It's not Throwback Thursday but a rather nice, sunny Saturday morning, so why write about the old E46 BMW M3? Well, first of all, it is one of the sexiest generations ever made, and second, it has just received new upgrades signed by Vorsteiner.
The American tuner with a German name took to social media recently to drop images of the upgrades adorning the body of the old M3. Made of carbon fiber, the upgrades are simple yet effective, and they boost the appeal of the modern-classic sports coupe.
Up front, it has a new aero element attached to the bumper. The diffuser piece at the opposite end is also part of the novelties that bear Vorsteiner's signature, and so is the new trunk lid. A center console on the inside, made of the same lightweight material, rounds off the proposal.
As we mentioned in the title, these goodies are on the spicy part as far as the Benjamins go. You are looking at $2,695 for the front bumper add-on, according to the tuner's official website. The rear diffuser will set you back $1,495, and you will have to pay another $2,395 for the trunk lid with its integrated ducktail spoiler. Finally, the center console will set you back $995.
Photo: Vorsteiner
This works out to a grand total of $7,580, and that likely does not include any other work. Should they go for one of the wheel sets available, then interested parties can fork out much more than that, depending on the selection. Vorsteiner has multiple alloys in store that fit the E46 generation of the BMW M3, including sets that were made of carbon fiber.
The upgrades suit the 2000 to 2006 model year cars, meaning the entire production run of the E46 M3. And since they haven't mentioned anything about the oily bits, we can assume that a power boost is not on the menu for the model that preceded the E92 (Coupe) and E93 (Convertible) M3. If you forgot, the E46 M3 was only offered in the Coupe and Convertible body styles. For the F8X generation, BMW decided to use the M4 moniker on the two-door Ms.
Now, back to the engine, which is a 3.2-liter straight-six on the top flavor of the E46, with no forced-induction trickery. The naturally aspirated mill was capable of pumping out 338 hp (343 ps/252 kW) when the car rolled off the assembly line, and its thrust was rated at 269 lb-ft (365 Nm). The lighter CSL was a bit punchier and brought additional goodies to the party.
So, if you were the proud owner of the E46 BMW M3, would you really go for Vorsteiner's carbon fiber upgrades, or would you turn to a different tuner to save some cash?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News