Build Feature: An Epic 1-of-1 BMW F81 M3

There’s just something special about a fast wagon, isn’t there? When we first received David’s photoshoot volunteer form, we knew immediately that the car had that special something. The Marina Bay Blue paint is undeniably striking, but the seamlessly executed M-car conversion this wagon has undergone is in a class of its own. There are a few other F81 wagons out there, but David’s car is undoubtedly the cleanest one we’ve seen and would fool anyone that didn’t know better into thinking it left the factory as a bonafide M3 Touring. When David expressed interest in making the photoshoot happen, we knew we had to shoot as many of our forged and flow-formed wheels as possible on the car while we had it – it’s just that good! Fortunately, we were able to do just that. We have to say it looked fantastic on every Apex wheel fitment we threw at it, though we think all F80/F81/F82/F83/F84s look incredible on our wheels – which you can see for yourself with our F80 vehicle configurator. So, what exactly goes into an M conversion like this? We’re glad you asked.

The Build

With timeless good looks and a potent twin-turbo powerplant, the F80 M3 has been a standout chassis for enthusiasts since its launch. Between those good looks, great power, sharp handling, and the incredible practicality of its roomy sedan layout, this generation of M3 has remained a first choice for enthusiasts in the sports sedan segment. While the standard F80 sedan works really well as a dual-duty car, discerning enthusiasts have always dreamt of an M3 Touring variant. Whether its just the visual appeal and added capacity of the wagon layout, or just the attraction to have something different, the call of the forbidden wagon is something many BMW fans hear loud and clear.

David’s “F81” M3 answers that call, and does so with such attention-to-detail that his car truly feels like what may have been had BMW made such an awesome machine a factory-born reality. We’re certainly not strangers to engine swaps and major modifications here at Apex, but David’s build has a level cleanliness and detail that makes it really hard to tell it was modified at all. Many readers are familiar with this build from David’s forum posts, but for those who aren’t, here are the cliffnotes:

David’s car began life as an F31 3 Series wagon, but has had the entire drivetrain, interior, modules, subframes, and suspension from an F80 M3 Competition swapped in. The S55 motor and the 6 speed manual swap were done so seamlessly they look like they were fitted to this car from day one.

Serious F31 enthusiasts love these cars and will be quick to lament how few of the wagon variants BMW’s offered in the US. In fact, all US BMW F31s were equipped with automatic transmissions, 4 cylinder gas or diesel engines, and xDrive AWD. While those versions of the car are still fantastic, they’re not exactly an ideal enthusiast platform. After all, most people don’t need the speed, dynamic RWD handling, or an engaging 6-speed manual transmission in a grocery getter or after-school soccer hauler.

Owner Interview:

One of the most remarkable things about this build is how complete the conversion is. Every piece of the F80 interior has been swapped in. Did we mention that this car looks factory? David even made sure coding was done to keep the wagon’s tailgate features functioning as they would in a standard F31. While a build like this might seem easy to put together because all the parts are factory BMW, anyone that’s attempted to build a car like this knows that getting any car close to factory functionality, even with all OE parts, is incredibly difficult. David and everyone that built the car did an outstanding job.

The Wheels

David’s M3 was shot on four sets of our forged and flow-formed wheels. We’ll walk through the specs and models below. Luckily for anyone that’s inspired by the look of David’s car on Apex wheels, the fender clearances and fitments are largely the same as a standard F80, making these shots a great reference point for how our wheels will fit on an M3 or F82 F83 M4, despite the unique look of the Touring chassis. David’s M3 is running MSS height-adjustable lowering springs.

19” ML-10RT

Wheels: Forged, machined lip race silver finish

Front: 19x9.5” ET22, Rear 19x11” ET44

Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

Front: 275/30-19, Rear: 305/30-19

Additional Mods:

3mm front spacers

Apex Fitment Notes

This 19” staggered fitment is our most popular wheel fitment for the F8X M3/4. These wheels clear the factory carbon ceramic brakes if you have those optioned and easily clear the standard steel M3 brakes on David’s build. The 19s offer a good range of tire choices and the diameter looks visually balanced on this chassis, especially with a lipped wheel design like the ML-10RT, which tends to reduce how large the wheels look.

To see the full on-car gallery featuring these wheels, head over to our gallery page.

18” ML-10RT

Wheels: Forged. Machined lip gloss motorsport gold finish

Front: 18x9.5” ET22, Rear 18x11” ET44

Tires: Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02

Front: 265/35-18, Rear 295/35-18

Additional Mods:

5mm front spacers

Apex Notes:

This is a very similar fitment to the 19” fitment shown above, but these 18s can’t be used with CCB brakes. Tire availability is also more limited in the smaller diameter, hence our choice of 295s on an 11” wide rear wheel. Despite that, the 18s offer a lighter wheel and tire package for customers looking to maximize performance. Our new forged ML-10RTs provide a visually striking lipped look that gives this fitment a classic aesthetic.

To see the full on-car gallery featuring these wheels, head over to our gallery page.

18” VS-5

Wheels: Flow-formed, race silver finish.

Front & Rear: 18x10” ET25

Tires: Toyo Proxes RR

Front & Rear: 275/35-18

Additional Mods:

No spacers

Apex Notes:

Our newest flow-formed wheel design looks right at home on this M3. The VS-5 is a more affordable take on our popular split 5-spoke design that many F8X owners have fallen in love with. We packed this wheel full of features typically reserved for forged wheels, like side-milled spokes and more robust, tougher inner lip. The result is a wheel perfect for the street or the track that is more attainable without compromising the features that matter most. This square fitment gives the owner a rotatable setup with incredible tire availability relative to staggered fitments, along with an increase in front end grip relative to the rear.

To see the full on-car gallery featuring these wheels, head over to our gallery page.

19” VS-5RS

Wheels: Forged, brushed clear finish

Front: 19x9.5” ET22, Rear 19x10.5” ET45

Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

Front: 275/30-19, Rear 305/30-19

Additional Mods:

5mm front spacers, 12mm rear spacers

Apex Notes:

This fitment is one that we haven’t featured on an F8X M3 or M4 before. The 19x10.5” ET45 wheel is a fitment produced specifically for the F87 M2, but it works well on an M3, especially with spacers. This specific fitment was used for this shoot as we needed a matching pair of wheels, but only had a set of M2 rears available in this finish at the time. Most customers buying a rear wheel for an F80 that plan on running a 305 rear tire would be better off with our 19x11” ET44 rear wheel. That wider rear wheel was made specifically for the F80 and is more concave and better supports wider tires like most 305s on the market.

To see the full on-car gallery featuring these wheels, head over to our gallery page.

F87 + F81 Dual Feature

In addition to the F81, we took this opportunity to shoot a dual feature with Andrew’s M2. Andrew is an active member of the BMW community and his M2 regularly hits the track, including Sonoma where we shot these cars. Andrew’s M2 has been tastefully modified with AP brakes that allow him to run 18” wheels, which we took full advantage of for this shoot.

F87 M2 Wheels:

18” ML-10RT

Wheels: Forged, machined lip gloss motorsport gold finish

Front: 18x9.5” ET22, Rear 18x11” ET44

Tires: Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02

Front: 265/35-18, Rear 295/35-18

Additional Mods: AP brakes, coilovers

F81 M3 Wheels:

19” ML-10RT

Wheels: Forged, machined lip race silver finish

Front: 19x9.5” ET22, Rear 19x11” ET44

Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

Front: 275/30-19, Rear 305/30-19

Additional mods:

3mm front spacers

F87 M2 Wheels:

18” VS-5

Wheels: Flow-formed, race silver finish.

Front & Rear: 18x10” ET25

Tires: Toyo Proxes RR

Front & Rear: 275/35-18

F81 M3 Wheels:

19” VS-5RS

Wheels: Forged, brushed clear finish

Front: 19x9.5” ET22, Rear 19x10.5” ET45

Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

Front: 275/30-19, Rear 305/30-19

Additional Mods:

5mm front spacers, 12mm rear spacers

If you’d like to see more shots of the F87 M2 from this shoot, check out that separate gallery here.

Our shoot location: Sonoma Raceway

Sonoma is always a striking track to visit and one of the home tracks for most of the Apex team. Its intimidating walls, elevation changes, and technical corners make it a difficult track to master. We love featuring it in the winter and spring before the grass has a chance to die.

Thank You David and Andrew!

Apex was created years ago to solve the problems that enthusiasts face. We’re a company of enthusiasts first and foremost, and our goal as a company is to support the community with wheels that bring an unbeatable value in fitments optimized specifically for enthusiast chassis. That also means we rely on owners like David and Andrew to create content like what you’ve seen here, as well as many others that help us with the development of new products via our laser scanning sessions and brake testing.

A huge thank you goes out to David (@touringm3) for driving all the way down from Bend, OG. Your build is truly spectacular and it had the entire Apex team drooling over the photos and videos. Another huge thank you goes to Andrew (@farkle_tech) for letting us shoot your M2. Andrew is a repeat volunteer and helped us with the launch of our VS-5RS years ago. We’ll have to get Andrew back in with his personal F31 in the future. Maybe this shoot will inspire an engine swap of his own!

If you’ve wanted to see your car on a set of Apex wheels, or if you have a new car that we don’t yet make wheels for that has an enthusiast following, please submit a reply to our photoshoot volunteer form. You’ll typically need to be located in the bay area and have a few hours to stop by our office for most shoots. We’re currently looking for G45 X3s and G60 5 series as well as a number of non-BMW chassis to bring in for preliminary testing. Show us what you’ve got!