You might not believe that the F30-generation BMW 3 Series over a decade old just by looking at it. Sure, the ex-gen 3er has aged well, but that’s not the main reason—who focuses on the age when there there’s a massive supercharger protruding through the hood of this example? Welcome to the BMW 3 Series “Refined”, a burnout machine with seating for up to five people.
Back in 2015 when the sedan was built (this was the final year before the LCI mid-cycle revamp), it came to the world at a 328i model. That means the 3 Series packed a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine.
Well, the Bavarian animal now rocks twice the numbers of cylinders with almost three times the displacement and while it’s still a boost addict, its new setuop makes the otherwise respectable factory hardware seem weak.
As you might’ve guessed by now, this machine, whish happens to display M Sport exterior features, comes from Australia. And it used to be Justin Pitsikas’ daily driver. Following a deep transformation, that status changed recently, with the vehicle making its burnout competition debut earlier this month.
The Supercharged, LS-swapped BMW 3 Series “Refined” spec
BMW deprived the F30 of the V8 muscle its E90 predecessor enjoyed in M3 form. However, Justin fixed that by LS swapping the vehicle via his Bye Performance shop.
As he explains in the first video below (helmet tip to YouTuber Flinty460), the engine bay is now occupied by a 5.3-liter V8 from a truck.
The motor has been gifted with a blower currently delivering 33 lbs of boost and the massive hardware sitting atop of the latter is a JBR hat. The V8 now features an EFI kit (electronic fuel injection), while using dry-sump lubrication that kan keep that engine flowing no matter how hard the thing spins in its attempt to blow the rear tires.
Thanks to the studio images in the gallery (via Jordan Leist) we can enjoy some cabin shots. The BMW still packs its full interior—hey, there’s wood trim in there—even though the unamed automatic transmission that made its way into the car comes with a custom selector.
The posterior of the vehicle hasn’t exactly been left stock. As revealed when the trunk lid is opened, the thing has been tubbed. This means the wheelwells were extended inboard to allow the fitting of much wider rubber. And the fuel cell sitting in between them doesn’t leave too much roof for luggage.
The tubbed BMW 3 Series “Refined” debuted at the Motorvation burnout competition
The first weekend of this month saw the 3 Series standing out in a crowd of Aussie machines present at the Motorvation competition held at the Perth Motorplex, which explains its tongue-in-cheek “Refined” nickname.
Returning to the first video below, this brings the Bimmer’s testing (no biggie, just a full quarte-mile burnout), along with the actual competition held on the burnout pad. Alas, a mechanical issue with the injector hat caused the butterfly valves to get stuck at full throttle, which meant the engine burned rubber at 8,200 rpm. That resulted in plenty of smoke and a spectacualr aural experience, but the driver had to pull the plug on the operation, since the machine couldn’t be controlled anymore.
As for the second clip, this brings Justin’s Sunday affair, an yellow-smoke demonstration that was only brought to a halt by a water tank leak.
Nevertheless, now that the BMW 3 Series “Refined” has been unleashed, we can expect this beast to work its way through the rankings in the future.
