As a well-informed BMW follower, you might well be aware of an immense recall operation in connection to the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) cooler fitted to various diesel BMW models. Last month, we reported here about the recall campaign which encompasses nearly all diesel models produced over a period between 2021 and 2022. You might now ask yourself the question what does this have to do with the title of this story. Allow me to explain!
The ultimate loan car
As an owner of an ALPINA XD3 from 2021, I was informed via my iDrive system of a BMW Technical Action with the code 0011050700, requiring the replacement of the exhaust gas recirculation cooler. After a conversation with ALPINA headquarters and a local BMW dealership, I found out that my car was now being recalled because of the EGR cooler problem. This meant starting the process of replacing the part and bringing the XD3 in for investigation at the biggest European ALPINA dealer, Cuntz in Speyer, Germany.
Next to being a BMW & MINI dealer and service center, the specialist from Rhineland-Palatinate has a lot of experience with ALPINA vehicles and has a long history in motorsport. Ahead of this year’s motorsport season opening at the Hockenheim Ring, I was handed as a surprise the ultimate loan car, the team’s BMW M4 Competition track tool and safety car for the upcoming DMV Goodyear Racing Days.
DMV Goodyear Racing Days
The season opening took place on April 23rd at the German Hockenheim Ring. Motorsport legend Timo Glock was one of the drivers for Cuntz Motorsport during the opening race of the DMV BMW 318ti Cup at DMV Goodyear Racing Days. As a former Formula 1 and DTM driver, Glock was accompanied by his good friend, two-time DTM champion Timo Scheider. His son Loris races for the Cuntz Motorsport Team in the coming season.
Glock achieved third and fourth positions. The changeable weather, a mix of sunshine and rain showers, made the two races at the Hockenheim Ring a slippery affair. “I had a lot of fun drying,” said Glock after crossing the finish line on Saturday and Sunday. The 42-year-old expressed that it won’t be the last time he races in the series, but next time he would share the car with his friend Timo Scheider. “The idea would be that we somehow drive a race together this year – on one car,” says Glock, announcing a possible further guest appearance.
Track tool as a loaner
But let’s return to the M4 Competition, which is no ordinary vehicle anymore! Aside from the fact that Cuntz offers the vehicle as a safety car to officials at many of their races, this F82 M4 Competition is totally road legal and is fully TÜV homologated, which is one of the strictest vehicle regulations authorities in the world. The motorsport team added a series of upgrades to the vehicle, such as a Öhlins Road & Track suspension allowing for height and hardness adjustability, adjustable uniball support bearings, modified stabilizer link rods and a suspension setup featuring individual wheel alignment plus improved axle load distribution for track day use.
The enhanced suspension set up was the most noticeable upgrade to the car after I left the dealership’s parking lot. The more compliant ride offered a lot less body roll without necessary compromising the stiffness of the overall package. The nicely weighted set up offered a lot more feel through the steering wheel and made the M4 F82 feel as if it had a much smaller footprint. On the topic of the brakes, steel-flex brake lines including racing brake fluid and BMW M Performance brake pads offer enhanced braking power, which is directly felt under your right foot. The weight-optimized 18-inch wheels are normally shod in semi-slick tires, but due to the cold weather conditions they were this time outfitted with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.
Lots of Aero Components
The outside of this F82 M4 Competition features a range of BMW M Performance aerodynamic components, such as carbon fiber rear wing, front splitter and left and right side wings. A specific wrap design gives the M coupe the overall motorsport look. The interior is upgraded with a lightweight BMW M4 roll bar, a rear-seat delete and RECARO Pole Position seats. A missing detail is the absence of an Alcantara steering wheel.
On the topic of the handling, many details have changed improving the abilities of the track tool casu quo safety car. Interestingly, there are no engine performance upgrades, which means that the M4 Competition puts out the same performance as a stock model did many years ago when it came off the production line. The 3.0-liter S55 twin-turbo six-inline produces a total of 450 hp at 7,000 rpm and 550 Nm of torque between 1,850 and 5,500 rpm. Also, the exhaust system was stock during my loan, but upgraded ahead of the opening of the track season. The team fitted an Eisenmann exhaust cat-back system.
All in all, this Cuntz Motorsport track tool is in use at the dealer’s racetrack events and is available for hire to ambitious participants during those events. For me, the F82 M4 Competition was just a loan car used to do my weekly run to the local supermarket while offering the opportunity to visit some of the local sightseeing highlights and of course the Hockenheim ring where it is often in action on the track. In the end, when you get handed such a vehicle, you don’t say no to making a nice number of kilometers hitting some of the local country roads and the famous German Autobahn to experience the full potential of this tuned ///M car.
Back to the ALPINA
With the XD3 having finished its investigation, it was time to hand in the M4 at the dealer in Speyer and end the unique experience behind the wheel of this track-themed machine swapping back to the ALPINA model, which now needs to wait about two to three months before its new EGR cooler will arrive. Luckily, no leaks were found so I can drive many more happy kilometers stretching the legs of my diesel-powered SUV while covering long distances at ease.
[Photos provided by Vincent Toth / Cuntz Motorsport / Denis Petermann]
