After years of having 3 Series convertibles in the family – a pair of E46s first and then an E92 – it was Project Drop Top that really sparked my interest in how the Japanese look at BMW modifying. If I had to split it up, I’d say there are three main approaches taken.
Street tuned cars make up the biggest slice of the group, and by this I mean the more simple approach is taken, usually consisting of wheels, suspension and some basic performance mods like an exhaust and intake. Pretty much the way I’ve gone with my F33, and what shops like Studie are so good at.
Then there’s my favorite, the track day specials. These are still street cars, but true performance-focused machines running race dampers, big brake kits, stripped interiors and everything you’d need to shave precious tenths off your lap time at Fuji or Tsukuba. These are the sort of cars you’d see come out of places like SunBeam, and are all about function.
Finally, we have group three, the stance crowd.
Admittedly, this is the one side of BMW modifying I’ve spent the least amount of time covering in Japan. Sure, we see the odd slammed Beemer at shows like Wekfest, where incidentally I first spotted this M3, but there’s been a need to take a closer look. This is an approach that’s grown considerably in Japan with BMWs and other German imports.
And Dai-san’s CSL-inspired E46 is one of the best examples out there.
The car sits low on 326 Power coilovers that help maximise the effect the 18×9.5-inch (front) and 18×11.5-inch (rear) BBS Super RS wheels give. It’s a simple matter of taking that loved old BBS mesh look which is so well suited for older cars, and making it work in a bigger size on a modern performance car.
The static drop is quite aggressive, allowing the curvature of the blistered M3 fenders to swallow up the 18-inch rims beautifully.
The simple silver centers matched to a polished rim is also a nice choice, especially against the BMW’s factory red paint.
Aesthetic touches include a CSL front bumper complete with its asymmetrical intake that on a genuine CSL feeds a large carbon airbox. Dai’s also had the side blinkers and door locks deleted.
The CSL look is brought over to the rear thanks to the unmistakable trunk lid with integrated lip spoiler.
It’s clean and simple.
Under the hood, BMW’s sonorous straight six has received just one upgrade. The aFe Power induction system includes a sectioned-off airbox that full takes advantage of air sourced from the bumper intake.
Negative camber? Check.
The stock M3 exhaust has been left well alone; Dai thinks it’s just as loud as you’d want it to be, plus he loves the raspiness once the engine properly gets on cam.
Hit play to hear what it sounds like.
Despite the car looking like it hovers a few millimeters off the ground, Dai guarantees me that if you’re careful you can get away with not scraping. On the smooth roads of Japan’s capital city there are definitely no problems.
If you like the execution of the car thus far you will definitely fall for the cabin.
Again, the changes are minimal, starting off with a pair of Recaro Pole Position seats clad in leather and tartan fabric for their centers and backs.
The fabric’s pattern injects a little liveliness, but not too much that it breaks the fine monochromatic feel of the stock trim. In fact, the only color in the cabin seems to be the red piping on the aftermarket mats.
A Renown Chicane leather steering wheel was added, again the color kept in check through the use of black stitching.
You’ve probably noticed by now that this is an SMG-equipped car, and according to Dai the single-clutch automated transmission has yet to show any signs of wear and tear. The E46 cabin still wins when it comes to layout and design; it’s simple and driver focused.
In the world of stance a static drop and a hint of negative camber gets you kudos as you’re achieving the ‘look’ the hard way. Next up we’ll take a look at the other E46, a car that manages a similar appearance but with a different approach.
Dino Dalle Carbonare
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This is surprisingly nice, although the use of the Renown steering wheel means the car has lost the paddle shifters.
Looks awesome! I would be hesitant to go on a sprinted canyon run, but just cruising around would be fun! Even after all this time I have never really liked the S54 exhaust note, too pingy.
Ohhhh, bittersweet post.
I loathe BMWs and all their pseudo-Ultimateness.
But, on the other hand, this one looks terrific!
Then, I heard the exhaust which sounds like quarters being shot from a leafblower.
Is there a silver lining?
Well, possibly since the bar for the "ultimate driving machine" is apparently set fairly low.
Carbeque anyone???
For the past five decades BMW has been the only brand constantly producing sedans that manage to hit perfect balance of sporty handling and everyday usability. I mean just go and buy e36 316i for a few hundred and take it to a winding road and you'll find it's simply sublime. It doesn't have power and it's certainly not fast, but you can chuck it around in four wheel drifts and enjoy the perfect weight distribution. The new ones are a bit soft and the steering a bit inert but even they come alive on a nice bit of road. I recently drove all the new M-cars on track and I have to say the M2 is something special. If you are a car enthusiast and you get to drive M2, you are going to fall in love
I’ve driven BMWs and found them distinctly lacking in “ultimateness”.
To be fair, the E36 didn’t have much serious competition when it was released...HOWEVER, since then, there’s been many cars that drive just as good...if not better. The original Lexus IS was terrific to drive, well balanced AND well made. Even the original G35 coupe (w/sport package, Brembos) was better. BMW and its elitist, (thinly-veiled supremacy) “German Engineering” can’t even touch LEXUS with its lowly Japanese engineering. There’s not ONE single BMW ever produced that can rival the quality and reliability of virtually ANY Toyota product.
One of my good friends has an M3 and has had nothing but problems with the SMG, my sister has a 3-Series which has had tons of problems (even though she pampers it more than her kids). My last mechanic couldn’t stand them and their ridiculous engineering flaws (how about leaky, hydraulically-controlled way bars, dubious mechanical failures, etc)...I don’t think they fall in good favor with Consumer Reports either. Oh, and what about that recent recall because they spontaneously combust when PARKED? Of course, BMW denied it at first...German engineering, remember.
All they sell is a fantasy and underdeveloped, overpriced junk.
Even their pitch is bogus. Calling their vehicles “The Ultimate Driving Machines” is exactly the same as “World’s Best Hamburger”...it’s unquantifiable, grandiose and delusional. Not to mention, a vast majority of their vehicles are now CUVs and SUVs. What a joke!
Perhaps, once we can get some actual DATA on “ultimateness” they’ll truly impress the industry. Most of the currently available, quantifiable data ISN'T on their side.
It’s great to “fall in love” with a car, but for me it’s difficult without mechanical faithfulness.
Their pitch is what they strive for, you know. Toyota's could be "The ultimate personal mobility device". The IS is a solid car and a nice take on the 3 series, but the steering has more artificial feel than a playstation. I don't get your hatred for a brand. Just why? I don't like Toyotas very much and couldn't care less of most of them but I still can and do appreciate GT86 for example. By the way I think BMW uses a lot better pitch in Finland "The joy of driving"
Well, I chose Toyota due to their ability to decimate competitor’s engineering prowess...or lack thereof. Frankly, there’s Nissan, Mazda and Subaru they could be compared with, but not as dramatically. Although, some of their products may be more thrilling to drive.
The BMW brand is a joke. They’re selling bottom tier products while claiming to offer the best. Sure, they can sculpt a beautiful body and craft a solid interior, but in terms of what makes a car useful...they fail miserably. Oh, and then they overcharge.
If their “German Engineered” products are sooo superior why is it that the “Korean Engineered” Hyundais can offer 10 year warranties and BMW somehow can’t???
They simply don't have to. There is a demand for second hand BMWs anyway but Hyundai needs to give extensive warranty to create demand for their cars after the initial buyer. It just business. What comes to engineering, it's about much more than just durability. Though there are plenty of old BMWs and Mercs still on the road where I live.
With "Toyota's ability to decimate competitor’s engineering prowess", do you mean their ability to produce almost all of their models from the same platform, whilst making a ton of money and filling the developing nations with Corollas?
I’ll flip things up and start from the last question...
Even with BMW’s more diverse platforms, which one of them is actually GOOD? I rest my case there...
Next:
Well, I’ll certainly agree with you on one part of that statement. It is, indeed, just business.
Frankly, if BMW offered warranties like that...they’d go out of business.
How is it that with less brand equity, lower-priced cars and presumably worse engineering (than BMW, anyway)...Hyundai has managed to pull it off??? It would make sense for BMW to use it as a “tactic” to coerce potential buyers too, wouldn’t it?
No one really said Hyundai needed to offer them either. They gradually built their business for years WITHOUT the 10 year warranties, right?
Heard of people that had some problems and shitstorms about the whole "german engineering". I've driven a lot of BMWs and some Toyotas and i'm just laughing about your comparison to Toyota.. can't really believe that you're serious with this story. Try to taste a bit of the new M2/M3/M4/M5/X5M/X6M and then we can talk again about glory Toyota. (The Land Cruiser is a nice ride - at this point i'm with you.. depends on what kind of car you need)
The SMG is sadly spoken pure shit - that's right.. but no reason to destroy the whole "BMW product-family" - today there are some mindblowing fast double clutch 7/8 gear transmissions
Toyota products (primarily Lexus models in the US) are the most direct comparison. If Acura made RWD sedans, that’d work too, but alas they don’t. Infiniti is a decent comparison, but the Lexus IS, GS, RCs generally are regarded as sportier than their offerings.
As far as the M2/M3/M4/M5/X5M/X6Ms go...even if they are nice to drive the novelty wears off when you can’t DRIVE them. For the record, Lexus models drive exceedingly well also. Hell, even a new Mustang is giving them a run for the money these days...if driving dynamics are the metrics we’re comparing!
Now, I’m well aware that many BMW owners (especially in California) trade their cars in before problems arise (or major servicing is required) so I know all this quality/reliability talk may fall on deaf ears. However, it is pertinent to the makings of a quality vehicle.
Hey, I’m not taking the blame for destroying the whole “BMW product-family”!
They did it themselves sometime between their decades-long, denial of using slave labor (Google: “BMW slave labor”) and the introduction of the base model, 2-Series! Oh, and before anyone mentions VW group and Mercedes-Benz also used slave labor...it’s worth knowing BMW denied the (very few) survivors acknowledgement and reparations for YEARS. VW and Mercedes-Benz at least attempted to make amends much earlier.
As far as the transmissions go...I’m sure they’re lovely NOW.
Just give it a while before presuming they’ll have longevity. Or, in the meantime, try Googling “BMW transmission failure” and see what naive owners have been through.
Frankly, if I had to go German, I’d take my chances with an Audi. Dual-clutch plus terrific magnetic suspensions. They’re consistently better looking too...in spite of being slightly less “Ultimate”.
Something a bit more recent than the WWII:
In 2008, the Pittsburg, Pennsylvania-based National Labor Committee, a nonprofit, nongovernmental human-rights group (renamed as the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights in 2011), slammed working conditions at the company’s Prius factory in the city of Toyota, alleging that it relied heavily on sweatshop labor from China and Vietnam.
In a 65-page report titled “The Toyota You Don’t Know,” the committee said workers are “stripped of their passports and often forced to work — including at subcontract plants supplying Toyota — 16 hours a day, seven days a week, while being paid less than half the legal minimum wage.”
The report said a third of Toyota’s assembly-line workers in Japan were temporary staff. As well as their low pay, many had few rights and were forced to live in company dormitories. Any who complained were deported, said the authors.
Something a bit more recent than 2008:
Published July 28th, 2016
Vauxhall and BMW among car firms linked to child labour over glittery mica paint
Paint used by car makers including Vauxhall, BMW, Volkswagen and Audi linked to illegal mines in India reliant on child labour and debt bondage.
Some of the world’s biggest car makers including Vauxhall, BMW, Volkswagen and Audi are launching investigations into their paint supply chains after the Guardian linked their suppliers to illegal mines in India where child labour and debt bondage are widespread.
Children as young as 10 work at mines for mica, a mineral that creates the shimmery car paint used on millions of vehicles around the world.
Although largely unknown to consumers, mica is highly valued for its ability to reflect and refract light. In 2014, the cosmetics industry came under fire for child labour in its mica supply chains, but mica is also widely used by other global industries.
The Indian government has pledged to stamp out child labour in its mica industry, with a small number of official mica mines now monitored for labour and environmental abuses. Yet illegal mining remains widespread, with child rights campaigners estimating that up to 20,000 children work in hundreds of small-scale mines in northern Jharkhand and southern Bihar.
Of course, one can only wonder what the future holds...this story was published on November 3rd, 2017
Fire Hazard: BMW recalls 1.4M vehicles due to risk of under-hood fires
DETROIT — BMW is recalling more than 1.4 million cars and SUVs in two U.S. recalls due to the risk of fires under the hood.
A spokesman for the German automaker says the risk of fire is very low in both cases, but the vehicles should say outside "in an abundance of caution." In both recalls, repairs are expected to start on Dec. 18.
The largest of the recalls covers over 740,000 328i, 328xi, 328i xDrive, 525i, 525xi, 528i, 528xi, 530i, 530xi, X3 3.0si, X3 xDrive30i, X5 xDrive30i, Z4 3.0i, Z4 3.0si and Z4 sDrive30i vehicles from 2007-2011. Also included is the 2008-2011 128i. All have 6-Cylinder engines.
Just for nostalgia, here’s something from roughly that era...
Published September 26th, 2007
BMW embroiled in race row after design chief boasts of 'axis of white power'
Germany’s mighty BMW corporation is at the centre of a race row over an unfortunate choice of words used by its chief designer to describe the company's products.
"It's kind of an axis of white power here; there are really strong white cars," boasts Chris Bangle on the BMW website about cars exhibited at the Geneva Motor Show last year.
The video, in which he was talking about the company's MZ sports model, has become a cult hit on websites. The car featured on the clip is black.
BMW has been inundated with Internet complaints and a debate has been triggered about whether Bangle's days at the carmaker are numbered.
Making a recall is good thing. Not doing one and covering things up is a bad thing. How's your airbag holding?
Starting an investigation about possible child labor somewhere in the supply chain doesn't sound too bad compared to having sweatshop labor on your main factory.
I've never encountered such hatred for a brand. Quite curious. Did someone cheat on you with a BMW driver?
Well, claiming product superiority based on “German Engineering”...then producing products which BURST INTO FLAMES is certainly dubious. Not to mention, like the slave labor, they adamantly denied the accusations FIRST. You can read about their denial from the Detroit Bureau website article written by Paul A. Eisenstein (5/11/17).
Truth be told, those complaints were out there before ABC did their investigation. BMW was content on COVERING IT UP until it became a PR nightmare. Similarly, it wasn’t until the nineties after Michael Moore busted their chops for the slave labor that they even ADMITTED wrongdoing. That’s well over HALF A CENTURY of impropriety!
His video is still online, by the way.
Simply for your information, I did have a car affected by the airbag recall. I was also in a collision where the airbag deployed...WITHOUT shrapnel. Without a doubt, those airbags have saved VASTLY more lives than they’ve ended. The numbers don’t lie.
I’m not going to split hairs with illegal labor. Illegal is illegal. What you’re ignoring is the fact that there is a PATTERN of scandals and indiscretions sourced from BMW management. Find a similarly long line of patterns from another manufacturer and you might have a case. Good luck with that!
It’s not a matter of brand hatred. Frankly, you just put your bets on the wrong horse. You’d have a better chance of winning a debate like this with literally ANY other existing car company.
Oh, lastly, attempting to divert the focus of the argument (and my rationale) away from the facts and to some fictional, jilted romance is less than weak. It’s desperate. If a spouse cheated on me with a BMW driver (and I use that term loosely)...
All I’d say is...
Couldn’t make this stuff up...
Published Jan 29th, 2018 by the Washington Post
“German carmakers backed studies exposing people and monkeys to toxic car exhaust
BERLIN — When German carmaker Volkswagen acknowledged last year that it was guilty of cheating on diesel emissions tests, the fallout cost the company $25 billion. But the full extent of the company’s willingness to sideline ethics concerns to increase profits is still emerging. Three German carmakers appear to have commissioned or supported a study in 2014 which exposed monkeys and humans to exhaust fumes and nitrogen dioxide, according to German media reports on Monday.
The study by the European Research Group on Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT) was never published, and the research institute overseeing it has since been dissolved. All three carmakers involved in the study — Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen — distanced themselves from the research over the weekend.”
Published March 20th, 2018 by the New York Times
“BMW Offices Raided by Authorities in Emissions-Cheating Investigation
FRANKFURT — Prosecutors in Munich searched BMW’s headquarters on Tuesday as part of their continuing investigation into an emissions-cheating scandal that has badly damaged other German carmakers.
BMW, which is known for its sporty luxury cars, had until recently been relatively unscathed by the matter, which has cost Volkswagen billions of dollars, prompted investigations of the luxury carmaker Daimler and depressed sales of profitable diesel models across Europe.
The raids on Tuesday, in which about 100 investigators targeted BMW offices in Munich and an engine factory in Austria, suggested that all of Germany’s top domestic automakers may have evaded emissions rules, although perhaps not to the same degree as Volkswagen.
If so, the risk to Germany’s car industry, and to the nation’s broader economy, would increase sharply. Motor vehicles are the country’s largest export product, and BMW, Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz division, and Volkswagen’s Audi and Porsche units dominate the global market for luxury cars, where brand image is a crucial ingredient.”
Do you see a pattern YET???
and be carefull with your name - "recaro" is a german brand - somebody could dig out some old nazi-stories!
It’s a pseudonym. You’ll see them a lot in comments sections. It’s a play on “Ricky Ricardo”.
The idea that you claim BMW is riddled with scandals and yet you state that you would drive an Audi is hilarious.
You’ve missed the point, misinterpreted the statement...and it might be hilarious if I ACTUALLY bought one.
No hard feelings.
No, I totally got it. You have a personal issue with BMW drivers because your wife left you for one. Don't blame the cars though, they really are amazing machines.
That ENTIRE statement is false and fictitious.
YOU LOSE.
Please insert coins to continue.
It's not possible for me to lose, I own the ultimate driving machine. (Btw, your wife said to say hello)
Whew, that’s a relief. I thought for a second you might’ve purchased a BMW! Enjoy, good sir.
Oh, and I’ve never been married. I’d appreciate if you stopped referring to your hand as my wife...
While you’re at it...tell “her” to stop sexting me!
My last response to your really sad hate-campaign - you can't buy physics. So when the "European Gouvernment" sets the car industry limits which are absolute nonsens and neither necessary nor realistic - the car industry has to cheat and did nothing wrong.. this "emission-cheating" is the biggest bullshit in the history of the EU and the only reason is politics - those limits have nothing to do with "clean air". i feel sorry for you with your narrow-minded thougts. its hard to read your novels with all those fantasy- and irrelevant "facts" - hope you get well soon buddy and can get off that hate!
That’s not an excuse for blatantly breaking the law, sorry.
There is an actual book about wrongdoings of Toyota called The True Colors of Toyota. Go read it but be careful that your throttle doesn't get stuck on the way to book store.
It may be a quick read compared to the (undoubtedly) copious library of FBI files on the Quandt family’s Nazi ties. Or even the German law enforcement documentation on potential Neo-Nazi infiltration into BMW’s unions. Check out the Telegraph report written by Justin Huggler on February 22nd of this year! It goes great with a slice of humble pie and some Jägermeister.
How much is the Toyota book? Can you provide a link? I’m sure it’s a bargain...like a well-made car.
That said, an internet FULL of BMW’s treachery...is PRICELESS!
Lemme get this straight just so I’m not disappointed. The content of that book is going to trump...
-Utilizing, degrading, abusing, and murdering members of a slave labor force for the sole purpose of empowering the Nazi war machine.
-The decades-long denial of said atrocities.
-Insensitively leveraging the thinly-veiled, racist phrase “German Engineering” after all that.
-Employing a chief designer who casually boasts about the “axis of white power” when referring to their global consumer products.
-Enlists illegal child labor for *sparkly* paint.
-Sells over a million luxury cars that could burn to a crisp PARKED.
-Hires firms to gas HUMANS and animals with toxic fumes. No comment.
-Surely, cheats on emissions.
-Overcharges for crappy, inferior products.
-Expects people to fall for the “World’s ULTIMATE hamburger” routine.
Hmmmm, I think we’ll just have to agree to disagree.
Frankly, I don’t think they make good cars.
I also don’t think they’re a decent car company...nor have they ever been.
Our opinions clearly differ, but the FACTS remain FACTS.
No need to worry about the throttle. The floor mats on ALL of my cars (regardless of make) have always been installed properly.
I’ll be sure to use my turn signals too.
*Wink, wink...
Question: how does such 'stance' influence the ride/handling? It looks like it actually makes the handling worse to me but I'm not a suspension guru...
I'd like to hear more about this - I can't imagine it helps either. Does removing any suspension travel make it feel a bit wooden in corners?
You have to use stiffer springs to keep it from bottoming out. Additionally, the unnecessary amount of camber creates a smaller tire contact patch, so mechanical grip is reduced.
Absolutely nothing that makes these cars "stanced" adds anything in the handling department, actually it's totally the opposite.
I like everything about this car - except the stance.
Wheels, paint, interior etc all very nice.
I too would like to know how well it actually drives and handles.
Like the tartan seats. Are there extra cool points for having a left hand drive BMW in Japan?
Extra points yes lol
Really loving the tartan seats.
Those seats are fantastic.
Perhaps something to do on yours?
Not that I have anything against SMG, so far I still have it in my M3, but I'd either go with a manual swap or for a steering wheel with paddles. This is a strange combo. Also, I guess this car is really only driveable in Tokyo - anywhere else you'd end up with a cracked oil pan several times per day with this stance being static...
He doesn't live in Tokyo haha
Oh I'm sorry - "On the smooth roads of Japan’s capital city there are definitely no problems."
Maybe they changed when I wasn't looking?
It looks great but the E46 SMG is unfortunately a really bad transmission..
Usually those M's sound really cool and there are different ways to make it sound louder/more "sporty" - but this thing sounds like crap. Mostly because of removing the mid silencer, instead of replacing with another exhaust system..
But it looks damn sexy
I wouldn't say it sounds crap, just very quiet
maybe i'm wrong - haven't heard it in real life.. only the owners choice matters, he has to be satisfied by the sound of his ride
Toyota products (primarily Lexus models in the US) are the most direct comparison. If Acura made RWD sedans, that’d work too, but alas they don’t. Infiniti is a decent comparison, but the Lexus IS, GS, RCs generally are regarded as sportier than their offerings.
As far as the M2/M3/M4/M5/X5M/X6Ms go...even if they are nice to drive the novelty wears off when you can’t DRIVE them. For the record, Lexus models drive exceedingly well also. Hell, even a new Mustang is giving them a run for the money these days...if driving dynamics are the metrics we’re comparing!
Now, I’m well aware that many BMW owners (especially in California) trade their cars in before problems arise (or major servicing is required) so I know all this quality/reliability talk may fall on deaf ears. However, it is pertinent to the makings of a quality vehicle.
Hey, I’m not taking the blame for destroying the whole “BMW product-family”!
They did it themselves sometime between their decades-long, denial of using slave labor (Google: “BMW slave labor”) and the introduction of the base model, 2-Series! Oh, and before anyone mentions VW group and Mercedes-Benz also used slave labor...it’s worth knowing BMW denied the (very few) survivors acknowledgement and reparations for YEARS. VW and Mercedes-Benz at least attempted to make amends much earlier. Even Michael Moore had to bust their chops before they did anything!
As far as the transmissions go...I’m sure they’re lovely NOW.
Just give it a while before presuming they’ll have longevity. Or, in the meantime, try Googling “BMW transmission failure” and see what naive owners have been through.
Frankly, if I had to go German, I’d take my chances with an Audi. Dual-clutch plus terrific magnetic suspensions. They’re consistently better looking too...in spite of being slightly less “Ultimate”.
what is happening with this exhaust
super RS and those seats - oof!
It sounds like a ricer honda civic imo, hey if the owner likes it then good on him/her.