Although a set of polished wheels was built for the car, these were later swapped for a more unique set. As the GM of iForged, there was no problem finding the ideal shoes. "iForged builds custom two- and three-piece forged aluminum wheels. Everything is built for custom applications including finish, style, size and offset. The wheels I have now are three-piece construction since the sizes are limited on two-piece wheels - with three-piece you can design in 0.5" increments, so my wheels have a 3.5" chrome lip in the front, and 6" chrome lip in the rear. I could have actually gone wider but the dimensions work well for the staggered look."
The new dubs measured 9.5" wide in the front and 11" in the rear. Interestingly, the car has different wheel designs on each side. "You never get to see both sides of the car at the same time," he smiled. "It allows us to show off two designs at once."
A Daytona split-seven-spoke wheel is fitted to the driver side, while Imola ten-spokes were mounted to the passenger side.
Steven's goal for the widebody was wider rubber, so Yokohama Advan Sport tires measure 255/30-20 on the front and 305/25-20 on the rear. "Before the widebody, there wasn't enough traction with 275 tires in the back. Now with 305s the car has a wider stance and more grip."
It was inevitable the owner would seek to improve the braking of the heavy sedan, and he did so with Rotora units. "I used to have StopTech brakes but after the supercharger was installed the 14" rotors and four-piston calipers weren't enough. Nobody makes an eight-piston caliper kit except Rotora.I installed their front and rear packages and the stopping power is right, while pedal pressure feels like stock."
To cool the massive brakes, Steven fitted Active Autowerke brake ducts, which draw air from the front of the car.
With the exterior planned for several years, Steven had already completed the interior. The seats, door panels, headliner, pillars and visors were reupholstered in violet suede, while silver carbon trim evokes a motorsport sensation. In a crafty move, the foglight switch was replaced with a BMW Z8 starter button wired to the ignition.
Last on Steven's list was the stereo. It was actually one of the first things changed on the car, but he plans to make drastic changes in the near future, adding more TVs and up-to-date audio components.
Regardless of future plans, the stereo was still impressive, with an Alpine DVD/TV head unit fitted in the factory location. It has a 7" display and there were two Vivo 7" LCD monitors in the headrests, with two more in the sunvisors.
The trunk houses a custom enclosure for gigantic 15" MB Quart subwoofers and Rockford Fosgate amplifiers. To improve the treble, a set of MB Quart Q-line components complete the sound experience.
Steven credits several of his friends and business partner with the completion of his 540i. As a senior member of one of the nation's largest Euro car clubs and employee of a popular wheel manufacturer, his connections have enabled the completion of this voluptuous, violet 5-Series.
Location:
Mission Viejo, CA
Occupation:
General Manager, iForged
'99 BMW 540i
Engine: 4.4 liter 32v V8 with VF-Engineering supercharger kit, custom Magnaflow quad exhaust, billet oil caps, color-matched engine cover
Driveline: six-speed manual transmission with Spec stage 3+ clutch, UUC short shifter kit, clutch delay valve
Suspension: FK Konigsport adjustable coilovers
Wheels & Tires: 20x9.5" front and 20x11" rear iForged Daytona (driver's side) and Imola (passenger's side) wheels, 255/30-20 front and 305/25-20 rear Yokohama Advan Sport tires
Brakes: Rotora eight-piston front calipers with 15" cross-drilled rotors and four-piston rear calipers with 14" cross-drilled rotors, Active Autowerke brake cooling ducts
Exterior: custom metal widebody, BMW M5 front bumper, Hamann Competition front spoiler and foglight covers, Hamann skirts molded to body, carbon eyelids and front grille, carbon M3 side vents, G-Power rear bumper, custom molded carbon CSL-style trunk spoiler, Hagus Sport mirrors, OE European clear angle eye headlights, 8000K HIDs, OE red/clear Celis tail lights, MA-Shaw carbon hood, carbon B- and C-pillar covers, car painted BASF Carizzma Colors candy fuchsia over violet
Interior: suede front and rear seat inserts, door panels, headliner, pillars and visors, UUC Motorwerks RK3 illuminated shift knob, silver carbon trim, AC Schnitzer pedals and e-brake handle, BMW Z8 engine start button, OE M5 dead pedal
Audio/Visual: Alpine IVA-D900 7" head unit, 12-disc MP3 changer and navigation DVD mounted in glovebox, MB Quart Q-line component speakers and two 15" subwoofers in custom enclosure with Line-X, three Rockford Fosgate amplifiers, two Vivo 7" LCD monitors In headrests and two in front visors, 5" rearview mirror monitor
Thanks: iForged Performance Alloys, VF-Engineering, BASF, DTM Autohas, Instyle Graphics Clear Bra, Euphoric Designs, ES Technical Roadsports, Nitrous Express, Spec Clutch, M1 Autobody, Kreative Interiors, Rotora Brakes, Vivo Electronics, MB Quart, Rockford Fosgate, Yokohama Tires, Magnaflow Exhaust Systems, Fox Marketing, Racingcode