Photo: European Auto Source
Oh, the E46 M3… The last true M3, according to some, the best M3 according to others. It's a beautiful car, with a design that withstood the test of time with ease and is still a head turner everywhere it goes.
Compared to recent models, back in the day, the M3 was not as aggressive and not that different from the regular model. You could spot it on the street but it would take longer than today to separate the M3 from the regular 3er.
When this car arrived in the European Auto Source garage it was stock and the owner wanted a little more punch out of the 3.2-liter S54 engine. Therefore, an ESS VT1-445 supercharger was installed for a quick bump in WHP of nearly 100 ponies and 43 lb-ft of torque, reaching 361 WHP and 266 lb-ft WTQ (360 Nm).
While that may seem like an easy task, it's not. What makes this a great upgrade though is the fact that this kit doesn't require an intercooler, making things a lot cleaner down in the engine bay. The reason for that is that there simply isn't a huge amount of air being pulled through the intake that would require such an expensive part to be fitted as well.
Make no mistake though, the guys from ESS have more kits for E46 M3 owners, to make sure everyone gets its fix of forced induction madness. If you want to, you can go as far as 575 HP but your should know that the gains in torque won't be as high. As a matter of fact, they go up to 360 lb-ft (488 Nm) at the wheels which isn't all that much. On the other hand, the modifications needed aren't as huge as, say, for an 800 HP monster like we know exists out there. Oh, and if you want all of this, you should also be prepared to pay some big bucks!
When this car arrived in the European Auto Source garage it was stock and the owner wanted a little more punch out of the 3.2-liter S54 engine. Therefore, an ESS VT1-445 supercharger was installed for a quick bump in WHP of nearly 100 ponies and 43 lb-ft of torque, reaching 361 WHP and 266 lb-ft WTQ (360 Nm).
While that may seem like an easy task, it's not. What makes this a great upgrade though is the fact that this kit doesn't require an intercooler, making things a lot cleaner down in the engine bay. The reason for that is that there simply isn't a huge amount of air being pulled through the intake that would require such an expensive part to be fitted as well.
Make no mistake though, the guys from ESS have more kits for E46 M3 owners, to make sure everyone gets its fix of forced induction madness. If you want to, you can go as far as 575 HP but your should know that the gains in torque won't be as high. As a matter of fact, they go up to 360 lb-ft (488 Nm) at the wheels which isn't all that much. On the other hand, the modifications needed aren't as huge as, say, for an 800 HP monster like we know exists out there. Oh, and if you want all of this, you should also be prepared to pay some big bucks!
Google News