte 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged dohc in-line six-cylinder with garrett gt-42r single turbo conversion, custom engine mounts, xtr turbo nappy, turbosmart 50mm wastegate, custom front-mounted air-to-air intercooler, phillip radiators radiator, custom intake manifold, turbosmart e-boost2 electronic boost controller, k&n pod air filter, aeroquip hoses and sfs performance silicon hoses, sard 800cc fuel injectors, autronic sm4 ecu, custom three-inch exhaust, hks cdi ignition, bosch fuel pump, polished aluminium fluid bottles, carbon fibre rocker cover. transmission: getrag six-speed manual gearbox, custom jim berry clutch, custom tail shaft, bmw m5 diff and drive shafts
SUSPENSION MODIFICATIONS
tubular suspension adjustable independent air bag suspension, kyb shocks
ALLOY WHEELS
9x20” vault ldr
TYRES
245/30 (front) and 265/30 (rear) pirelli
BRAKES
standard brakes
EXTERIOR MODIFICATIONS
modified btcc-style body kit, front and rear arches pulled out, e36 m3 mirrors, angel-eye headlight conversion, chrome kidney grille, colour coded rubbing strips and door handles, clear indicators, repeaters and rear lights, lamborghini orange paint with five different pearls.
INTERIOR MODIFICATIONS
recaro seats, full tan leather re-trim, custom glass fibre dashboard, custom false floor trimmed in leather, eurovox 15.4” roof-mounted tv monitor, re-trimmed roof lining, custom parcel shelf, carbon fibre auto meter gauges, turbosmart e-boost2 gauge, viair air suspension gauges, under-dash and pillar spot lights, boot-mounted air suspension valves, tank and compressor.
IN CAR ENTERTAINMENT
alpine iva-d310e head unit with monitor, eurovox 15.4” roof-mounted monitor, vision 4” rear-view mirror tv, kicker 6” front splits, kicker 5x7” rear speakers, kicker 1000rms digital amplifier, kicker sola-baric l7 15” subs, custom glass fibre sub box, slimline ps2 with wireless controllers
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