Making the clown shoe fit: U.K. shop converts modern BMW into a sort-of Z3 M coupe

It is only in the context of the automotive realm that a clown shoe could ever be considered cool. In the case of cars, the term has nothing to do with oversized kicks for people with red noses. Rather, it describes the Z3 M hatchback of the late ’90s and early ’00s that earned the nickname “Clown Shoe” due to its odd shape. Today, the car is highly regarded and sought after, to the point that somebody in the U.K. built the closest thing a modern BMW could get to the past legend.

Spotted by Road & Track, this project is based on a 2019 BMW M140i four-door hatchback that is not available in the United States. The engine has been retained, but the body has been completely reworked to delete the rear doors and create a shooting brake look with a rear hatchback.

For the custom body, the people at aftermarket garage BMW & Mini UK Group, sourced a flooded M2 Competition. According to @mzansibmw, who was given the job of posting the project’s progress, every panel of the BMW was swapped, except for the doors, roof, and rear hatch panel. The result is a two-door M140i hatchback with the mean mug of an M2

Under the hood, this car keeps its B58 turbocharged inline-six engine that makes 335 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. Power will be boosted, however, with a tune and possibly some upgrades. Everything else from the M140i remains stock.

For more information and photos on the build, visit BMW & Mini UK Group and @mzansibmw.

 

 

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Ruined?

A post shared by MzansiBMW ® (@mzansibmw) on Jun 3, 2020 at 9:47am PDT