Modified BMW Wide Body E46 M3 Cabrio 2002 Pictures 
gallery (50 photos)
specifications
ENGINE MODIFICATIONS
3.2-litre six-cylinder with active autowerke polished c38-71 rotrex supercharger at 7.5psi, nos nitrous ‘ntercooler’ kit with six sneaky pete nitrous bottles, aa air-to-air intercooler, aa custom supercharger software with stage ii injectors, aa polished intake manifold and by-pass valve, aa water alcohol injection kit, aa headers and all stainless exhaust with 80mm tips, aa oil cooler and mass air meter housing, 75mm pulley, 87mm bore, 91mm stroke, 11.5:1 compression, denso iridium spark plugs, ignition solution coils, k&n air filter, custom carbon fibre one off air intake and engine bay covers, supersprint front exhaust pipe (no cats), supersprint centre exhaust pipe, uuc motorwerks tranny mounts, uuc lightweight flywheel, m5 clutch, aa stage ii short shifter, aa polished oil cap
SUSPENSION MODIFICATIONS
ground control coilover kit, eibach springs, custom house of kolor kandy blue koni shocks, custom polished control arms and polished bushing brackets, custom polished steering tie rods and polished swing arms, ac schnitzer polished racing strut brace, aa rear toe bushings, aa rear camber arm kit
ALLOY WHEELS
custom polished unique 9x20” (front) and 12x20” (rear) hre 545r
TYRES
255/30 (front) and 325/25 (rear) michelin pilot sport ps2
BRAKES
custom house of kolor kandy blue brembo gran turismo 14” big brake system front and rear
EXTERIOR MODIFICATIONS
custom unique flossmann gtr wide body kit with arches extended 2” (front) and 4” (rear) with grilles filled in and smoothed over, custom unique carbon fibre gtr bonnet and kidney grille, custom unique carbon fibre front, side and rear racing diffusers with struts, custom unique carbon fibre rear racing wing with 10” tv monitor moulded in, relocated fuel filler entry, ac schnitzer rear exhaust diffuser, e46 m3 2004-model rear light conversion, shaved door handles, door moulding and antennae, hamann custom carbon fibre fog light inserts, euro folding side mirrors, custom bmw badges, piaa super silicone wiper blades, euro clear third brake light, umnitza blue angel eyes with custom carbon fibre enclosure, xenon led bulbs, piaa xtreme white plus fog lights. custom house of kolor kandy blue paint with ten clear coats and custom silver pin striping
INTERIOR MODIFICATIONS
unique custom carbon fibre interior: dashboard; glove box; top of windscreen surround; centre console; a-pillars; convertible hatch; door panels; side panels; rear seat enclosure for nos ‘ntercooler’ with remote dual purge system. custom m5 reupholstered front and rear 2-tone leather seats, custom stitched m3 logo headrests, custom stitched 2-tone steering wheel, gear shift gaiter and handbrake gaiter, custom black suede floor, custom black suede with blue piping ac schnitzer floor mats, ac schnitzer polished gear shift knob, handbrake handle and racing pedals. defi-link control unit ii (moulded into centre console), defi-link meter bf white gauges (moulded into dashboard) consisting of: intake manifold pressure; fuel pressure; oil pressure; voltmeter (moulded into a-pillar); amp temperature. 60 streetglow neo blue tubes with remote operation, varad s/200 series engine bay lighting, 8 blue and white 85w strobes, 5 custom ignited led switches, ignited nitrous purge button, ilights control module
IN CAR ENTERTAINMENT
custom carbon fibre unique rear view mirror monitor with two ‘night vision’ cameras with remote operation, two jl audio 8w7 subs in custom motorised plexiglas enclosure with remote operation in the boot, jl audio ‘clean sweep’, two jl audio amps: ‘slash’ 500/1 (subs); ‘slash’ 300/4 (mids/highs); four jl audio ‘evolution’ xr650-csi speakers in boot lid, two hidden t3002 300/2 rockford fosgate amps, four spr-176a 6.5” (front) and four spr-136a 5.25” alpine type-r interior speakers, two alpine tme-m750 6.5” tvs in headrests, alpine 6 cd changer, alpine sec-150r alarm with remote top/perimeter sensor, icon-tv 15” widescreen in boot, two sony ps2s, predator 2 chameleon wireless controllers, 160gb hd in boot containing over 50 games, k40 calibrae radar/laser detector with front and rear jammers, tv on nav, bmw nav system, optima yellow top battery, dynamat acoustic insulation, auxiliary power supply built into boot, bmw alarm, lojack early warning recovery system
OPERATION PEACOCK
Everything has to be bigger, better and more extreme in the States; the breasts, the buildings, the houses, the egos and of course the cars.
So what’s with this outrageous flaunting of wealth, power and style and why do the Yanks have to always take it to the next level? Maybe it’s because ever since the States was founded (not so long ago), it attracted people who were hungry for a piece of the dream. Then again it might be that each State feels it has to compete against the other, or perhaps they felt they had to build things bigger to fill all the empty space? Nah, it’s most likely that they’re just not that modest as a culture and so no feather is left unpreened.
There are however advantages to this ‘no holes barred’ mentality and James Wheeler’s E46 M3 Cabrio is such. For this Florida born enthusiast, you see it is his car that is the subject of his meticulous attentions and given free reign to dream up his perfect ride we have to admit that style and taste is certainly something James has bucket loads of. By way of general consensus James’ motor is the Mac daddy on the show scene; his list of titles include ‘Best BMW at the Orlanado Hot Import Night’s show and Best Of The Show at Miami and Charlotte’s DUB shows. His mission to wipe the floor with the competition was a full time job in itself and here’s how it all came about:
After 3 months of swaring blind he wouldn’t alter his Bimma in any way, he fell privy to the jaws of temptation. A mind blowing custom ICE job later and James was on a carbon fibre binge, he wanted it for the dash, the glove box, the A-pillars, the M3’s convertible hatch and even the door panels.
The most impressive piece spawned from this light weight material though is the centre console which James describes as looking like ‘the back of a motorcycle.’ In the same vein then, you’ve also got the leather which has in this case been taken from an M5. This two-tone guise is pretty special and Rivan at Southern Upholstery is wholly responsible for its precision. Soft and luxurious as the seating may be, there is nothing soft about those Nos Sneaky Pete nitrous bottles which reside in the A-pillars.
This Bimma’s wild nature is also reflected by the bodywork and to ensure that the car has universal appeal as well as being respected for its quality and innovation, James brought in Fabian at AW Customs in Miami who oversaw the exterior design. This wasn’t an easy task though, not considering James had set his heart on 325 tyres. This meant that the wheels measured in at 9” at the front and 12” at the rear. The body then was built around these ludicrously wide 20” rubbers which were custom made by HRE.
Despite ordering in a Flossmann’s GTR wide body kit (inspired by the M3 GTR race car), it still needed additional widening. This involved the arch vents being filled in and smoothed off and the front arches having an extra 2” clearance. At the rear a further 4” more was required which although a bit tricky was nothing a bit of glass fibre couldn’t fix. Next the side skirts were moulded in to the kit and the door handles and door moulding were smoothed over.
For the bonnet, it was the obvious choice to have carbon fibre and the Flossman GTR example blends in well with the over all look. It also features Plexiglas inserts so you can see in to the engine bay. The Hamann fog light inserts then make the GTR front bumper even more of a show beacon. Needless to say the rear is equally as flashy with its oversized rear wing that has been doctored to fit a 10” TV monitor. James has also gone for a 2004 M3 tail light conversion and an AC Schnitzer exhaust diffuser to compliment the Active Autowerke exhaust system. There’s racing diffusers all round together with struts which also have a big visual impact.
The House of Kolor’s Kandy blue paintwork is a perfect peacock colour and with ten clear coats and custom silver pin stripping to finish it off, it’s almost too pretty to drive. Leo at Team V Autoworks is very much a perfectionist when it comes to paintwork but when you are given a car that meets such a high standard of workmanship to begin with, you really can’t do anything but your best. Every detail of this car has been overhauled and re-thought from the re-located petrol filler cap to the custom BMW badges and those Euro-look folding mirrors. The wipers are no exception either; these have been doused with PIAA Super Silicone to make them stand apart from other average M3 items.
The wheels are obviously another major focal point and to ensure you’ll be left gawping there’s a colour-coded 14” Brembo brake conversion protruding behind the five spoke design. The suspension was another contentious point and as well as a Ground Control coilover kit, James invested in an AC Schnitzer Racing front strut brace and a few other Active Autowerke suspension extras.
The M3 Cabrio’s estimated 525bhp supercharged Stage II set up and Nitrous Ntercooler is however the biggest tease as it never gets to let rip off road. It’s a bit like having three playmates in your bed but all they want is a cuddle – what’s the point? Well apparently just knowing your car is the beast of the show is sometimes enough plus there’s always a few moments of spine-tingling magic when there’s an open road for a mile or two. With this in mind James has justified the need to have a UUC light flywheel, M5 clutch and an Active Autowerke short shifter to further stimulate those pleasure neurons. When static, the engine bay also has to win the judges over so an Active Autowerke’s kit, plenty of polishing and a custom carbon fibre air intake all play a role in the Bimma’s seduction.
The ICE was always going to blow the competition away though, especially as James works for the games industry. Aesthetically of course it is a masterpiece, needless to say the colour matches the Bimma’s bodywork and the custom trunk box invites everyone to have an eyeful, due to being cased in Plexiglas. The lighting on this car will also give most Limousine companies a run for their money; he’s got 60 Streetglow Neo Blue Tubes that are operated by remote, eight blue and white 85 watt strobes, 5 LED switches that are custom ignited, illumination for the engine bay and also Umnitza blue angel eyes.
The entertainment is another way to keep the crowds buzzing around, from CD’s to DVD’s and also PS2 games, he’s got dozens of the things. Thanks to the 160 GB hard drive in the boot and Two Sony PS2s with wireless controllers, standing around at shows needn’t be a dull experience.
The 8” Speakers were the biggest that could fit in the boot with the roof down and for neatness as well as space saving the Two JL Audio amps have been moulded in to the floor. There’s another Two Rockford Fosgate amps hidden from sight and even a 15” widescreen Icon-TV in the boot-lid. The interior also houses plenty of custom mounted speakers together with two Alpine TV’s fitted to the headrests. The whole thing is motorised to give a smooth and effortless feel and in true peacock fashion James’ M3 Cabrio always looks immaculate and ready to entertain.
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