One day in the not too distant past, a guy by the name of Pat Estudillo was coming home for work in his daily driver. Pulling into his Southern California neighborhood he saw something that made him very uneasy: an Alpine White E46 BMW M3 driving away. It had a GTR hood, a CSL trunk and a set of RAYS Volk Racing TE37 Tokyo Time Attack edition wheels.
The problem was Pat owned a white E46 M3 with all of the same modifications. It was at his house a few blocks away – or at least he hoped it was still at his house. He was almost sure he was watching his own car being stolen, so he tailed the BMW wondering what he would do once he caught up to it.
With adrenaline pumping and anger building, Pat caught up and overtook the M3, at which point he noticed this car didn’t have the charge cooler that his supercharged E46 did.
It turned out his car hadn’t been stolen. He was very embarrassed by the situation and while he was happy to know that he still had his car, he was also disappointed to see an M3 almost identical to his driving around the same neighborhood.
Pat has owned the BMW since 2006 when he bought it brand new as one of the last E46 M3s ever produced. Prior to this he had a ’92 Lexus which was handed down from his parents, and it was with the old SC400 that he got his first taste of car modification.
He had fallen in love with the E46 M3’s styling when he first saw it in 2001, and from that point convinced himself that he would own one as soon as he had the means. Eight months before graduating college Pat bit the bullet on an Alpine White example with an Imola Red interior and a manual gearbox.
It’s been about nine years since he first acquired the car, and in that time the M3 has been through a number of changes and modifications – each one more aggressive than the next. Pat has always liked the idea of having a car that stands out, and the situation where he thought his car had been stolen served as the catalyst to transform the M3 into a car that would be unique in the sea of modified BMWs roaming the streets.
He didn’t just want a car that would look different from the rest, he wanted a car that would never be mistaken for another. He set off on a journey to build one of the most unique E46s on American shores, and the result is the car you see here.
Go Wide, Add Power
From the beginning of the build, Pat embraced the concept of fitting Japanese tuner parts on his car. He had grown up around that scene with his Lexus, and he liked how the Japanese-influenced modifications would help the M3 stand apart without sacrificing quality or function. You’ll find a number of parts from familiar Japanese brands both inside and outside of the car.
But one of the first things you’ll notice is the wide-body conversion. It’s a Flossman GTR kit which includes unique front and rear fenders, both bumpers and side skirts.
But of course, this isn’t just an-off-the shelf Flossman kit. There are a number of custom touches, including the rear arches which have been widened by an additional inch, and custom slits in both the front and rear fenders.
Along with the wide-body kit, there are many other exterior modifications, including custom Hamann brake duct covers, a Seibon carbon fiber hood and a chassis-mounted race splitter up front.
One of Pat’s favorite additions is the rear wing setup. A guy by the name of Lalo from Dripset was responsible for much of the car’s bodywork, and Pat wanted to see if there was a way to build a wing similar to the one on the BenSopra R35 GT-R.
Together with Rob from Oink Fabrications, Lalo came up with design that mounted the Voltex 1,600mm GT wing directly to the chassis via a set of custom risers. The cuts to the bodywork are so precise that it appears as though the wing is mounted to the bumper and not to the chassis itself.
The trick wing setup is easily one of the most visually interesting aspects of the car, and it nicely compliments the Varis three-piece carbon fiber diffuser which is mounted out back.
With its extremely aggressive bodywork, you can be assured that Pat would give equal intention to the M3’s engine bay. As mentioned a moment ago, the car formerly had a supercharger setup, but he’s since switched to a turbo kit with a fully built motor and all the supporting modifications.
The kit is a Stage 2.5 system from HorsepowerFreaks and it uses a Precision PT6766 billet wheel turbocharger. To handle the additional power, the S54 engine was treated to a full build from HPF which includes forged pistons and heavy duty wrist pins, upgraded connecting rods and a ported and polished head.
Also among the list of parts found under the hood is a fully upgraded fueling system, 1,100cc injectors and methanol injection. HPF also supplied the intake and turbo manifolds, along with the front-mount intercooler and the complete engine management system.
The exhaust system includes an HPF downpipe that feeds JIC/Cross piping and an Agency Power muffler setup with 80mm titanium tips on each side of the diffuser.
Putting In Work
With the bodywork and power upgrades taken care of, it was time to address the suspension and chassis. Pat knew the key to pulling off the wide-body look would be to have the car sitting low, so he decided to go the air suspension route.
The M3 has been fitted with a full AirREX setup, which includes a digitally-controlled air compressor and a 3-gallon tank mounted in a custom enclosure inside the trunk. Other upgrades to the car’s footwork include Eibach sway bars, a Dixis titanium front tower bar, adjustable rear control arms and an HPF chassis brace.
When it came time to fit wheels to the M3, Pat liked the idea of going with a Japanese brand, but also wanted something that matched the aggressive widebody aesthetics. In the end he chose a set of custom-built Work VS-XXs with charcoal-colored faces and brushed barrels.
The wheels measure 20×9.5-inch in the front and 20×12.5-inch in the rear. The tires are Toyo Proxes T1S fare, 255/30R20 and 305/25R20 in the front and rear respectively.
The mesh design of the VS-XXs also happens to do a fine a job of showing off the car’s exotic brakes. Up front are Brembo GT 8-piston calipers with 380mm rotors, while the rear uses 4-piston Brembos with 345mm rotors.
Inside the cockpit, Pat opted for a decidedly Japanese tuner theme, with a number of parts from brands lusted after by JDM freaks across the world.
The driver and passenger seats are Recaro ASM Ruby Edition full buckets with Recaro mounts and Takata MPH-340 harnesses for each.
There’s also a custom 4-point roll bar with a removable harness bar in the rear, along with liberal use of carbon fiber and custom upholstered bits throughout the cabin.
Let’s not forget the steering wheel either – a Key!s Racing deep cone mounted on a Momo hub with a 9K Racing quick release. You can also spot the AEM boost and air/fuel ratio gauges mounted on both sides of the steering column.
Unlike many feature car owners we talk to, Pat says he’s very satisfied with the M3 in its current state. He isn’t planning on any major changes, aside from a bit more interior work and perhaps another set of wheels sometime in the future.
He says he’s received plenty of ‘feedback’ on the build – both positive and negative – but he couldn’t be happier with the results himself, and that’s all that matters.
While we certainly hope Pat never spots a car thief driving out of the neighborhood in his beloved M3, he can be assured that next time there will be no mistaking his car for another.
Mike Garrett
Instagram: speedhunters_mike
mike@speedhunters.com
Photos by Louis Yio
Cutting Room Floor
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
Awesome car, but the bags ruined it for me. To each his own, but with a built s54 id love to see this thing in time attack or etc.
Have you seen those women who have had so many plastic surgeries that they is almost unrecognizable and beastly looking? This is the car version.
Can't see the point of having the rear seats still in there when the roll cage makes them completely pointless. Or aero mods when it's supporting a few hundred pounds of audio gear/air bags.
WHP? Should be around 800 on race fuel?
Its just some rich kid who has too much money and no taste, so many pointless additions.... how to ruin a perfectly good car
Here's video of the car before the widebody and air and all that. Dyno pull towards end of the video.
https://youtu.be/YJNh3jK9uQ8
It's a love it or hate it build.
Last time I remember I don't know you so how do you know I'm a "rich kid?"
I thought the vents behind the wheels were out of place until I noticed they match the fender vents and grill! The meticulous attention to detail inspires me to do better work on my car.
Also, it's not easy to shoot a car with so much contrast. Nice work, Mike 'master of the cover shot' Garrett.
@Pat Apparently your taste in music is as good as it is in cars! Looks like a wild power band lol. Do you mind the lag? And have you tried left foot brake?
JamesT88 I didn't want to sound like a grinch, but you hit it right on the head. I love so much of the car until I saw the extra weight left in/added.
Haha I didn't make the video. HPF did when they were still around and the editor chose the song. Actually the lag isn't as bad the turbo starts to spoil early around 2700rpm and it gets crazy around 5000rpm since the wastegate is wide open. I haven't tried left food brake haha.
I guess I'm the kind of person that isn't into a bunch of stuff on the car.I like my cars more subtle. This car is just too much. Canards,giant wing,fender flares, giant ass speakers, bags, roll cage, etc. This car goes into too many directions for me. This car is on the rice side in my opinion. Its trying to have everything in it and be every kind of style car. The only thing i like about this car is the door panels. Those are nice.
spends a shit load of money on aero mods.. adds huge ass subwoffers.. talk about facepalm. i thought the whole surround sound-in-the-car thing died out already? i can kinda see leaving the seats in for a nicer interior but.. when you have a cage an harness might as well go all the way and strip
Sick car, Pat. It was great shooting it!
Lol sounds like a broke boy to me. Can't even afford to do shit to your whip huh? Sucks I never felt that feeling before.
theyarenotreallyintocars The hate is real. I don't see you talking slick whenever somebody drops a wad of cash on a honda, but whens its a bimmer, you ain't having it? C'mon now.
@tyranitarchomp96 these kind of comments from @theyarenotreallyintocars come from someone that makes less than 15k a year. It's just funny to see hate calling people "rich kids" when the owner probably makes more money a year that his parents made in a lifetime
remove the ridiculous rear wing, and it's a perfect 10.
i face palm at every comment that sounds like they were there the whole time a car was built.
im sorry if the car offended you.
beauty of bolt on. Wing can easily be removed via 4 large bolts
mounts cannot be seen under the bumper
@Pat nice thinking
does it add any real downforce? its brutal, but too much for a street car..
It does actually. Took it up to 165 on a dried lake bed in the desert and it kept me squatted, nice, and straight.
Pat, ignore the haters, this car is brilliant. Without a doubt the best M3 I have ever seen!
Thanks brotha!
Thanks Louis. You guys were cool to work with.
BECAUSE RICE CAR
Personally loving this, and great photos Louis! Also, congrats Pat - a picture we posted of your car on @thespeedhunters Instagram account is now (by a long way) our 'most liked' post.
ahh i remember reading about this in a magazine. nice to see you still have it
I seriously just designed a car like this on a certain 3d car mod sim and I've never seen this car until this post and the fact that the he actually made a real example of what I've dreamed up is amazing! I love every bit of this car!
@bob curious if the rear seats are left in for insurance reasons? (cheaper insurance)
Ace, gotta love a bumper mounted spoiler.. that passenger side harness tho, the way its mounted there is dangerous. If you want a temporary harness have a proper eyelet welded onto the bar.
Teutonic stuff
What a story! Such great article!
Sweet ride, I like 99% of it. Is air suspension an upgrade though? That's a sincere question, i'm truly not sure.
Lmao yep.
Really cool Pat, and and the more you look at and read the spec below, the more you realise how much effort has been put into the car. Would have mounted the spoiler brackets to the bootlid personally but judging by the story you were going for unique, and well. That's what this car modifying lark is all about eh!
I'm still none the wiser as to why people mount spoilers to the chassis
Bradders you want it to produce a downwards force on the whole car (= the chassis), not just bend a piece of trunk lid or bumper. You don't fix a tow hook just to the plastic bumper too, same principle.
How many horses? God the S54 is a beautiful engine. If I could find one for a reasonable price I'd swap one into my E30
Kinda reminded me of cartu drifting's e46.
As usual, most don't actually read the article before they hit the comment section and start spouting off crap.
The entire point is, "to transform the M3 into a car that would be unique in the sea of modified BMWs roaming the streets."
And he did that, like it or not (and yeah I agree the subwoofer weight and rear-seats is sorta useless, but it's HIS build).
I think it looks pretty tough and 165MPH on the lake flats, you can't really knock it. That's awesome. I like the built, though personally, I do prefer more subtle builds.
@Pat, why not fill the emblem pocket on the hood? I think it looks bad w/the emblem area missing. You've obviously done a ton of custom work, why not smooth that out? (Or fill it w/a BMW emblem?)
oldschoolcat stupidadult Sure - I guess 165MPH isn't fast enough, wahhhh. haha fuck off man.
Ok Call me what ever you whant. But this thing is useless on the track and useless as an daily driver.
It looks great but... air suspension, sound system and rear seats?
Lol, what!?! Well each to their own I guess. A lot of work put into this car but then end result is definitely not to my taste. This car is like woman with too much cosmetic surgery and I'm sure it won't age well, but much respect to the owner. It's your car and your vision, and it's always cool to see it all come together. ✌️
well, engine very nice.
hypebeast hard parker. lmfao
wants to be a racecar but its a daily with a sound system in the trunk... LMFAO.
hahahahahahahhahahahahahhahhahahahahahahahhahaha
To the owner: don't care about the fxxxing haters. They are too dumb to even read the title: Do it different …
I'm a BMW guy through and through, so happy to see an E46 on here! I've had a 330Ci and an M3, so always nice to see them represented. Exterior seems to have a lot going on, and I'm interested to see how someone would get to the back seats with the rollcage in the way, but damn, good to see someone putting their own mark on their build and not just following the crowd!
asdfasdddd Damn, someone's jelly...
I posted the video on one of the comments below and has the dyno pull towards the end of that video.
Thanks for the comments guys. I can go well above 200 since I don't have a limiter but you can imagine traveling 165 even for 30 seconds things come at you in a flash. And on a dried lake bed, especially one I was at the surface wasn't smooth. (If you're in SoCal travel towards Victorville, exit Main Street, make a right and trace 1 hour till everything becomes dirt) that's where I took the car to speed. Yea dangerous and stupid I know.
I've had the car for a long time going 9 years. I've had the car modded since the moment I had the car. Yea I've left things on like cage and such. But in its milder form when it was on Volks and supercharged, it didn't have all the craziness you see now. And when your car is a SEMA regular, it's easy to request sponsorship for parts and attain for little or free with a written contract. So yea to answer you question.
I'd say 5-6 years ago when I only had coilovers, VF-supercharged, Volks, I had a cage put in and did some fun runs and wasn't afraid to break the car. All the other stuff was added later. Remember I didn't just buy the car last year and hodge-podged all the stuff at once. I've had many suspension setups, wheel setups (19s) and several motor setups. I've had the car for years. Yea it'll be controversial as you can see by the comments, but when seen in person 90% compliment the car. And the ones in doubt talk to me and I briefly explained my vision.
Emblem I had was all peeling and eventually fell off. It's one of those small details I keep forgetting and overlooking haha
I didn't know you drove my car to say it's useless? Am I missing something? I've had people drive the car and say it's not as useless as you state.
Thanks for the comments. Yea she's a bit over done but like the cliche, if you get the best doctor, the results usually last longer
i laugh at this comment. Ignorance at its best. Claims to know owner, claims to know how the car is.
Thanks for the advice. Yea I've heard it all before and honestly I DGAF. I've built it for myself and I'm happy. And to top it off im fortunate enough that it gets some recognition.
Thank you.
Your interest, money, and vision. Good job!
I have to say props for executing your vision Pat, as an owner of a 2002 M3 I know the E46 M3 community is probably very divided on this car and my personal approach would have been more, um, traditional. Love what you did with the exhaust being split by the diffuser.
Taryn Croucher Thanks!
That is one sweet ride. I'll be going over this post for threads.
The opening story tho', lol. He managed to notice the wheels, hood and trunk but didnt notice the license plate?
Face palm at the fact you think someone doesn't want to enjoy music while they smoke tires
@pat This car is pretty much perfect brother. I like the fact you did something different. As some one who also rolls with a full stereo system it's nice to jam out while smokin tires and highway cruising. Overall badass man
@Pat Those BMW Roundels are well known for fading or peeling haha, they are a real PITA at times
@guest Not bumper mounted, it's mounted to the chassis
There's definitely none other like it. It looks like you embrace the controversy. This is Speedhunters after all...
@Pat if you're not interested in other people's opinion, then why is it on the most popular car site's main page and why are you answering to everyone?
The E46M3 is a beautiful car. This one has many rare and expensive things attached to it. The owner seems like a pretty cool guy, eh tunes cars and doesn't afraid of h8ers.
wow. a lotta hate going on. but that's expected with a controversial build like yours.
good job pat for building what you want. i liked everything (especially the shot of those front brakes inside the rims, wow), except the sound system, lol.
what's with all the hate fellas?
i think this is an amazing ride, a very modded one... Great work Pat!
and for all those people that are talking shi* ...dudes, it is his ride, if he want to put a banging stereo system in the trunk... its his deal!
besides... wich one of you have a DAILY DRIVER like this one?!...
awesome writing Mike
awesome pictures Louis!
Such a solid build Pat!
You sound like the kind of person who gives himself a pokey bum wa#k
Not my personal cup of tea, but I can respect the time, effort, and dollars that went into making this car.
I was originally torn over the green calipers and lug nuts since they didn't fit anything else, but they're kind of like the Takata harnesses inside the car: a splash of color to break up the otherwise standard color scheme.
That spoiler it's pretty ugly
Damn this thing looks good - too good!
there's nothing that I dont like about this car, just everything fits together so well!
Thank you for not going with the played out CSL trunk. Looks good overall, but not sure about the trunk subwoofers in conjunction with the giant wing, kinda sending mixed messages.
Hopefully you were serious with at comment. One shouldn't have to apologize for a car they built for themself.
Nice car Pat. I... blah blah.. how I might have done it different... but I really love the fit and finish of your ride. It has super high quality stuff all over it, some of which was customized nicely and it still looks drive-able.
To all the people who knock his methods, I drove a stripped out, exhaust, modded car for a while as my daily and I nearly lost my mind. It is cool in thought, it is cool on the track, it isn't so cool as a commuter. Also, the roll cage is just good, smart safety.
Finally a car without Brides......boy I'm over those seats!
Loved the car until I saw 2 subs in the back and it is airbagged... Why?!?!?!?!
why not just get adjustable coilovers?
I love only the second to last picture.
If i saw the same s14 as mine, same rare oem paint, wheels, etc and had a different license plate i would chase him too. Anyone can swap a plate
Congrats Pat on your awesome ride! E46Fanatics forever. think a new rule on Speedhunters should make people who post negative/hater comments to share a pic of their own ride. I think that would shut alot of people up!
NFS Most Wanted
The execution is so good. Great job!
the 6th picture looks like it came straight from video game! great shot!
LouisYio Stunning photography! The GTA style moving shot has to be one of my favorite shots I have seen in recent times! Oh and I don't even need to mention that this E46 is one of the most badass race themed street BWMs out there.
This car is amazing it really is, its like a all in one build u got the perfect setup I love the air suspension, the custom aero and the huge speakers too lol ( u always need speakers too flex lol) this thing probably sounds and looks beautiful in person. Great build all around I agree with your taste.
AirLift_Lucas LouisYio Thanks, mang
Miata_Mike Completely agree. About 8 yrs ago I dreamed of having a chassis spoiler and now it's catching up in the world. Cant wait to make my beast a reality. Standards will be set.
Wait u got the same car too?
I am confused.... As a fellow SoCal e46M owner.. why go to all the race inspired work then add a heavy sound system, and a questionable for looks only suspension system... If your going to look like a time attack track car make it one, this to me with the decidedly non track suspension and sound system is just a hey look how much money I can spend exercise.
That car is copied from NFS Most wanted 2005.. bet on that !
Really nice fusion of styles.
hey I've seen this car and shown with it at an event last year. cool to see it on speedhunters!
PhilMaurer Modern Air ride suspension has been proven to put down identical if not faster lap times at the track compared to cars with coil-over suspension.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dQgT5g84ag
As far as the sound system: This is a street car, it's designed to be ENJOYED by the owner, not to be "on the edge" competitive.
Can anyone let me know what auto detailing company did work on that M3. Would like to know so I can have some done as well.
the car was very good
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So what happened between him the owner of the M3 with exact same build?