Sizzling hatch? Cool. Rear-wheel-drive sizzling hatch? Even cooler. A rear-wheel-drive sizzling hatch that’s right-hand-drive JDM, too? Possibly one of many coolest. That’s what proprietor and driver Mike Pagano drives in Gridlife GLTC: a Japanese-market BMW 116i.
A lot of Mike’s inspiration comes from the U.Ok. He grew up watching the British Touring Automotive Championship, a sequence the place Colin Turkington would marketing campaign a second-generation BMW 1 Sequence to earn two of his 4 drivers’ championships. Mike’s love for BTCC and sizzling hatches led him to hunt out a BMW 1 Sequence.
“British Touring Automotive was tremendous aggressive–it was like European NASCAR,” Mike says. “I used to be all the time fascinated by the hatchbacks. To have a rear-wheel-drive hatchback is having the super-hot hatch.”
Mike Pagano. Photograph by J.A. Ackley.
Whereas BMW provided the 1 Sequence within the U.S. from 2008 to 2013, the hatches by no means came visiting to the States. Mike thought of importing one from Mexico, however a good friend’s fiancée in Canada stumbled upon one which had been lately imported from Japan. “We drove up there instantly with a trailer, purchased it and drove it again,” Mike says. “We used the race automobile clause [to import it because we were] turning it right into a race automobile.”
After bringing it again to his Appears Legit Storage in Michigan, Mike started dismantling the BMW. “We stripped it to the bone,” he says. “We then caged it out, with the assistance of my buddy Jelani, put air jacks in it and began engaged on the motor. This got here with a four-cylinder, which instantly went into the dumpster. No automobile makes use of it right here. I couldn’t promote it to anyone.”
Mike then inserted an M54B30 inline-six from an E46 BMW that places out 220 horsepower. He additionally swapped in a ZF 8HP 45 computerized transmission. He has since switched to a unique powertrain, choosing a higher-revving M54B25 and a seven-speed BMW DCT as an alternative.
“We did this to benefit from the shut ratios between gears to maintain the engine in its energy vary,” Mike explains. “That is value so much while you solely have 220 horsepower. On the observe we have been very aggressive on the straights, all the time within the energy. I ended up dropping valves when pushing the inventory motors too far and constructed [the engine] with diminished displacement to benefit from the principles, which gave advantages to decrease displacements.”
Photograph by J.A. Ackley.
Then Mike went to work on modding the BMW for his final aim of endurance racing it. Mike thought a sliding pedal field would do the trick in accommodating drivers of various statures, however that required different changes.
“The ground-mount sliding pedal field diminished the quantity of legroom, which was already of quick provide within the 1 Sequence, so the choice was made to shift the driving place again so much,” Mike explains. “To do that, we made customized seat mounts and carried out a Woodward steering column. This moved the again of the seat nearly all the way in which to the rear seat edge/body-in-white waterfall. In the long run, I’m very pleased with the positioning. The texture of the automobile is nice again there.”
Photograph by J.A. Ackley.
Mike swapped in a suspension from an F80 together with E90 subframes. “We fused the F80 knuckles to the automobile utilizing a mixture of adjustable hyperlinks we already make for the usual knuckles … and a few customized hyperlinks to be used with the little variations of the knuckles,” Mike says.
“The principle upside of the knuckles is free observe width–about an inch per facet–so we are able to use the widebody [kit] with out enormous spacers, since we don’t have very huge tires–265s,” he continues. “I’ve an E46 with a horrible scrub radius dealing with traits from the widebody design, so I wished to ensure we didn’t fall into that gap once more. Classes discovered. The opposite good thing is the F80 brakes that bolt on. They’re very succesful and funds pleasant for a observe automobile. We’re 1000 kilos lighter than an F80, so that they care for enterprise.”
Mike additionally modified the brake grasp cylinders from 15/16- and 1-inch cylinders to 7/8- and 15/16-inch, respectively. “This elevated journey barely,” Mike says, “however it let me hit goal pressures.”
Mike provides that one change made an enormous distinction in dealing with: “This stuff are infamous for understeering. Stiffening each sway bars helped the understeer tremendously.”
Photograph by J.A. Ackley.
The fiberglass widebody package comes from the Mikinka Projekt in Poland. The automobile weighs simply 2640 kilos, however to run in Gridlife GLTC, which has weight minimums, Mike bolts on the ballast (and himself) to up that determine to 2870 kilos. “Our aim was to make it appear like a correct BTCC automobile,” Mike reminds us. “[It] was the theme of the entire mission.”
Photograph by J.A. Ackley.
The BMW 116i debuted at Gridlife Midwest in 2024. “I anticipated it to be actually bizarre sitting on the incorrect facet of the automobile,” Mike says. “On observe, it’s not that bad. I dropped the wheel on the entry to the corners greater than on exit simply because I positioned the automobile a bit too shut, particularly on a right-hander. Aside from that, it’s okay.”
Along with powertrain modifications, Mike says, “we struggled with tossing belts all season after that. We created some upgraded energy steering mounts and now don’t have any belt points.”
Lately, Mike competed on the Gridlife occasion at Street Atlanta. “This was my first occasion this season, so I used to be for positive a bit rusty, however the automobile felt nice,” Mike contends. “The one factor I can actually complain about is my defogging capabilities. I couldn’t see something on the market and needed to are available when it received bad.”
When Mike might see the observe, he cherished each minute of recreating his BTCC goals. “Going gradual has by no means been so enjoyable,” he jokes. “The automobile is extra balanced than ever, and I used to be flat by way of Flip 12 [at Road Atlanta] and felt nice rotating by way of Flip 1 at excessive speeds. I’ll be capable to get extra out of it as soon as I’m higher on the brakes and make much less errors. The automobile simply makes me wish to drive extra.”
Photograph by Rob Wilkinson/courtesy Appears Legit Storage.
Feedback
I all the time thought the 1 Sequence hatch can be a near-perfect automobile for me, assuming I might afford one.
I did get to sit down in a single (I believe it was an M Sport mannequin) within the foyer of the BMW Welt throughout a research overseas journey, in order that was fairly cool.
This could have been one heck of a automobile to have right here. I like the thought of RWD in a small, competent package deal. Surprisingly sufficient, I used to be watching reruns of Prime Gear on YouTube yesterday and Jeremy Clarkson in contrast this automobile to the Golf GTI. Whereas I can not bear in mind which engine package deal the BMW had, it was noticeably faster. The one odd factor (on the present no less than) was at excessive speeds the automobile misplaced grip–on the straight within the drag race–and spun at pace. This appeared very very odd to me as BMW sometimes makes vehicles to go quick in straight strains and their aero appears to be as much as the duty, however on the present it made Clarkson poo, I consider. In the long run he most well-liked the GTI as a result of “it did not attempt to kill him.” Within the article above, Mike appears to be doing fairly nicely along with his 1 sequence hatch and I like that 
I bear in mind seeing them overseas years in the past. All the time wished one. Add it to the listing of vehicles I want we had within the US.
I’m wondering what it might price to import a 128i/130i hatch into Canada or how onerous it might be to seek out in a spec value leaping by way of the hoops for? I all the time most well-liked the strains of the hatch over the coupe we received right here.
In reply to adam525i :
Examine UK fb market, fairly standard over there and ought to be low cost as chips. You’ll be able to go by the license plate and search for the MOT historical past of the automobile to see if rust repairs have been made. Greatest to keep away from them.
25 12 months from date of Manufacture of the automobile is the important thing for registering for street use in any other case it is available in as a automobile that may by no means be registered for street use.
Oops, by no means thoughts simply noticed that you’re in Canada so undecided of the principles up there!
After I noticed the image on the prime I believed to myself “This factor is cool!” After studying the article, and seeing all he did to this automobile to make his personal, I’m pondering “This factor is actually freaking cool!”
In reply to rjracin240 :
Up right here after 15 years they simply do not care anymore so we get all of the cool stuff ten years forward of you.
I would undoubtedly need left hand drive and one thing fairly mint. In an ideal world I would discover one thing, go over and use it for a enjoyable European trip ensuring to hit the ring for some laps after which put it on a ship in Belgium or the Netherlands sure for Nova Scotia or Montreal and drive it dwelling from there. I’ve zero funds for this so it is all a pipe dream. I have already got a gray market automobile too that retains me busy
In reply to adam525i :
So, what I heard is that if I wish to drive some cool vehicles not discovered right here, head as much as Canada. 
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