What may look like a fairly standard BMW M3 from the E46 era is a true sleeper packing some serious horsepower. You can tell by the subtle carbon fiber accents, hood pins, and K Sport brakes with red calipers this isn’t a standard version of the sports coupe. Its biggest secret lies under the bonnet where the previous owner crammed in an ESS supercharger kit.
Aside from extracting a healthy 575 horsepower from what used to be a naturally aspirated S54 straight-six engine, the person who had the car before the current owner also installed vented fenders at the front. Much like the hood, they’re made from fiberglass to shave off weight. At the back, a subtle trunk lid spoiler attempts to mimic the M3 CSL’s look.
Overall, it’s in pretty good shape visually and mechanically despite having around 120,000 miles (193,000 kilometers) on the odometer. That said, the handbrake is certainly not to be trusted.
While purists would argue nothing beats a naturally aspirated engine, forced induction does deliver that low-end oomph NA engines lack. On an empty backroad in Sheffield, UK, the modified M3 E46 was pushed hard and picked up speed while on the verge of breaking traction. With almost 250 hp more than the standard car, it’s not too surprising the rear axle was struggling to put all that power to the road.
It pulls like a train and we’d be curious to find out how much torque the inline-six delivers with the supercharger. In naturally aspirated form, the 3.2-liter engine produced 365 Nm (269 lb-ft) at 4,900 rpm and an extra 5 Nm in the rare M3 CSL. Forced induction on an M3 E46 might seem sacrilegious, but there’s no denying the extra performance is felt immediately. It’s a good thing this modified car has uprated brakes to cope with the added oomph.
Source: Motor Addicts / You Tube
