As posted by Pit+Paddock | April 8, 2022
As counterintuitive as it may sound to people outside of the automotive enthusiast bubble, seeing (let alone driving) a car can be an immensely emotional experience. Enthusiasts share this unexplainable affinity toward propulsion machines—one of which, courtesy of IND Distribution, sits in the Turn 14 Distribution headquarters lobby today: a modified G82 M4 in British Racing Green.
If you haven’t heard of IND yet, this Chicago-based outfit is entrusted the world over for all things BMW. Despite their current status, IND began as all car hobbies do: with that aforementioned stir of emotion and a very foundational idea to modify BMWs amongst friends.
THE PAST
Back when IND started (long before social media), the automotive aftermarket arena in the United States was a different place altogether. While the JDM scene was already on its way up in terms of readily available mods, Euro enthusiasts were relegated to admiring cars on the pages of magazines. Access to international brands was limited, and product lead times were often quoted in months instead of days. Because of that, the breadth of stateside offerings was slim. As a result, modified BMWs were rather formulaic — “LTW’s, clears, and a drop” became a common saying in the E36 community. Aside from a handful of aftermarket brands, there simply weren’t many options.
IND strove to change that. Sixteen years later, after becoming the definitive tastemakers of the BMW aftermarket, their mission to introduce and provide enthusiasts access to the very best modifications is still a cornerstone for them today. It has perhaps never been more important than it is now with BMW’s latest M cars—the G80 M3 and the G82/G83 M4.
THE PRESENT
Nowadays, the BMW aftermarket is a crowded place — making IND’s job of finding the cream of the crop that much more difficult — especially with the supply and labor chain issues we face today. Even so, as its latest portfolio build, it had to be something special.
What you see here is the first iteration of IND’s G82 M4 — a modern-day reincarnate of the British Racing Green AC Schnitzer CLS from the mid-1990s — BMW M Performance carbon aero bits, 20-inch BBS LM wheels, KW Suspensions Variant 4 Coilovers, an Eisenmann exhaust, Eventuri intake, and a full respray make up the biggest visual changes to the car. But as with every IND build, the difference is in its details.
Look closer, and you’ll notice the custom finish on the BBS wheels; the Future Classic spacers and titanium studs bolting them to the car; the detailed paintwork on the M Performance carbon rear wing, mirrors, and side markers; and about fifty other little details that — parked up next to another M4 — would make this M4 stand out, even to the untrained eye. Save for the factory carbon roof, there simply hasn’t been a panel on this car left untouched.
Inside, purists will be overjoyed to see a traditional manual gearbox. While most G8X owners opted for the full-fat AWD Competition model, IND felt it important to option the car in its most analog form. After all, this might be the last chance they get to option a new BMW with a manual transmission. Most of the rubber bushings have been tossed in favor of spherical bearings, making the car dance around corners more gracefully than its curb weight would suggest. In the passenger seat with your eyes closed, you’d swear you were riding in a fully-sorted F87 M2.
THE FUTURE
While most would be satisfied to call this build complete, IND is just getting started. They won’t reveal what’s in store for this green machine, but its continued evolution goes well beyond a showcase of IND’s ability. No. All of IND’s portfolio cars are carefully designed to achieve a bigger goal: to inspire the next generation of enthusiasts who share that unexplainable human affinity toward these glorious machines.
It’s a proverbial cherry on top to witness IND’s G82 M4 as the first display car in Turn 14 Distribution’s new lobby — both lasting bastions for the aftermarket car culture that we call home.
