Going All-Out: A Closer Look at the Throtl BMW E92 335i
For those of you who haven’t seen their videos, throtl is a group of enthusiasts with decades of experience in the auto industry who put on seriously cool sweepstakes. Over the last few years, the crew has bought, built, and given away ten legendary cars to winners who have had their lives completely changed instantly. While their successful YouTube channel is full of their build videos and mainly centers around JDM vehicles, their most recent build is on the European side. They chose to purchase an E92 335i with the N54, one of the most notoriously finicky BMWs, as their latest challenge. | | | throtl builds cars they are interested in themselves as enthusiasts. This explains why their previous giveaways have included an S13 240sx, a Subaru WRX STi, an SW21 MR2, and other Japanese imports. With some BMW enthusiasts on the team, though, that influence eventually bled in with the E92 335i as well as the F30 that came before it. | | | “I’ve had a supercharged E46 M3, the turbocharged E36 M3, and several other BMWs that I really turned into full-time project cars. I always wanted a BMW daily that had that feel. I started looking for an E92 335i with an N54 so I could still have fun but it was a little more ‘daily’ friendly. I found one at an auction, I bought it, and had it delivered with the intention of it being my daily. When it showed up, it was way worse than described and I knew I had another project.” | | | While it seems like these sweepstakes are planned out extensively and researched for viability in their audience to hit highly scrutinized numbers, it’s actually a bit more passionate and emotion-based for the Throtl crew. This E92 335i was never supposed to receive the treatment it did, but when the team saw the car’s condition, they chose to go all-out and build it rather than get rid of it and try to find another daily. | | | | | After that decision, this E92 335i was given a new chance at a better life. When it arrived, every single warning light was illuminated, it had leaking gaskets, destroyed bushings, body damage, and more swirl marks than actual paint. Because it would eventually live in a sweepstakes winner’s garage, the first and most important work was to address every maintenance concern with this platform. The intention was to put together more of a well-rounded car than many of their previous builds, so this E92 needed to be powerful, reliable, and comfortable wherever the owner happened to drive it. It needed to be something that would present well at a show but was capable of an Auto X event or track day while being comfortable on the trip there and back. | | | “It was a bit overwhelming with how bad the car was. We did that MR2 build and started with a 600 dollar shell, but this was a bit ambitious because of how modern and complex it is. We knew upfront that maintenance was going to be key. The N54 requires a lot of care and has a bunch of weak points, so we just decided to make sure they were handled before we got started. All the gaskets, turbo lines, turbos, intercooler, headlights, lenses, walnut blasting, etc. The biggest part of the build was honestly the maintenance. Obviously, we can’t say it’s going to be bulletproof forever, but we did everything in our power to make it reliable for the next owner.” | | | With that, the team worked alongside local experts to make sure the N54-powered coupe would be a solid platform from which they could build the well-rounded car they pictured. Fortunately, all the catastrophic issues that plague this generation and specifically the N54 have been well documented and parts are widely available, so it was only a matter of spending the time under the car to address them. Their videos are quite in-depth, as they show all the services as they are completed. Rewardingly, they do show the dash lights all going out, one by one, as they replace failed components and complete all the recommended maintenance. | | | | | Maintenance addressed, they were able to begin building the car the way they wanted. That included everything from their actual performance goals to how the car would feel and present in person. Most notable is the bright orange paint scheme they chose. To some, this color may seem a bit gaudy, but to old-school BMW enthusiasts, it feels like a modern-day interpretation of Inka or Hennarot. The sporty color also helps the full wide-body kit and M3-style bumpers sell the look, as everything together is quite extreme but works as a complete package. | | | But, as we certainly know here, it isn’t just how the car looks from the outside that makes it impressive. The HRE wheels, Streetfighter body kit, glowing paint, and carbon fiber elements do give this E92 a presence, but it has the bones to back it up. Underneath the carbon hood sits a respectably modified N54 that has been completely refreshed and fitted with Vargas turbocharger upgrades, Mishimoto cooling upgrades, Turner Motorsport turbo side intakes, and a software tune to tie everything together. | | | While that doesn’t sound like an extensive amount of work, especially considering the almost unlimited power ceiling of the N54, it’s not something you can overlook. The N54 is capable of a lot more, but this E92 was eventually destined to wind up in a random winner’s possession. After considerable thought, the throtl team landed on this list of performance upgrades to give the N54 enough power to make it exciting without making it too difficult to drive. With more than 100hp over the stock numbers from the brief list of upgrades, this E92 is still impressive while retaining its driving simplicity and overall reliability. | | | | | “What we do with all our builds is overbuild and tune conservatively. We may build something capable of hitting 4, 5, or 600 horsepower, but we usually tune it down to make sure it’s drivable by whoever wins it. Handing over the keys to a 900hp GTR to a 16-year-old is not a good look.” | | | The engine may be left in a fairly conservative state considering how extensively the appearance has changed, but that comes back to the need to create something that leaves no area untouched. Perhaps most impressive for this build is the interior. The leather, Alcantara, and carbon fiber themes are continued throughout its cabin with every surface displaying extreme attention to detail. At first glance, you could be forgiven for assuming the only changes to the interior were a set of F82 M4 bucket seats and a custom steering wheel. However, the entire interior has been completely replaced and looks so at home it could be mistaken as factory equipment. | | | | | A full conversion to the black interior with OEM parts from donor cars began the build while a set of aftermarket carbon fiber trim covers replaced the walnut originally found in this E92. The headliner was re-wrapped in Alcantara to match the shift boot and e-brake boot to complete the interior’s look, but they didn’t stop with just the visual presentation. Behind those new panels and under the glorious M4 seats is also a full complement of Bavsound speakers, which provide the best quality sound from the E92’s entertainment system. With a completely modernized and refreshed interior, the E92 feels like a contemporary luxury car and offers a comfortable environment for the new owner. | | | As for the new owner, in a few weeks, he will pick up this BMW and take it home forever. After a total transformation from a neglected E92 found at an auction to a well-sorted 335i, the Throtl crew is ready to deliver it to the winner. Over the last 90 days, the team faced a series of challenges building this car, most notably of which was the pandemic that added a new element of difficulty. Still, after the turbo swap, all the maintenance, the wide-body conversion, full interior restoration, and fighting all those little carbon fiber trim pieces, the hardest part is giving the car away. | | | Make no mistake; the boys at throtl love what they do. They have the opportunity to build these dream cars and then change someone’s life by handing them the keys. All the victories and exciting moments through each build are overshadowed by that moment when they see the look on the new owner’s face when they reveal the car they just won. Still, though, after spending nearly every minute of three months with a car, tearing it apart, watching the transformation process happen, and establishing a bond with these cars makes it a bittersweet moment. After all, these are their dream cars, too. In this case, the exact 335i they built was originally supposed to be a personal car. With that emotional connection, the biggest challenge is often watching it go home with someone else. | | | | | “The hardest part is handing over the keys, as much of an awesome moment it is, it's still tough. Everyone on the team gets to enjoy them, we have to put miles on them, we all get to feel them, so we develop relationships with these cars. It becomes an attachment from the team perspective, so when it leaves, it's such a sad moment but we’re also already working on the next one.” | | | But, again, the crew at throtl know why they’re building these cars. This team has that chance to do what so many of us do in our imaginations, or video games, and build a car with no compromise for people who share their interests. Even though only one winner takes home the car, we all get to enjoy that build through their videos. We are fortunate to see something like the E92 335i, a BMW that has become a budget-performer thanks to depreciation, built to a higher degree than few will ever see. That gift is something we can all appreciate. | | | If you haven’t watched the series yet, you can see the full build from start to finish over on Throtl YouTube. We’d like to extend a special thank you to Evan for spending the time to speak with us about the process as well as the team at Throtl for choosing Turner Motorsport to contribute to this 335i. | | | | |
