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
Pat Estudillo’s E46 BMW M3
Engine
BMW S54, HorsepowerFreaks Stage 2.5 turbo system, Precision PT6766 billet wheel turbo, HPF built motor, ARP L19 head studs, HPF 3rd gen forged pistons with heavy duty wrist pins, HPF connecting rods, HPF torque plated head, full port and polished head, HPF diamond-cut cylinder walls, HKS twin SSQ blow-off valves, TiAL MVR wastegate, HPF ceramic-coated turbo manifold, HPF 4×24-inch polished front-mount intercooler, HPF polished intercooler piping, HPF silicon couplers with T-bolt clamps, HPF full polished intake manifold, HPF Stage 4 carbon fiber intake, HPF methanol tank, FJO methanol fogger, FJO methanol pump, HPF stainless methanol line fittings, Stage 2 methanol solenoid, Stage 2 methanol solenoid harness, HPF Stage 3 fuel system, Walbro pump, HPF fuel filter, HPF RC 1,100cc high impedence fuel injectors, Denso Iridium spark plugs, HPF remote oil pump, HPF stainless high temp oil feed & return lines, HPF Stage 3 downpipe, HPF Stage 3 open wastegate dump tube, HPF engine management system, HPF wiring harness, HPF factory DME connector, HPF large core oil cooler, HPF Performance fan clutch, AEM 3.5bar MAP sensor, HPF motor mounts, JIC/Cross stainless steel exhaust piping, Agency Power rear muffler with 80mm titanium tips, Rogue Engineering brushed aluminum oil cap, VRS 2-tone carbon fiber engine cover, carbon fiber DME cover, carbon fiber ballast cover, custom carbon fiber bin cover, Bimmian full chrome oil cap
Driveline
Factory manual transmission, Clutch Masters FX850 bronze twin-plate clutch & flywheel, Autosolutions short shift kit, DSS Stage 5 axles
Suspension/Brakes
AirREX full performance suspension, AirREX full digital controlled air compressor, AirREX 3-gallon air tank, custom trunk enclosure mount for compressor and tank, AirREX electronic solenoids, Dixis full titanium front strut tower bar, Eibach adjustable front & rear anti-sway bars, Radenergie full carbon fiber adjustable rear control arms, HPF 8-point chassis brace, Turner polyurethane front & rear control arm bushings, Brembo GT 8-piston front brake calipers, Brembo GT 2-piece 380mm cross-drilled front rotors, custom brushed aluminum rotor hats with custom engraving, Brembo GT 4-piston rear brake calipers, Brembo GT 345mm cross-drilled rear rotors, custom brake caliper brackets by Oink Fabrications, Brake calipers custom painted green, stainless steel braided lines
Wheels/Tires
Work VS-XX 20×9.5-inch (front) 20×12.5-inch (rear) Toyo Proxes T1S tires 255/30R20 (front) 305/25R20 (rear), Rennspec stud conversion, 326Power extended lug nuts
Exterior
Lexus LFA White Nova Pearl paint, Flossman GTR widebody conversion, Flossman GTR front bumper, Flossman GTR front fenders with shaved vents, Flossman GTR side skirts, Flossman GTR rear fenders extended 1-inch, Flossman GTR rear bumper, custom front fender vent slits, custom rear fender vents slits, VRS carbon rear diffuser molded, Hamann brake duct covers custom molded, Seibon carbon fiber GTR hood, Voltex Type-V 1,600mm carbon fiber GT wing, custom aluminum wing risers chassis mounted, Voltex carbon front canards, custom front chassis mounted race splitter, Varis 3-piece carbon fiber race diffuser, shaved side mouldings, shaved side markers, Aerocatch hood locks, Depo smoked corner lenses, ACS roof spoiler, matte black side fender grilles, matte black front kidney grilles, carbon fiber front grilles
Interior
Recaro ASM RS-G Ruby Edition bucket seats, Recaro JDM full mounting hardware, Takata MPH-340 Racing harnesses, Takata gel foam shoulder pads, Key!s Racing Deep cone steering wheel, Momo steering wheel adapter hub, 9K Racing black anodised quick-release hub, headliner custom black suede with red stitching, A, B, C pillars custom black suede with red stitching, custom 4-point roll bar with removable harness bar, roll bar custom powder coated white, carbon fiber ashtray overlay, carbon fiber center shifter trim, carbon fiber center console overlay, OEM Euro center tray, Hamann aluminum gear shifter, LeatherZ Imola Red/black stitch shift boot, LeatherZ Imola Red/Black stitch E-brake boot, Bimmian brushed aluminum e-brake handle, Bimmian brushed aluminum pedal set and dead pedal, Defi BF Series oil pressure gauge, Defi control module, AEM digital air/fuel ratio gauge, AEM digital boost gauge, HPF steering column gauge pod, HPF knock siren, HPF race mode switch with key and LED indicator, HPF methanol activation switch, polished fire extinguisher
