Luxury Tuner: Hamann BMW M3 from Wheel Power

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Luxury Tuner: Hamann BMW M3 from Wheel Power

More Power to Ya: Want A Downright Sexy Engine Bay? Sleeper Tuner Hamann of Germany Is Your Shop

MARK VAUGHN
Published Date: 5/2/05
Ever had a Hamann? Hamann is perhaps the biggest German tuning house youve never heard oflocated in Laupheim, it is owned and run by Richard Hamann, who competed in the 1983 German Touring Car Championship in a BMW 323i, and who dominated the club racing scene in Germany from 1991 to 1993 in an M1. So hes been around the block a few times, quickly.

We drove a Hamann car courtesy of Wheel Power in Huntington Beach, California. Wheel Power is the wholesaler and exclusive North American importer for Hamann.

Our BMW M3 by Hamann was well-design­ed and subtly sculpted. On the day we had it, the car was not as fully loaded as one with what you might call The Full Hamann. The body kit lacked the really big wing on the back and the $5,900 airbox assembly was temporarily replaced with an experimental K&N intake filter. The Hamann airbox is an impressive carbon fiber unit that makes your engine bay look downright sexy. It has an intake snorkel that snakes right out to one of the fog-light mountings in front and routes air to the six throttle bodies on the stock M3 straight-six.

Our car did have the full exhaustnot just a cat-back system common among tunersincluding header, high-flow catalytic converter, muffler and four stainless-steel pipes. Step on the gas and the exhaust roars, more of a raw power sound than a stock Bimmer.

Hamann says the full intake and exhaust system boosts engine output from 333 stock hp to 394 hp. With the K&N filter on our test car, power is estimated at 380. The airbox and exhaust system do not void the BMW warranty, according to Hamann.

Our car had H&R coilovers, for which Wheel Power is also a wholesaler, and a set of H&R sway bars. Unlike many a garage tuner who simply lowers the car by cutting the springs, these coilovers match springs and shocks nicely, greatly reducing the bounce that often accompanies a lowered car

Our car had an air dam in front with near-Elvis lip curls rising up on the ends, as well as headlight surrounds and side skirts. Hamann makes various big wings for the rear, too, all developed from motorsports, which, we suspect, is marketing-speak for cosmeticthey get no time in a wind tunnel.

Wheels are three-piece Radenergie R10s, forged in Japan by an 8000-pound press, about the biggest press in the world for making wheels, Wheel Power says. Tires are Pirelli Rossos245/35 front, 275/30 rearboth ZR-rated for high speed. The ride isnt nearly as harsh as the numbers suggest, and indeed this car is the daily driver of a Wheel Power exec.

On the whole our test car was well-done, but only scratched the surface of what Hamann can do. A couple years ago at the Essen Motor Show (think SEMA of Europe), Hamann introduced a concept called the Hamann Las Vegas Wings, an M3 with a 485-hp V8 stuffed under the hood and Hamanns own gullwing doors popping up and out. Sadly, while the gullwings are available, the V8 is not in the U.S. Hamann parts catalog.

Hamann also tunes Ferrari, Porsche (a Cayenne was parked out front the day we visited Wheel Power), Range Rover and Mini.

Wheel Power itself represents Radenergie GmbH for Porsche, Ferrari and BMW; Opera for Mercedes wheels and body kits; Zauber for wheels; and a line of H&R springs and ancillary pieces. There are 300 Wheel Power dealers in North America doing full installations and more than 5000 offering various Wheel Power-supplied parts.

To see for yourself, check out the Wheel Power car show held every year at company headquarters in Huntington Beach around July 4 or so. This years show date is not yet set, but keep an eye on the website for updates.

http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=102275http://wheelpower.com/
 
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