My M's: E36 M3 AC Schnitzer CLS and E46 M3 (Pic Heavy)

[DubsterACS]

I've been a bit of an M addict for a few years now, in 2006 I turned 21 and had saved to get insurance on my first M car, 1994 E36 M3 3.0 Coupe in Dakar Yellow with Extended Black Leather:




In 2008 I managed to tempt the owner of a genuine AC Schnitzer CLS Coupe to part company with it, I still have this car and have carried out a bit of work to it.
Pics below are how it looked when I got it in 2008:




Currently it now looks like this:











Spec:

1996 E36 M3 AC Schnitzer CLS Widebody Coupe
Estoril Blue with Black Leather (extended)
Climate Control and Sunroof
68000miles
Full Service History - Main BMW Dealer plus Specialists (just had Insp 2 this year)
ACS Carbon Fibre / Kevlar Widebody Conversion before the car was registered inc Front and Rear Bumpers, Side Skirts, Front Wings and Rear Arches.
ACS Rear Top Spoiler
M3 GT Rear Boot Spoiler
ACS Door Mirrors (different shape on either side)
18" ACS Type 3 Racing Splits with Michelin Pilot Sports
HSD Fully Adjustable Coilover Suspension
ACS Short Shift
CRN Performance Discs with Yellowstuff Pads
ACS Engine Tuning (runs approx 332bhp)
ACS Uprated Anti Roll Bars front and rear
ACS Front and Rear Strut Braces
K&N Induction Kit
Infinity Exhaust system
ACS Fuel Filler Conversion
ACS Steering Wheel
ACS Carbon Interior Trim - centre console, door pulls etc
ACS Numbered Plaque showing this car was number 5 of 8 made worldwide.....the only coupe in Estoril Blue


Many people have commented that is 'the way the E36 M3 should have looked like'. Whether its the ultimate E36 M3 is down to each persons individual tastes however this car never fails to bring a smile to my face in terms of both performance, driving pleasure and the fact you will not see another E36 like this on the road. It is believed to have been 1 of 3 Coupe's made in RHD for UK customers. The original owner spec'd an Evo and then had this conversion done by AC Schnitzer before the car was registered. The conversion costed approx 35k.

Unfortunately this car is for sale at the minute as I have my sights set on a non-motoring related project but have purchased its replacement already, just recently picked another M3 up from Warrington. Its a 2002 E46 M3 Coupe in Laguna Seca Blue with Black Leather and high spec - Xenons, 19s, Heated/Electric/Memory Seats, TV/Satnav, Electric Rear Blind, Climate Control, Sunroof, Auto Lights/Wipers, Harmon Kardon. Havent got working on it yet (I valet and detail cars in my spare time) but here's a few pictures:







Got a few plans for the E46 but at the minute I've carried out the most important mod....fitted an Intravee iPod connection.

[E30M3SE]

Nice.

The CLS is currently 'for sale' with Nick Johnson, right?

[anonymous-user]

E30M3SE said:

Nice.

The CLS is currently 'for sale' with Nick Johnson, right?

yes 30k that is csl money..

I like the car but not my tastes much prefer the standard e36.

[DubsterACS]

Yes Nick has advertised it for me, car is not with him currently though, its still with me in Northern ireland.

[rb5er]

Love the e36, looks very special with the wide wings etc. Personally much prefer the less blingy wheels that came with it though.

[DubsterACS]

rb5er said:

Love the e36, looks very special with the wide wings etc. Personally much prefer the less blingy wheels that came with it though.

Thanks! The wheels are a sore point, the less blingy wheels were 19s and way too big, they messed the handling up really badly and wrecked the suspension which is why i fitted HSD Coilovers to replace the original AC Schnitzer Racing suspension it was spec'd with. The wheels I changed to are genuine 18" AC Schnitzer Type3 Racing Split Rims, E46 M3 offset so very hard to find, I found these on ebay.de and snapped them up quickly. The original spec of the car had Type Racing Splits so it is supposed to have Racing splits on it, I just choose a fresher set.

[M3CS]

DubsterACS said:

Yes Nick has advertised it for me, car is not with him currently though, its still with me in Northern ireland.

I've often wondered how someone like him sources all the CSLs he gets (and this beauty too!)....had assumed it's via enthusiast forums - is that how he found you, just out of interest?

[Chris Peacock]

Wow,!...shirley the E36 is a keeper!?....

If it's up for 30k now, it has got to be worth another few quid in 5-10 years time?....

Great piece(s) BTW.

[Pugland53]

Love the Schnitzer, I'd keep it if I were you.

[thatsprettyshady]

M3CS said:

I've often wondered how someone like him sources all the CSLs he gets (and this beauty too!)....had assumed it's via enthusiast forums - is that how he found you, just out of interest?

I'm currently selling my CSL through Nick and since I purchased the car from him originally it seemed to make sense that he should sell it on.

I would imagine that this is how he "buys" a large portion of his stock list

[melvster]

The 3.0 M3 IMO is the nicest of the lot, just perfect and a great colour.

[DubsterACS]

M3CS said:

I've often wondered how someone like him sources all the CSLs he gets (and this beauty too!)....had assumed it's via enthusiast forums - is that how he found you, just out of interest?

Yes partly but also, i had the car advertised on all the usual places in November and he spotted it for sale and being a specialist he was quite intrigued by it. He offered to advertise it for me and I had noticed his name against lots of M3 adverts over the past few years and had heard good reports about him, after speaking at length with him I was happy he was the right person to be advertising my car. Being in NI there's not an awful lot of scope to sell a car like this over here so Nick knows the UK market very well and even further across Europe.

[DubsterACS]

Chris Peacock said:

Wow,!...shirley the E36 is a keeper!?....

If it's up for 30k now, it has got to be worth another few quid in 5-10 years time?....

Great piece(s) BTW.

Yeah I wish I could keep it but I've had 4 and half years of pure enjoyment owning it and so I think its time to let it go, also I have just committed to my first house so funds need to come from somewhere. The E46 is a compromise, I wanted something a lot cheaper but that i could use a bit more - the CLS was rarely out on the road as I have a company car and mainly was scared to use it (front bumper = £1500...if you can get Schnitzer to make it!!). It wil definitely be an investment for someone whoever buys it.

[DubsterACS]

melvster said:

The 3.0 M3 IMO is the nicest of the lot, just perfect and a great colour.

Thanks, it really was a great car, i drove it everyday to and from work for the first year of ownership. I re-registered it when i bought the CLS so the new reg that went on it was a NI reg starting with GIG - would love to know where it ended up.

The CLS is a different beast though :-)

[sutts]

I love the ACS car and like the E46 a lot, but if it were mine I'd lose the M badge from the front immediately.

[DubsterACS]

sutts said:

I love the ACS car and like the E46 a lot, but if it were mine I'd lose the M badge from the front immediately.

My thoughts exactly...done today!

[sutts]

Much better!

[Wills2]

Wow that CLS is a rare car, I would try and keep it.

[melvster]

O/T topic slightly but is that an AX GT hiding at the side of the garage ?

Edited by melvster on Tuesday 1st January 11:32

[Leins]

Was parked up beside your CLS at the NI Show this year. Great car, and looks even better than it does in the pics!