Member Feature – Alpine White BMW 3 Series Full Conversion

This beautifully done up sedan has come a long way since its owner, Richard,
decided to take it up a few levels from its original sapphire black version.
Over the past 2 years, a lot of detailed planning and tastefully done modifications
have turned this 3 series into a head turning attraction in the roads of Jakarta,
Indonesia.

Richard’s original dream was to build his own Racing Dynamics version,
however his plans were halted when research showed that the Racing Dynamics
RS2 wheels wouldn’t fit his newly bought Brembo Big Brake kit. From that
moment on, it was a venture and inspiration into a completely different and
unique style.

The first purchase was a drool worthy DPE LS5 rims from the United States.
Front rim specifications were 19”x9” and the rear, 19”x10”
with a custom offset which meant that this would be a perfect fit for his enhanced
braking systems. An excruciating 6 months to wait for the rims were well worth
the trouble as he started to work on the other aspects of the car. An Air Runner
and AccuAir suspension system was selected to withstand the demanding and often
non-perfect roads within the city, while giving it the exquisite low-rider look.

The exterior body of the BMW was custom molded with larger, flared front and
rear fenders right up to the front bumpers, to give it a wide body pose. It
was also stressed to his workmen to give the exterior a natural look without
being over the top like most European tuners.

The bonnet was replaced with a new facelifted hood with a custom BMW M3 power
dome, paired perfectly together with a custom M3 bumper with molded Hamann foglights
and a rare Strassentech Carbon Fibre lip. The end result – an aggressive yet
extremely clean look. Alpine White was chosen as the final color to match with
the DPE Titanium asphalt wheels, and the roof was painted black to enhance it
with a panoramic roof effect.

Completing the look was the replacement of the side marker with the M3 marker,
coupled with grills and side skirt. Together with the initial wide body enhancement,
the exterior was almost perfect! To complete the entire look, a BMW CSL trunk
lid and M3 rear apron was added on to the rear of Richard’s ride. A carbon
fibre CSL rear diffuser was fitted, combined with a quad custom staggered exhaust
tip.

Lighting enhancements included an additional 10 puddle lamps, retrofitted HID
projectors with DDE (Daylight Demon Eyes) together with M3 fog lights. The rear
light assembly was replaced with a special LED conversion which is unique to
coupes. Dark tints of 80% were applied all round to hide the occupants effectively
and to finish off a cool slick look.

While the interior and I.C.E setup has not been completed just yet, Richard
commented that all the modifications done so far were just a small part of his
complete BMW makeover plan and more updates were soon to follow. Already drawing
plenty of attention and praises from fellow enthusiasts worldwide, he has no
plans to stop just yet with his one of a kind BMW makeover.

For more details and to discuss with Richard on his ongoing work, post your
opinions in this
discussion thread.

BMW E46 3 Series Sedan Specifications
Alpine White 2001, E46 Sedan
Super Deep Black roof
Black / Grey interior
Steptronic Transmission

Exterior modification:
• Black Kidney Grille
• BMW CF Roundel
• Deep Black Roof
• Key Caps
• Llumar 20% Gold Series Clear tint front
• Llumar 80% Super Black tint left
• Llumar 80% Super Black tint rear
• Llumar 80% Super Black tint right
• M3 Black Side Grille
• M3 CSL CF Diffuser
• M3 CSL Trunk
• M3 Custom Front spoiler with fog
• M3 Custom Rear apron
• M3 Foldable Side Mirror
• M3 Quad Custom Exhaust
• M3 Side Skirt
• M-Technic Floor Mats
• Sharks Fin GPS Antenna
• Strassentech Style Custom CF Lips

Interior Modification:
• Arm Rest
• Custom Facelift Engine Hood with M3 Dome
• Euro Tray
• Leather Handbrake
• M3 Silver Gauge Rings
• M3 SMG II Gear Knob Conversion
• M3 SMG Steering Wheel
• M-Technic A/T Pedal
• M-Technic Black Cube Trim
• M-Technic Dead Pedal
• M-Technic Door Sills
• Nokia Blue Tooth Hands Free Module
• Steptronic Paddle-Shifter Retrofit
• More to come

Engine Progress:
• Alutec CF Front Struts Bar
• CF Cold Air Intake

Lighting Modification:
• Black Headlights trim
• Clear Signal
• DDE Enhanced Phosphyre Halos
• M3 Fog Lamp
• M3 Side Signal
• OEM Xenon Projector
• Philips Crystal Vision HiBeam
• Philips Silver Vision
• Philips Xenon 6000K (Headlight & Fog)

Tire & Suspension:
• AccuAir Control System
• Air Runner Suspension
• Brembo Grand Turisimo
• Pirelli P7000 235x35x19 front
• Pirelli P7000 265x30x19 rear
• Titanium Asphalt DPE LS5 19"x10" rear
• Titanium Asphalt DPE LS5 19"x9" front

ICE Modification:
• Work in Progress

Below is a detailed work in progress photo log. Impressive!