gavriil

Tuned for Luxury: Ultima Performance BMW 330Ci
Prerequisite: Conversion. The parts may be greater than the whole


By RICHARD CHANG

Andrae Singh, a Queens, New York, resident and computer-store owner, is a self-described techno-geek. That’s why he first got into building an audio system for his SUV, but that’s as far as the mods went.

“I never really got into doing rims and things like that,” he admitted, “it was more for practical use.”



But all that changed about a year ago, when he traded in the SUV for a BMW 330Ci. Not too long after that, he was logging an unhealthy number of hours on BMW Internet forums and hooked on the idea of tuning his car. And right away, he diagnosed a defining characteristic of BMW tuning, a pattern he didn’t want to follow.

“The thing with the BMW community is that you have a lot of purists,” Singh explained, “like people who go strictly with Hamann. I didn’t want to build a catalog car. I really wanted to mix and match, but you have to be very careful to see what flows well together.”

That’s why he turned to Ultima Performance, a highly respected retailer and tuner in the Japanese import scene, where the commingling of body parts, or conversion, is almost a prerequisite. Singh was friends with Ultima’s owner Michael Rivera even before he owned the BMW, and he knew Ultima was trying to break into the German market (under the moniker Ultima Technik). For Singh, it was the perfect match.

“Ultima brought their ideas from the Japanese domestic market,” he said. “They were definitely a big help, offering ideas and insights you weren’t seeing from the Euro scene.”

Don’t worry, there aren’t any Skyline taillights or Mugen graphics on the 330Ci. “I like everything to be a balance of form and function. Nothing too out-there.”

Of course, that depends on perspective. The 330Ci has a complete M3 front-end conversion, with an M3 hood and bumper, and altered fenders to accommodate the changes. All pieces have been molded together to hide the seams. The same goes for the bodywork on the rest of the car (the AC Schnitzer rear lip and Hamann GTR side skirts).

Inside the cabin you’ll find stealth gadget jobs like the push-button starter from the Z8 and a custom-mounted Alpine stereo head unit with a motorized faceplate that hides a series of digital gauges. But it’s not packed with TVs or chrome bottles of NOS.



“I really don’t see the need for it,” Singh said. “I’m just going for something that still looks OE, but modified. It has to look like it belongs on the car.”

Don’t be taken in by Singh’s mission statement and the car’s civil appearance. This is still very much a show car. It makes every import car show in the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut area and has its share of flash items, like strobe lights and neon in the trunk, 19-inch HRE forged three-piece wheels, and outrageous 15-inch Brembo brakes (built especially for Ultima Performance). The car is equipped with a Kelleners/ASA SK1 supercharger with a 7-psi pulley, and Ultima mildly tunes the ECU and exhaust. But according to Singh, that’s only good for 285 hp. Clearly, brakes the size of Kansas are meant more for show, intended to grab attention rather than scrub speed. But that might change soon.

Singh, who moderates his own BMW forum, says, “The car’s not crazy fast, but better than before. It’s at M3 power right now, but I’m looking for more. I have plans for the car.”

For more information call (516) 593-3500 or visit ultimaperformance.com

Red Nj-s

sweet as hell looking, too bad the new 3-series looks awful

ApocalypseCL

oh my goodness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See i cant help but love BMW when they constantly bring cars like this!!!!

Guru

Why not just get an M3?

neoprufrok

My thoughts exactly. The price difference after all those mods has got to come close to the price of an M3.

Even after getting a bigger turbo, some suspension mods, and some brake mods... my A4 still would come in well below the cost of an S4, and be close in performance.

ApocalypseCL

come on guys we all know with all the money that we put into modding our cars we could just get a better car instaed so it the same thing. Theres guys that spend like 15 G's on their CL why not just use that to get something better. Same thing you see.

danny25

For most people, I don't think the plan at the beginning is to spend enough money to have been able to buy a Vette instead. It just ends up that way over the years.

Chaptorial

An M3 in sheeps clothing.

Crazy Bimmer

soo pretty

gavriil

I am assuming the M3 has a lot less torque than this.

Crazy Bimmer

you are correct gav