2007 BMW 335i - Phuong Phenomenon

It's hard to believe the BMW 335i has only been with us for three years. In '07, the E90/E92 3-Series came to North America equipped with a twin-turbo straight-six engine rated at 300hp and 300 lb-ft. While the new 3er was Bavaria's first factory turbocharged car produced in years, it also sported a handsome facelift and 50:50 weight distribution for superb handling.

Many enthusiasts and tuners rushed to get their hands on the 335i, creating and fitting an assortment of modifications such as bumpers, carbon hoods, software, downpipes, interior trim and more. We've even witnessed a handful of extreme examples such as Technik Engineering's widebody (et 7/07), Studie AG's orange M3-replica (et 5/08) and Nick Lakind's matte-black wrapped sedan (et1/10). But now, we have Phuong Le's blurple coupe to add to the list.

Phuong's 335i is the first E92 we've seen on the West Coast with a full color change. The paint is a fusion of candy blue and purple that tricks your eyes, depending on the light and angle you're looking at it.

The surface of the Work wheels is equally mesmerizing. Called neochrome, it mimics a titanium finish, emitting a rainbow of metallic colors, giving you a hallucinogenic trip when looking at them. These two major changes, along with a well-rounded package of performance parts, have placed Phuong's E92 as one of the best show-stopping BMWs.

At 27, Phuong wasn't always living the life of luxury, driving a Bimmer and working as a successful IT administrator in San Jose, CA. "When you're a freshman at high school, everybody else is getting cars and fixing them up," he started. "I didn't have a job, so I admired other people's cars while wishing for my own."

When Le finally saved enough pennies, he picked up an '86 Toyota Celica. He modified the car as much as he could on a ramen budget, fitting an intake and exhaust. It wasn't until he graduated college he could finally afford a new car worth showing off.

Sadly, he purchased a Mitsubishi Lancer. "I didn't know anything about the car but started going online for the first time," he explained. "I found huge car forums where people were fixing up everything out there."

Attending local meets and befriending enthusiasts, Phuong began to draw inspiration. So the Lancer received most of the common bolt-on parts. It even went through five body kits and two paint jobs.

"It's still my daily driver," he confessed.

However, two years ago, it was time for a change. "The Lancer was such a headache," he admitted. "I just wanted a nice car. I didn't want to mod any more. So I bought the BMW to get away from the tuning scene. But before I knew it, I'd ordered rims and suspension, and had a buyer for my stock wheels. I hopped back online, found the BMW forums and caught the modding bug again..."

19'' Work Meister S1 wheels finished in neochrome for impact

Addressing the stance, Phuong fitted H&R Race springs matched to Koni shocks. Front and rear sway bars minimized body roll.

For wheels, he dipped into his JDM experience and obtained a staggered set of Work Meister S1 wheels in silver. The five-spoke rims were then mounted with low-profile Toyo T1R tires.

Behind the Works were drilled 'n slotted rotors from LTBMW - one of Phuong's main supporters for the project.

With the 335i coming together, misfortune brought M&S Collision into the picture when Phuong was rear-ended on Christmas Eve. Turning misfortune around, he picked up a new M-Tech rear bumper, which M&S painted and installed along with a new exhaust. In addition, he discovered M&S perform custom work, so he kept that in mind for the right opportunity. Which didn't take long...

"I parked for 15min getting groceries when my car was keyed. So I took it to the shop to get an estimate. I suggested we could paint it another color and started looking at color swatches," he recalled.

Originally Montego blue, Phuong wanted more edginess. With the help of M&S, he settled on House of Kolor Candy Cobalt blue pearl.