For the next ten minutes, forget about the new m3. save your money and ego because steven lin's latest project car shows us the twin-turbo 335i has yet to flex its muscle.
A base 335i coupe is powered by 300hp and 300 lb-ft straight six, yet is priced $15000 less than the m3 coupe, making it one of the best cars for the money, especially since a little tlc can make it rival the sportier m3. Just take a look at steven's montego blue example.
At a quick glance, the 335i looks heavily modified with its aggressive styling and eye-catching colors. however, several parts remain stock, such as the interior and stereo, because they already function well from the factory. most of the work on this car is simply bolt-on parts, needing no custom modification or tuning, making the car a great example of a project with both daily drivability and car show potential in mind.
 |  HKS blow-off valve releases...  HKS blow-off valve releases excess boost into atmosphere and makes its signature "psssh" |  Carbon front splitter completes...  Carbon front splitter completes the rieger package |
As the general manger of iforged performance alloys - a brand many euro owners will be familiar with - regular readers will remember steven's previous feature (et 3/07). his first big build was a widebody and supercharged 540i, which created waves in the bmW community and even made an appearance at the '06 sema show in the iforged booth. fast forward one year later and steven sold the 5er to start this new e92 3-series, which was completed moments before the '07 sema show.
The sequel to steven's 540i is just as stunning, but required less work and time to complete. "after driving the 5-series for a while, i knew it was powerful but also big," he told us. "it wasn't as nimble as i wanted and since i've never owned a coupe i thought the new e92 might be nice. i was initially debating whether to go for the e46 m3, but i really liked the e92 body style and the twin-turbo motor was very appealing."
Steven didn't plan to venture as wildly as he did with the 5-series, but aimed to keep his 335i practical for daily driving. "i knew what i wanted to do with the car," he explained. "our wheel line has the perfect price point for 3-series owners so i thought a project car would boost business."
Shortly after the 335i hit north america, steven made a trip to the dealer and pre-ordered his car. few dealers in California kept manual transmissions on the lot so steven had to wait a couple more months for his new baby to be born. eight weeks later, the car arrived with parts awaiting installation.
Back in et 3/07, steven lin's...
Back in et 3/07, steven lin's '99 bmW 540i was one of the most memorable 5-series we've featured. Painted a candy fuchsia over violet, this wild e39 featured a custom widebody, supercharged v8, 20" iforged wheels, rotora brakes and custom interior.
You could probably guess the first thing steven had for his car - the iforged wheels. although they were made from scratch, it only took six weeks to put them together. The forged wheels use a two-piece construction, including a special coating on the lips. "it's something we've just started doing," he revealed. "my wheels use a sapphire-blue clear powdercoat over the lips. You can do it over chrome or polish but i chose chrome because it gives the lips a darker shine. since the car is dark blue, it matches a little better. i personally don't like true color-matched stuff, so that's why the lips have more bling to them, to contrast the car and the wheel centers."
The wheel design is from iforged's precision line and is called the essen. After determining the widest sizes and offset for the car, steven built 20x8.5" front and 20x10" rear wheels. With these sizes, the lips are maximized for depth and brake clearance. the fronts have a 2.5" lip, while the rears sport a massive 4" lip.
Wrapped around the twenties are 30- and 25-series toyo t1r tires to mimic the stock rolling diameter.