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- [Jake] There are two types of car guys.
Those who grew up with their dad, grandpa,
or uncle wrenching out a project car, and those who didn't.
I was one of those who didn't.
No one in my family knew how to turn a wrench
or had a passion for anything automotive.
To them a car should get you from point A to point B
and that's it.
I bet that a lot of car enthusiasts can relate to that.
Most of us didn't have a clue
what we were doing when we first got into cars.
The first car I bought with my own money
was a $4,000 Turbo Miata.
I showed up for the test drive,
thinking Miatas we're front wheel drive,
and later found myself driving home in a rear wheel drive
hairdresser convertible.
I wasn't really sure what I got myself into
with this 250 horsepower Miata,
but it had a lot of quirks
and really tested my mechanical patients.
I didn't have friends or family
that knew any more than I did,
so I went online and joined a car forum.
Remember this was before Facebook was really even a thing.
I enjoyed reading threads
and creating discussions about problems I was facing
and modifications I wanted to do.
I learned a lot about cars in the four years I owned it.
And if it weren't for online forums and YouTube videos,
I would have never been able to keep the car running.
Free online resources basically taught me
how to diagnose electrical issues,
figure out how a turbo system worked
and even helped me replace the engine
after blowing a hole in the side of it.
(gentle music)
Then one day my friend threw me the keys to his BMW E30
and told me to drive it like I stole it,
and that's all it took.
I knew I had to have a BMW after that.
I traded my winter beater,
a rotted out Jeep Cherokee for an equally as rusted
328is E36 that I found on Craigslist.
It wasn't pretty,
but there was just something about this car
that I absolutely fell in love with.
I loved the raw field of the inline-six,
it was just an amazing car to have fun in.
And that's when I started setting my sights on a newer BMW.
My name is Jake and I drive a 750 horsepower BMW 135i
(car engine roaring)
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I spent countless nights online researching these cars.
This was back in 2013,
so the 135 and 335 BMWs were still very new.
Everyone talked about how powerful
the twin turbo N54 engine was,
but it wasn't known to be the most reliable vehicle.
However, I was just 21 and wanted to go fast.
I got bit by the power bug right away
after realizing how easy it was
to get 450 horsepower out of it
with just a tune and a few bolt ons.
(car engine roaring)
I started taking the car to the dragstrip,
to half mile runway events,
and even Track That at Road America.
At this point,
I had fallen head over heels for the BMW brand.
I loved the way they were built the timelessness to them,
and just the general concept of a driver focused
rear wheel drive sports car.
And as I continued to modify my 135,
I realized the guys on the forums were still under warranty
or even leasing their BMWs.
There wasn't a ton of DIY information online,
so I started documenting my build on the forums,
I started a blog and I even started a YouTube channel.
I posted detailed write-ups and uploaded videos because
I wanted to share my experience with the BMW community.
Eventually N54 BMW problems caught up to me
and my stock turbos were rattling away,
so I decided to replace them with an upgraded
twin turbo kit.
The feeling of accomplishment I had
after completing that job was indescribable.
This is one of the more involved installations
that I'd ever done and I documented the whole thing.
(upbeat music)
I shared the same information that I used to rely on,
when I first started turning wrenches.
If my content helps someone make a decision
on which parts to buy or showed them how to install it,
that made me happy.
It became my way of giving back to the car community.
I wanted to help others who might not have a friend
or family member who can walk them through the process.
Eventually I made the decision
to completely transform the car and add even more power.
I ditched the twin turbos for a larger single turbo
and wanted to go full race car.
Some friends and I spent the winter of 2017
completely overhauling the car
and again, we documented everything.
I wanted to show the community how capable these cars are,
and share a blueprint for others to follow
on their own build journey.
As the build progressed so did I,
I started to take my content seriously
and found ways to monetize it,
partner with companies and leverage my relationships.
I'd say it's even what opened the door for me
to join the Fitment Industries Team.
This car has helped me grow in so many ways.
It's made me a better driver, a better mechanic,
a better friend and a better human being.
It helped me come out of my shell,
introduced me to some of my best friends
and allowed me to travel across the country.
I've become obsessed with BMWs.
I've owned 14 of them in the last eight years.
I recently bought a 2015 M3
that I'm falling more and more in love with
every single day.
The biggest thing I've learned in life
is that anything is possible if you want it bad enough.
You can make a living off literally anything these days,
but you have to work for it.
Find something you're passionate about
and just go after it, embrace it.
Just don't buy a BMW as a financial investment.
(upbeat music)