Enjoying circuit driving in a BMW 130i M Sport

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of owners among the younger generation who enjoy classic cars, young timers, and other cars with a strong sense of taste. The man we’re introducing here, Mr. “Saki”, was originally a driving enthusiast who enjoyed circuit driving in old Japanese cars, but nine months ago he acquired a 2006 BMW “1 Series”. It was a car that exceeded his expectations and was already loaded with an attractive tuning menu. 

The 6-cylinder FR MT BMW he’s always wanted

Car-loving young people up to the age of 35 gathered at the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse from all over Japan for the “YOKOHAMA CAR SESSION-Young People’s Car Life”, where around 100 cars were lined up. Among them was the owner, Saki, who invited a kid on a tour to the driver’s seat, who was looking at the dazzling white BMW 1 Series with great interest, and squinted at him with a happy expression on his face.

“I’ve always loved cars since I was a kid myself, so it makes me kind of happy.”

His beloved 2006 BMW “130i M Sport” (E87 model) doesn’t look that flashy at first glance, except for the addition of an AC Schnitzer front spoiler and rear spoiler, but a peek inside reveals bucket seats and a data logger meter. The interior has an unusual atmosphere, with bucket seats and a meter with a data logger. The theme of this year’s event was the car hobby of the younger generation, but there were not many cars focused on sports driving.

Mr. Saki says he has always had a yearning to drive a six-cylinder, RWD, manual transmission BMW.

“I found it in May 2023, and when I went to see the car, it had a good maintenance record and an attractive tuning menu that would have cost me a lot of time and money if I had to do it myself. I decided immediately that I had no choice but to buy it.”

What he got was a former demo car from a famous shop

Mr. Saki originally drove old Japanese cars on the Tsukuba and Honjo circuits, changing the suspension by himself as a DIY project. This time, the car had already been tuned at the time of purchase.

“To tell the truth, this BMW was built as a demo car for a famous shop. The rear seats have already been removed and the car is registered as a two-seater, and I thought, hmmm, …… even though it has five doors, but after all, how different is a car made by a professional shop?　I didn’t mind the empty back seat when I thought I could find out about it.”

The modifications that he fell in love with were a LAPTORR muffler and an OS Giken Super Lock LSD. The suspension is INTRAX 1K2 ride height adjustable suspension, LAPTORR tension rods with mono ball bearings, ARC sway bar (sway bar), and the members are also tightened with Rigid Collar. Volk Racing RE30s and Endless MX72 brake pads.

A peek inside reveals a Sparco L360 φ33 steering wheel, MXM instrumentation with AIM data logger, Recaro RS-G seats with Schroth four-point seatbelts and Harman pedals on the feet.