e46 M3 Dual-Purpose Build

[JCH88]

I have been meaning to start a build thread on my e46 M3, my attainable dream car. Other than a 911 GT3, it is the e46 M3 that has always been super desirable for me, the high revving S54 straight six, the perfect proportions, and those lovely flared arches that make it, in my view, the perfect modern classic.

My intention was to build the car into a dual-purpose road and track toy. With two young children, I do not currently have time to adequately use a purpose built track car, so happy to accept some comprise both on the road and on track.

I bought the car in March 2023 after a long search. This example had a number of modifications that I would have wanted to do anyway and was in tip top condition having been looked after by Redish with recent head work. A quick rundown of the spec when I bought it:

93k
Slick top
Manual
Genuine CSL bootlid
Genuine CSL wheels
Carbon airbox (Geoff Steel)
Nitron coilovers
Eibach ARBs
AP racing brakes front and rear
Recent paintwork and detail
Purple tag rack and solid coupler

I bought the car on my first viewing, in the snow, and drove it home immediately.

A few pics from the advert:

[JCH88]

The car had just been detailed and ceramic coated before sale:

[Paddymcc]

that looks great

carbon black looks brilliant in the sun too

[JCH88]

Having got her home, it was time to inspect the underside condition....which looked like a 20 year old UK car....

Not happy with how crusty it was, and how the previous RACP repair looked, I set about finding someone to restore the underside with a focus on the rear end.












Coilovers and brakes also looked crusty and showing signs of their age.

[JCH88]

Paddymcc said:

that looks great

carbon black looks brilliant in the sun too

Thanks! I agree, looks blue a lot of the time; really nice colour on these.

[JCH88]

In the end I used the late great Shaun Gosling at Gosling Racing and Independent Design. Unfortunately, Shaun is no longer with us which hit me hard as we became good friends over the few years he looked after my car. A genuine, very skilled bloke, and a big loss for the community.

How the car looked initially all stripped down














First was a good clean up and replacement of the RACP reinforcement plates

[JCH88]

Application of OEM colour underseal










And the start of some reassembly

[JCH88]

In terms of the subframe/running gear...we had a bit of scope creep. The idea was to just rejuvenate the existing elements; however, when I priced up having the Nitrons serviced and new springs, camber plates, etc, man maths told me a new set of coilovers was the better option. In the end I opted for Intrax 1K2 based on a lot of strong reviews. We used a mix of powerflex and OE bushes to get the perfect balance of tightness without too much harshness given the use case of the car (mixed road/track)











Then an exciting box arrived







Final assembly

[JCH88]

Had one of Shaun's rear braces fitted too for a. bit more rigidity and peace of mind





Did a minor refresh of the front end too, but looking for a full Reno there in winter 2026





Had the car aligned and corner weighted, still pretty heavy but at least sub 1500kg





Had a minor issue with the old driveshafts flinging their grease everywhere on my newly restored underside, so ordered a new set directly from BMW.

[tgr]

Beautiful!

[MDMA .]

That is a very nice looking car. Some superb mods too. The lad who has just done my exhaust is a making a few for the E46 M3 now.

https://www.facebook.com/lostinfab/posts/bmw-e46-m...

[jon-yprpe]

The exhaust - how much, and how is it on the road for drone etc? I feel I need one

The lost in fab one!

Edited by jon-yprpe on Thursday 14th May 10:19

[Escort3500]

Thread bookmarked

What a great car - my favourite BMW. Subtle, understated and cool, unlike the majority of current BMWs!

[JCH88]

tgr said:

Beautiful!

Thanks!

[JCH88]

MDMA . said:

That is a very nice looking car. Some superb mods too. The lad who has just done my exhaust is a making a few for the E46 M3 now.

https://www.facebook.com/lostinfab/posts/bmw-e46-m...

Thanks, those exhausts look great. Mine is already a Milltek so probably won't change just yet.

[JCH88]

jon-yprpe said:

The exhaust - how much, and how is it on the road for drone etc? I feel I need one

It's a Milltek non-resonated that was on the car when I bought it. It does drone a little at certain RPMs but does sound great...that said I am far more into the induction bark with the carbon airbox, which sounds incredible

[JCH88]

Escort3500 said:

Thread bookmarked

What a great car - my favourite BMW. Subtle, understated and cool, unlike the majority of current BMWs!

Thanks, and I agree. While I do like the look of some new M cars, a lot of them seem a bit overdone. I love the simplicity of the e46 design, I don't think it will ever 'date'

More updates to come...

[AB]

Love that, I have a CB Z4M with CSL alloys, a tremendous combination in my humble opinion. I also have a similar airbox which sounds great.

I added an Eisenmann Race exhaust which works well with both of them and the tips make the back end look more aggressive, maybe worth looking at?

Love it, looks brand new (without looking underneath, but you're dealing with that)

Enjoy!

[jon-yprpe]

MDMA . said:

That is a very nice looking car. Some superb mods too. The lad who has just done my exhaust is a making a few for the E46 M3 now.

https://www.facebook.com/lostinfab/posts/bmw-e46-m...

Interesting… any details...what’s it like for noise etc? It looks superb..

[Kev_Mk3]

Stunning car. I was close to getting a CSL but with a baby on the way changed that last minute then they shot up. I'd still love a E46 m3 but worry about the rot so will probably just watch from afar. Great build so far!