IND Project M3 Showcase
03-07-2011, 08:30 PM
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Green Tea
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IND Project M3 Showcase
Thought I would share! Just grab some beer and enjoy! Fantastic read! 
Originally accessed here: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=405430
All copied.
The aphorism “it’s not the destination, but the journey that counts” is a well worn one, and a lesson that can be applied to any life situation. When looking back at the development of IND’s portfolio service thus far, this old wisdom applies perfectly. More than a means to an end or part of some master plan for IND’s success, IND’s Portfolio Service has made the projects themselves the goal all of us are working for. Working with each client to customize their M3 to their specifications has become an opportunity and a privilege here at IND, and I’d like to thank all of the readers of BimmerPost for helping us realize these opportunities.
With that, here are each of the Portfolio Projects to date, from our own E92 M3 (one of the first modified M3s in the US), all the way to IND’s Red Death, Silver Standard, Blue Max, and many others.
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Project Red Death
The most exciting time in an IND Portfolio project’s development is the day I fly out to inspect our work in person. Making a Portfolio build go well involves so much more behind the scenes planning than many people can understand.
From consulting with Grand Am Cup winning race teams to determine the perfect ride height, to debating for hours about tiny, subtle details like the color of the finishing pieces on the car, to coordinating a completely one-off set of Brembo brakes directly with Brembo, to obtaining a set of HRE wheels designed specifically for the Fall Line motorsport program, completing an IND Portfolio project like Scott’s Dakar Yellow E92 M3 is no easy task. That’s exactly why those few hours spent on the airplane are both so exciting, and so nerve-racking. You think about each modification, each part installed just one more time. Will the ride height of the KW ClubSport coilovers work well with the 275/35/18 Nitto NT05 race tires sitting at each corner of the car? Will the higher spring rate at the front of the car work well with the extra grip available because of the hugely wide front tires? How will the gloss black mirror caps, side markers, grilles, and Vorsteiner front lip work with the Dakar Yellow paint? No matter how many hundreds of hours you spend thinking, planning, and researching, nothing is proven until you meet your client and see the car in person- this is the real moment of truth.
I met Scott in a busy airport parking lot after a long flight from Chicago. Portland’s busy airport could do nothing to conceal this M3, and even though there were cars and SUVs strewn about the parking area, my eyes were instantly drawn to BMW’s classic yellow color. As striking as the car is at first sight, it’s amazing how perfectly the details come together. When designing Scott’s car, Nate and I kept two themes in mind- the car is to be competition inspired, and the car is to be subtle and mature. The gloss black Vorsteiner lip, IND sidemarkers and grilles; the fully painted Vorsteiner bootlid- all of these details work together to give the car a put together appearance that hides the performance that lurks underneath the sheetmetal. The only real giveaway to the driver’s sporting intentions are the strangely huge Nitto NT05 tires and the custom powdercoated Brembo calipers, designed in collaboration with Brembo to mimic the brake calipers used in Brembo’s racing program.
Our first task was to leave Portland for the mountains of Oregon. With thousands of turns, sheer drops, and some of the smoothest road surfaces available in the US, the roads leading up to Oregon’s famous Mt Hood are at least as frightening as they are beautiful. Watching the Dakar M3’s competition proven components work together in harmony over the turns and constant elevation changes leading up to Mt Hood was truly amazing. The Brembo brakes never failed. The KW ClubSports and square 275 tires provided sure footed handling with perfect steering response, and eliminated the understeer inherent in the stock E92 M3. Being able to hear the sonorous exhaust note of the Eisenmann Sport exhaust as the M3 powered through the mountain roads confirmed things for me- this car was absolutely perfect. Watching Scott drive the car, I could tell that the Dakar project that we’d built together was perfectly in tune with his tastes, both visually and with regard to the car’s awesome handling and braking performance.
The amount of beautiful scenery in Oregon is really too great to describe adequately here, and I hope that these photos by my friend Johan can express the feeling of awe that these mountain roads impose on anyone who can make it all the way to the top. I truly felt on top of the world as we had dinner at the Timberline Lodge, looking over the snowy peaks of Mt Hood.
I’d like to thank all of our sponsors and partners in this Portfolio project:
Terrence at Nitto Tire
Gary at Brembo North America
Steve at Fall Line Motorsports
Omar at Active Autowerke
Julius and Johan at WheelSTO
Peter at Vorsteiner
Sven at Eisenmann GmbH
Roy at CA Automotive
I also wanted to personally thank Johan at WheelSTO here, for accompanying me on the trip. Johan’s work ethic made these beautiful photos possible.
Custom Atlantis Blue M3
As featured on M3POST homepage.
Very rarely in life, one will have the opportunity to create something truly unique. Whether it be a work of art, a work of engineering, a work of literature, or anything else, the opportunity to build something that you know has never been done before, and will not be achieved since is an opportunity every person should have the privilege of seizing. For the staff at IND, and for the car’s owner, IND’s Atlantis portfolio car was just this opportunity to make a unique mark on the world.
From the first time I spoke with our client Myke, I knew that his BMW Individual Atlantis E90 M3 was not a car that could be allowed to be in his ownership in factory form. BMW’s Individual program allows the most committed BMW enthusiasts to create their own unique car, with a choice of one-off exterior and interior colors and other options. Myke has a passion for personalized BMW’s that is difficult to match by anybody’s standards, and I knew immediately that we could create an amazing car together.
Through hundreds of phone calls, emails, and private messages, one thing became very clear to me- Myke is not afraid to take risks in creating his own interpretation of the already classic E90 M3. Several moments of constructing the car were downright nerve racking- will the wheels fit the overall theme of the car? Was it a mistake to apply gloss black powdercoat to the already beautiful Akrapovic exhaust tips? Will our hand built Carbon Fiber roof panel fit? Commitments like these required absolutely no fear.
When talking about IND’s Atlantis, the first thing that needs to be mentioned is the color. Available only through BMW’s Individual program, and only with the express approval of the BMW Individual program’s director, BMW Atlantis Metallic is a slap in the face to the average gray, silver, and white cars in your office parking garage. Vibrant does not begin to describe it. Atlantis Metallic shifts from Estoril blue to Avus blue to shades of green and teal, and simply can’t be captured by a single description. All of the staff at IND knew that the wrong modifications would ruin a car of this caliber, and so had to tread carefully.
From the start of the project, the centerpiece of the car would be the completely one-off carbon fiber roof panel. Because E90 M3s never came with a Carbon roof from the factory, we knew that this one item alone would set the car apart from any other like it. Myke even changed the build specifications of his car from a sunroof equipped car to a non sunroof equipped car, just to acquire the non sunroof headliner panel required to install our Carbon Fiber roof! Constructing a Carbon Fiber roof panel is no easy task, but fortunately for IND, Atlantis was in it’s planning stages well before the car even existed on BMW’s assembly line! We began work on selecting the parts and preparing the various components of the car about 8 months prior to delivery, which gave IND and our partners enough time to ensure absolute perfection. IND partnered with a local composites shop that constructs body work for winning ALMS, Grand Am, and Formula cars in order to create the carbon roof panel. Although IND had completed over ten carbon roof projects on E46 M3 cars, no amount of experience will steel you from the uneasy feeling of cutting the roof panel from a BMW Individual M3 with only 1,000 miles on the clock! All of the employees at IND breathed a sigh of relief when, after weeks of preparation, the Carbon Roof panel safely fell into place as if it had been there all along.
IND’s Atlantis Portfolio Project is the only E90 M3 in this color in the world, and the only E90 M3 in the world with a full replacement Carbon Fiber roof, so naturally the wheels could not be something that had been seen before either. I still clearly remember the phone call when Myke called me and said “This car can only have the Neez Model 15 wheels”. Through the three months that Atlantis has been at IND’s facility, many local clients have seen the wheels in person and expressed doubt about the choice. Seeing these wheels on the car, I would install nothing else. The beautiful and complex appearance of the wheels is augmented again by their rarity- this set of Model 15 wheels is the only set in the United States! Small details throughout the car, like IND’s Gloss Black sidemarkers, Gloss Black kidney grilles, and of course the beautiful Gloss Black powdercoated tips of the full Akrapovic Titanium exhaust system accent both the wheels and carbon roof perfectly. Nitto Tires and KW coilovers complete the footwork of the car.
With the Carbon Fiber roof being the centerpiece of the car, a critical point to consider was how to not take the eye away from the hand built masterpiece on top of the car. Brembo 380mm brakes were a must have for the car, and were color matched in beautiful Atlantis Metallic at Brembo’s facility to provide a cohesive look. RD Sport’s front bumper and Challenge’s rear diffuser were both installed as smoothly as possible, with no exposed Carbon Fiber to be seen. This ensured a smooth, together look for the whole car. IND’s custom paint work in the engine compartment carried the Atlantis Metallic and Gloss Black theme throughout the car, and worked to ensure that all modifications look as at home as possible. Dinan’s Carbon Fiber air intake, Rogue Engineering Power Pulleys, and an Active Autowerke software flash round out the power modifications.
Two moments in this car’s build will forever remain in my memory- Myke’s reaction to the car upon seeing it for the first time, and driving the car at the Midwest’s premier AutoBahn Country Club race course.
Preparing for delivery of the car was an all week long marathon of cleaning, testing, and perfecting. Every component had to fit perfectly. Every inch of paint on the car had to gleam as if brand new. Each body piece was buffed and professionally detailed for the best possible result. After a full week of late nights, the big moment for Atlantis finally arrived- meeting its owner after a complete transformation.
Myke slowly walked into IND’s delivery room, and looked at each aspect of the car. I was finally able to show him all of the details we’d included into the car- the gloss black honeycomb side vent that most people leave matte, the gloss black OEM rear bumper mesh, along with the painted and finished matte RD Sport air ducts in their front bumper. The pinstriped details on the M car’s beautiful intake plenum, along with the molded Challenge diffuser. Small touches like this can only truly be appreciated in person. Myke smiled, looked at me, and said “It’s just perfect. It’s exactly right. I wouldn’t change a thing”. Nothing in this business is more rewarding than hearing those exact words from a client. Once the car was thoroughly inspected and formally delivered, it was time to take some photos and video. Any location accessible to the regular public was simply not enough for a Portfolio Project of this caliber- only the best would do. The staff at IND could think of no better location than the AutoBahn Country Club.
AutoBahn Country Club is located in Chicago’s southernmost suburbs, and is a secluded, wooded paradise for anyone who truly loves motorsport. As AutoBahn is a private country club, the chance to drive a car at their North Track in complete private, for the entire day, is not only basically impossible, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
The exhaust note of the Akrapovic titanium system gave me chills as we loaded Atlantis on our enclosed trailer. The gleaming Neez wheels and jewel-like Brembo brakes made me absolutely beam. I had a very difficult time concentrating on the task at hand- making sure that the low RD Sport bumper cleared our trailer ramp- staring at the car was all I could do. My mind was occupied with only one thing- AutoBahn’s gorgeous race track.
Pulling into AutoBahn truly makes you feel like one of the privileged few. You park your trailer outside of the massive fenced facility, and have a quick chat with the friendly track marshal inside the small gate building. The look on my face must have given away that I had brought something truly special, and we were admitted with only a few simple questions about the gorgeous Atlantis M3. As the gates opened, we were able to see the private garages of the Midwest’s biggest shops- EuroSport, FallLine, and many others were all there permanently, year round to provide trackside support to their clients. The treelined behemoth that is AutoBahn’s North and South tracks loomed ahead of us. Together, the North and South tracks make a formidable course that is nearly four miles long, with many complex corners, elevation changes, and the years of study and improvement that a track like this commands.
The North Track was our concern for the day. North Track was completely closed and available to us only for the entire day. This would allow ample time to shoot the car. I started Atlantis for the next time that morning, and we began the delicate procedure of unloading the car from the trailer. The beautiful note of the Akrapovic exhaust promised amazing sounds later that day, as the car went around AutoBahn’s North Track at full song. Of course, our goal here was not to set record laps, or to abuse the car, but simply to preview the car’s capabilities. Together, the amazing stopping power of the Brembo brakes, the beautiful sound of the Akrapovic exhaust, and the sharp response of the KW coilover suspension made the car a joy to drive on the track, even at our leisurely pace.
It is a rare opportunity indeed to create a truly unique work- something that has never happened before, and will not occur since. Working to create IND’s Atlantis Portfolio Project car has been an honor and a pleasure, and I know the car will put smiles on the owner’s face for years to come. I’ll take one last stare at our work before it rolls onto the enclosed trailer for it’s long ride home, to Texas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jk_UgzDYQK8
[IMG]http://www.ind-distribution.com/images/AT36.jpg[/IMG
The Silver Standard
Working at IND gives all of us here a unique opportunity- we get to build the car we love over and over again. How many people are fortunate enough to modify beautiful cars for a living? Because offering styling consultation on our Portfolio projects is one of the key components of our Portfolio service, it is critically important for all of us at IND to keep an open mind. We have to do a fresh, new look for each car, and ensure that the finished project isn't just a mass produced modified car, but rather a car that is uniquely our client's.
This Silverstone II E93 convertible was built for a client that loves the E93 M3 for it's versatility, and it's tasteful looks. He wanted a beautiful M3 that retained it's high class appeal. To accomodate our client's desire for a clean and subtle E93, we chose to mold a Vorsteiner Polyurethane front lip to our bumper, removing any sign of the old OEM reflectors along the way. Complimenting the classic front lip is the new Challenge rear diffuser, which was also molded to the rear bumper. Nitto Invo tires in 255/30/20 Front and 285/30/20 Rear sit on BBS LM wheels in 20x9.5 Front and 20x10 Rear accent the OEM chrome trim perfectly.
Instead of choosing to black out everything in sight, IND left the chrome trim well enough alone on this E93, prefferring the bright, clean look it and the BBS LMs offer. Coming soon is an Eisenmann Sport exhaust system, Rogue short shift kit, and BMW Performance shift boot and knob.
Last year, all of us at IND were proud to release the Silver Standard. To this day, this car still captures the hearts of every employee at IND with it’s simplicity and understated elegance.
This year, the owner of the Silver Standard expressed a desire to continue improvements on the car, which presented us with a unique challenge: how do you improve something that in the eyes of everyone involved with the project was already about as close to perfect as you can get? After talking with the owner, we decided that the ESS VT1-535 kit was the perfect update for the car. The intake manifold was refinished in IND’s high gloss black, and the 535hp power level is a perfect compliment for this car.
Green Hell
Ask any racing driver or sports car enthusiast what “Green Hell” means to them, and they will say nearly the same thing- Green Hell is the nickname of undoubtedly the most terrifying, the most challenging, and the most lethal race course on the planet- the Nurburgring. Most people who are not fans of motorsport simply do not understand. What is the purpose of a place like this? What a terrible waste of life and resources, to build a race track that takes more human life in one year than any other track in the world. The Green Hell has of course more than once been a subject of international controversy.
But to me, the Nurburgring is much more than just a track. The Nurburgring represents the human drive to push the envelope. The drive to be faster, better, smarter than those that came before you, even at the cost of your own life. This desire, this attraction to risk, this primal drive to push the limits of what’s possible is what makes the Green Hell so irresistible. So to me, the Green Hell is not just a 14-plus mile strip of concrete in the mountains of western Germany, it is a direct representation of the human condition, the human struggle- our daily fight to make each move, each inch count.
I knew all of this well before I ever went to the ‘Ring, but nothing could prepare me for actually driving the track. Navigating the same hair raising corners as greats like Stefan Bellof, Jackie Stewart, and Hans Stuck really drove home to me just how impossible the track was to master- even with me driving at what I felt was a personal five tenths, well below even my own lowly limit. Feeling the elevation changes, seeing the blind corners, seeing how truly close the Armco barriers were to the track surface made it clear to me that the men and women who had challenged the Green Hell were truly heroes. Exiting the track, I knew my perspective was forever changed. I knew I would never be the same from that day forward.
IND’s Green Hell project was conceived almost immediately after our return from Germany. With the amazing Nurburgring still fresh in my memory, I felt truly inspired. When our long-time client Sam told us of his desire to push the limit of his E92 M3 at the track, I knew we’d found the perfect co-conspirator for our plan. Many people in the US have installed Supercharger or stroker kits on their new M3s, but few have any plans to push the car’s limits at the racetrack. This is what sets Sam apart from many people spending tens of thousands on their M3s, and this, I knew, would be the winning ingredient to our Green Hell project. As will all IND Portfolio projects, the most important factor to a successful and memorable project car is the owner.
So with this idea of exploring the limits of performance of the E92 M3, we had a starting point. Combining comfortable street driving with fearsome track performance and bulletproof reliability is an extremely delicate balancing act, so it was important to choose our plan for engine enhancement carefully. There are many extremely attractive options for the E9x M3 that will produce big power, but among the field of stroker motors and supercharger kits, one option truly stood out for it’s proven on track performance, “push-the-envelope” power, and bulletproof reliability. After weeks of long conversations, ESS’ VT2-600 supercharger kit proved to be the clear choice. The ESS kit offered power levels that were bordering terrifying, several years of on-track testing by the amazing GS Bilder race car, and the tuning pedigree earned by ESS’ 20 years of tuning BMW cars.
This supercharger kit became the heart of the build, and the focal point of the project. For IND, pushing the envelope does not mean addressing performance alone- the car also has to be visually striking. IND as a company has constructed many E92 M3s prior to Green Hell, so we knew we had to do some truly unique work on this car. To pay homage to the Nurburgring, and to keep with this car’s motorsports theme, we chose to use Porsche RS Green to highlight the key elements of the car. From the vibrant RS Green ESS intake manifold, to the RS Green Brembo brake calipers directly from Brembo, to smaller details like our own green sidemarker and pinstripe, we knew the color scheme of the car would challenge people’s perceptions of what’s possible on an E92 M3. Even the Rogue Engineering adjustable toe arms were finished in green to match the car’s overall theme.
The car received a total makeover in its performance as well, with every aspect addressed by some of the biggest names in the business. Rogue Engineering provided their fantastically precise short shifter and toe adjustment arms. Brembo’s track proven 365mm big brake kit and KW’s ClubSport coilovers ensure that the 600hp produced by the ESS Supercharger kit are precisely controlled. The new higher speeds the car will encounter on straights of famous Midwest racetracks like Autobahn and Road America will command a change in pad choice as well, to allow for a higher operating temperature. To evacuate exhaust gasses efficiently, and provide an intoxicating exhaust note, Eisenmann sent us their prized possession- the one and only Inconel exhaust system for the E92 M3. Not only is this Inconel muffler the only one in existence for the M3, it is the only single system of this kind Eisenmann plans to make, making it truly one of a kind. Together with the Challenge X pipe, this car creates a truly menacing sound as soon as it starts up. The low rumble at idle transforms into a true roar as the ESS Supercharger builds it’s full 6.5 psi of boost, and the engine soars to redline.
HRE Monobloc track wheels in 18x9.5 front and 18x10 rear in a custom gloss black finish are used, together with 275/285 Nitto NT05 tires for balanced handling. A full Vorsteiner exterior component line is also installed, with gloss black highlights on the GTS3 bumper’s front lip, and the type 2 diffuser. Together with the custom gloss black interior trim, the gloss black color tames the green highlights to create a finished appearance.
Although testing the car on the street is only a small indication of how visceral, how intense the on-track experience will be, I can see that ESS has truly created a monster with their supercharger kit. Achieving 100mph is just an instant that is quickly glossed over as the car claws for speeds deeper into the triple digits. It is nearly impossible to focus on such low speeds when the speedometer is climbing rapidly past 150, 160, 170mph. The scenery goes from speeding by to simply blurring around you. Your focus is on the road ahead of you only. Your eyes stop blinking. Life suddenly turns from a complex experience filled with paperwork, phone calls, emails, to a very simple thing indeed- focus. Clear, razor sharp focus. Even the small amount of driving we were able to do during this Chicago winter, I can tell that the Brembo brakes have quite a task ahead of them this upcoming race season, and that this car will now accomplish the exact goal we set- pushing the limits of what’s possible, both for us and for our client. The opportunity to challenge, to force an individual to break new boundaries- this is the ultimate privilege.
This Tuesday a friend of mine asked me if we were interested in bringing Green Hell to the famous Autobahn Country Club for a private test day, I found I was unable to say no. The chance to shake down the car for the first time since it was supercharged in a private, closed environment was just too tempting to resist!
Many questions were going through my head as we got in the car to drive to Autobahn Country Club- how difficult will it be to put down the 600 some horsepower provided by the ESS Supercharger kit? Will the car stay cool with the newfound power? Even without these questions, the alignment was still brand new, the Hawk DTC-60 pads housed in Brembo’s GT kit completely untested in a track environment, and we knew that much of the car’s behavior would be completely different.
Arriving at Autobahn, we soon realized we were in for much more than we anticipated. The paddock was full of absolutely fearesome cars like Ryan Gates’ Nitto Tire and AMS sponsored Evo X, the Cobb Tuning R35 GTR, and many other creations from top name tuners across the US. Luckily, Friday was still considered a “members only” day, and we were one of only about 5 cars actually running on the track.
As we began to put the M3 through it’s paces on Autobah’s south course, we immediately developed an immense confidence in the ability of the hardware at our disposal. The limit of the M3 was so staggeringly high. The engine, even with the ESS Supercharger kit installed never wavered in it’s ability to stay cool, lap after lap after lap. 20 minute sessions were flying by with literally no increase in coolant temperature or loss of braking power. Even the NT05 tires felt absolutely fantastic throughout the day, as they fought the car’s 600 horsepower for control.
The car felt so fantastic on Friday that even though we had only intended to have a relaxing Friday afternoon track session at Autobahn, it was absolutely clear that with a car that worked this well, the Redline Time Attack event simply could not be missed! At about 6pm, we called back to the shop, ordered some fresh engine oil and brake fluid, and got ready to spend a couple of hours prepping the car. Thanks to our friend Greg at GT Motoring, we were even able to make the car look the part by adding some vinyl to represent the car’s sponsors!
Passing tech at the event was an exercise in creativity- the car’s undertray was 1” too low for Street class, and because we had signed up so late on Saturday morning, raising the car was not an option as we could not realign the car, and removing the undertray was also impossible, as that would seriously hinder the car’s cooling ability. We chose to place the car into the only class that would take it- the Drift class! This class has the same rules as the Street class, except there is no height requirement. We were finally on our way.
In all, the Time Attack weekend was a great time. Autobahn was a truly beautiful facility as always, the car ran flawlessly, and we spent quality time at the track with many of our close friends. The car also clocked a great time- a second off from the other car in Drift class- another supercharged M3!
Thanks to the staff at Autobahn, Brembo, ESS Tuning, KW, Sparco, Challenge and Eisenmann for all of their help in making this car an absolute blast to drive at the track!
Burn The Clock by IND
Humanity has been obsessed with time since the dawn of history. The Egyptians, the Mayans, the Greeks, and thousands of other civilizations throughout human history have strived to measure and understand time. No mineral, artifact, or human creation, nothing is more precious than time. Time does not negotiate; it cannot be purchased, sold, or recovered once it’s lost. Mankind has accomplished impressive feats, but as each man lives his life, he does so under the looming shadow of passing time. No force is more fearsome than the passing of time itself. IND’s latest portfolio project makes this fact abundantly clear. This project was not a battle against limited resources, limited creativity, or limited ability, but rather a fight against time.
Nelson, our client for this Portfolio Project is an unsung hero in the car world. His collection of supercars has given magazine editors across the world the opportunity to test drive some of the rarest, most exotic vehicles on the planet, and has allowed regular car enthusiasts like us to read about machines we can only dream of having. His garage looks like every teen aged boy’s fantasy, with everything from Aston to Zonda contained within. Most important to IND’s mission in this project, Nelson is true car enthusiast, and is not content with acquiring cars simply to add to a stationary collection of exotics- the cars owned by Nelson are driven on the street and on the track, and driven to their limit.
Nelson has been a BMW owner since the 1970s, and has had a passion for the M division’s unique creations since the letter M began to quicken the heartbeats of performance enthusiasts worldwide, so was naturally felt inspired when he saw IND’s Atlantis E90 M3 portfolio project. The color was so striking to our client, that he knew he had to have it. The color itself comes with a price, however- a brand new M3, ordered through BMW’s Individual program can take nearly a year to obtain. As plans came together, our mission became very clear.
IND would create a car that would look at home next to Nelson’s two Bugatti Veyrons and Ferrari Enzo both because of its amazing performance and its exotic spec sheet. We also knew that Nelson wished to have the car in time for the summer’s track season, and could not think of a better venue to show the completed car to our client than BimmerFest in California- without question the biggest BMW gathering in the US. It is when we committed to these two simply-stated goals that the specter of time began to loom over IND.
We had to build a car that could fight against Enzo Ferarri’s personal legacy to capture Nelson’s attention, and we only had two months to envision and build such a machine.
The project started with the purchase of a brand new 2010 E92 M3. It had been a while since I had the chance to sit in an M3 this new, and the experience was no less intoxicating than the first time I’d gotten the opportunity. The car pulled into our shop with 29 miles brightly displayed on the odometer. The window stickers, floor mat protectors, and of course that wonderful smell of a new BMW were all there, and I could not conceal my excitement. Of course, after some moments of simply staring at the car, I began to regain focus. All of IND’s staff would have to talk and plan and debate for hours. Choices had to be made quickly, and correctly. Parts that many said were impossible to get would have to arrive within days of the car’s arrival at our facility. And of course, there was the matter of disassembling the entire car to prepare it for its complete refinish in BMW’s beautiful Atlantis Metallic.
Each part was meticulously packaged and labeled immediately after removal. A dedicated section of industrial sized warehouse shelving was purchased specifically for Nelson’s M3, and installed in a separate section of our warehouse to store all of the parts. One of the biggest challenges of building this M3 is the reassembly process- our technicians are doing the job that BMW does on an assembly line with complex machinery, entirely by hand. Each piece must be absolutely perfectly re-installed to ensure that the car has no strange creaks, rattles, or groans and feels and drives just like a car with 20 miles on it, fresh from BMW’s assembly line.
We chose our most qualified paint professional to complete the paint work on this car. He has been with our shop for 28 years, and lit up with excitement when we began discussing the magnitude of this project together. The beautiful Atlantis Metallic paint was applied to the freshly prepared car only two days after the car’s arrival at our shop. Every member of IND’s staff was aware of just how little time was available, and with time looming over our shoulders, not a single staff member wasted even a precious second between tasks.
A car meant to compete for attention with Nelson’s supercars would not succeed in its task with only the M3’s standard power level on tap. ESS Tuning’s supercharger kit was perfectly suited to the task, offering bulletproof reliability and power levels usually reserved for exotics. IND could not leave the engine bay well enough alone, of course, so we chose to finish the valve covers in a high gloss black, with their plastic covers in Atlantis Metallic, and the supercharger’s intake manifold in a jewel-like high polished gloss black to match the theme of the car.
From here, the car made a trip to visit our friends at Fall Line Motorsports. To complete the car’s interior, we knew we had to borrow an element from the M3 GTS- the roll bar. IND worked with the expert fabricators at Fall Line Motorsports to create a custom roll bar for the car, using 1.75” .095 wall thickness chromoly tubing. Fall Line used their experience in racing E92 M3s in the Grand AM race series to weld in this beautiful piece of safety equipment.
IND laid a coat of beautiful Atlantis Metallic paint on the car’s roll bar to integrate the piece into the car’s interior. Because Nelson’s vision for this car was originally inspired by both the M3 GTS and IND’s original Atlantis project, we knew that the Atlantis roll bar would be a perfect unifying point between both of these sources of inspiration.
To compete with Nelson’s exotic collection, we knew that we had to achieve something truly special in the car’s interior, and knew of no better starting point than Ericsson’s amazing Carbon Fiber door panels. Time was of course the enemy once again, because after contacting Ericsson we learned that not only had the panels never actually been made for a car outside of Ericsson’s own facility, they were to take about 8 weeks to build and import. After several conversations that included a fair amount of begging and pleading, IND was able to successfully import the panels in a matter of two weeks! Because the panels had never been sent outside of Ericsson’s own facility, fitting these panels to the car would be a true challenge. Our expert technician worked for nearly a week to create the perfect piece!
IND knew that only one set of seats would be right enough to continue the GTS theme- the BMW Performance seats. We contacted one of our connections in Germany to import the seats for us, along with hide after hide of BMW’s original leather (something we were told repeatedly was impossible to get). To match the all leather headliner and dash, the seats were painstakingly disassembled and completely reupholstered in leather. The seats were completed in four days, a nearly impossible feat! IND refinished the plastic seat belt pass through pieces in gloss black for an absolutely original look.
By far the biggest challenge of the project was this, a completely one off carbon fiber rear interior section. IND once again worked with our amazing composites manufacturer, and gave him his most ambitious task yet- build a piece that will completely cover the rear area left bare by installing the roll bar, match everything to the Ericsson door panels, and do it all in just one week. The entire staff worked through each night and the weekend to complete our project, and the result was even more impressive than anyone at IND could have possibly envisioned! The full carbon fiber interior treatment gives the car a fighting chance against Nelson’s amazing supercars.
Smaller details like the reupholstered shift and ebrake boots with M tri color stitching surround the leather wrapped gauge holder that contains oil temp, water temp, and oil pressure gauges by Stack. Monitoring this engine’s vitals will be critical, as the car will see it’s fair share of track use.
No other wheel will have suited this project more perfectly than BBS’ FI. The wheels were completely unavailable during the planning of this project, and to my knowledge, this is still the only set of BBS FI wheels in the United States as of today. The volcanic eruption of April made importing these wheels an even greater adventure, forcing IND to have our shipping contact in Germany personally pick the wheels up at BBS’ facility, drive them to the airport, and personally ensure the set got loaded on an airline flight. Seeing the wheels safely in our hands was truly thrilling!
Finally, after the key components for the car had been installed, IND was able to fly the chief software engineer for ESS Tuning to Chicago to program the car’s already incredible double clutch transmission, and dyno test the car. The M3 spun the dyno rollers with a fearsome bellow from the Akrapovic exhaust, and produced 522 horsepower at the wheels with just 6.5psi of boost from ESS’ supercharger kit!
More Burn The Clock:
When the car pulled into IND’s facility for it’s final cleaning and inspection prior to departure for BimmerFest, all of us at IND could collectively feel the specter of time lift, and our tensions eased. The job was done, and we no longer had to fear time’s looming presence, at least until our next project began.
Our trip to visit the Blue Max!
Nate and I had the privilege of spending the day with our client Nelson to shoot his just-delivered Blue Max IND Portfolio car. Nelson’s hospitality was truly heart warming as he and his wife let us into their home with open arms, and our stay in Florida was a great experience.
We met at Nelson’s house early Wednesday morning. Nelson opened his home’s garage door, and we were both absolutely elated to see the Blue Max parked inside, next to his stunning Rolls Royce Ghost. With the incredible cars available for Nelson to drive on any given day, it was truly an honor to see the M3 getting regular use.
The home had a separate, detached garage. The door was rolled down, so I had to ask what was inside.
As the garage door rolled up, I found I was only able to stare in shock. The open door revealed two Bugatti Veyrons. Seeing a Veyron in person is the only way to get a true appreciation for the car’s design and construction. Although I was anticipating a world class fit and finish, nothing could have prepared me for how amazing the Veyron is in person. The paint seemed infinitely deep. The aluminum on the extremely rare Sang Blue Veyron is so highly polished it is difficult to convince yourself it is not chrome. And then there is the interior. Never have I seen a more perfect use of leather, carbon, and aluminum in a car’s interior. Nothing I can say here will effectively describe the appearance of the Veyron. The car is truly moving artwork. You simply have to see and experience it for yourself.
We left Nelson’s home, and drove to the shoot location- a private Fly-In community in central Florida. I was eager to experience the Veyron on the road, and again found myself completely unprepared. Driving the car normally, the sound of the four turbo chargers dominates all other tones emanating from the exposed engine. You can immediately hear and feel the car’s incredible power potential. I’ve said before that Nelson is a true car enthusiast, and this day doubled my confidence in this. Nelson drove the Veyron without the trepidation one might anticipate from someone driving such a costly supercar. The car was built to be driven, and Nelson had no fear of driving it. As we drove through Florida’s back roads, we approached some corners and I was shocked at the force with which the heavy Veyron gripped the ground. The car was absolutely flat through the bends, and seemed to respond perfectly to every input.
Then the inevitable happened- we encountered a long and straight stretch of road. Nelson placed both hands on the steering wheel and said “you may want to lean your head back against the headrest”. It is literally not possible to describe what happened next using words. The Veyron’s acceleration was so immediate, the power delivery so smooth that I can only describe the experience as completely dissimilar to driving a car at all. I felt as if I was strapped to a rocket. There was no jerking between shifts (in fact, you could not feel the gear change at all), no shape to the powerband that made power increase or decrease throughout the engine’s RPM range. The car achieved a speed that should only be confined to closed courses so quickly and effortlessly that it simply did not feel like an automobile at all.
We arrived at Nelson’s hanger, and were greeted with more automotive art work. The Ferarri California, the Bentley Drophead, the Ferarri 599 were all incredible cars. I had heard quite a few times about two cars in particular, and was excited to see them- the Heffner twin turbo Gallardo LP-560, and the RennTech modified SL65 Black Series had occupied my imagination for months now. Both cars boast nearly 1000 horsepower and blistering acceleration. Both are incredible in their own right.
Although we cannot reveal the photos from our shoot prematurely (you can expect to see the entire shoot in this fall’s EuroTuner magazine), here are some behind the scenes shots from that day:
The Silver Ghost
A project that could be viewed as a wonder of the world! It is a car that turns the head of many not only tuners but families and children all over the city. No matter where we go there’s a story to be told: the silver ghost doesn’t only have that unique look to drop jaws anywhere it stands but it also holds enough power to disappear off into the distance shocking all those who are watching!
Early in the year I got in touch with IND distribution looking to get a few small modifications done that would slightly change the appearance of the car and add better handling to it. We had set a deadline for this small project to be completed within two weeks. As the deadline was approaching fast we ran into a few problems with the car. The dealership took care of most of the issues as they were just minor recalls but it wasn’t till the M3 went onto the dyno where we figured it lacked in the power section! It was there where I had lost faith in the M3 after paying for a car that held a name of performance and it didn’t even put out enough power to keep up with the competition. I quickly called IND and spoke with Ilia regarding this matter and we came to conclusion that it was time to take this car to another level of performance and power.
On the 4th day of May in the year of 2010, the 2008 Silverstone II M3 was driven to IND and I handed the keys over to Ilia. In the first few weeks the original modifications on the car were parted out to make room for the new long list of modifications that were going to go into this beast. Throughout the process more and more modifications kept being purchased to transform this car into a unique head turner.
Untouchablee82 and I departed from Toronto with IND Distribution as our final destination. Unaware of what my car would look or sound like we drove to IND with high hopes that the beast would be a car that would blow us away. After 8 long hours of driving through the dark night we finally arrived at our destination. The car was still in the final stages and was just drying up in the paint booth when I saw it my just dropped!
The following day I returned and was sitting in the IND office waiting for my car to arrive back at the shop from alignment. When I heard an aggressive sound in the distance I came outside to see what had arrived to my surprise it was The Silver Ghost!
After 2000KM of driving my only response about the ESS kit was WOW! Speechless... the m3 should have originally come like this! On the dyno the silver ghost put down 569.4 HP and 370.9 TQ at the wheels. Driving this car has never been more fun, anytime you need extra power its right there under your feet. As for the gas mileage originally it was in the high 18.9 km/L but after putting kilometres on the car and driving it back home from Chicago the car readjusted to the new power and came down to the original numbers of 14.4 – 14.7 km/L. On the highway I get better gas mileage than average but during the city driving and traffic driving it goes up to about 15.1 – 15.5 km/L. The power delivered by this ESS kit is unspeakable of and it’s an experience that even words can’t explain.
All the time and money spent on this car was well worth the wait. This final project is a masterpiece that satisfies every desire out there! At the end of the day all I can say is Thank You to IND for all the hard work that was done and for walking side by side with me while I kept changing my mind through the build.
Special Thanks to Ilia Smolov for watching over the process as it took place
Thanks to my brother Shahab aka untouchable
Arash
Modifications
Exterior:
Vorsteiner GTS3 CF Front Bumper
IND CF Roof
Challenge CF/Kevlar Trunk
Vorsteiner CF Diffuser
OSS LED angel eyes
OSS LED AMBER Turn Signals
XenonDepot D1S 8000K
LCI Taillights
Lamborghini Pearl Black Side-markers with Tinted Turn signals
Lamborghini Pearl Black ///M3 and ESS badges
Suspension:
KWv3 Coilovers
RD sport Sway Bars
Braking:
Brembo Big Brake Kit (Painted Lamborghini Pearl Black): 6 piston front with 365MM rotors and 4 piston rear with 345MM rotors
Engine and Exhaust:
ESS Supercharger KIT VT2-600 at 6.5PSI intercooled with Lamborghini Pearl Black Manifold and Blower
Engine Covers painted Silverstone II
Akrapovic Full Titanium Exhaust
Interior:
BMW PERFORMANCE G-FORCE STEERING WHEEL with custom M upholstery
Active Autowerke Short Shift Kit
Passport 9500ci Radar Unit
///M Pedals
LCI I-drive knob and console
Rims:
ADV1 8.3 Deep Concave Wheels with Custom Finish (20x9.5 and 20x10.5)
Toyo Tires 255/30/20 and 285/30/20
Delivery of THE SILVER GHOST which was scheduled to be picked up on the 9th day of July 2010
Modifications
Exterior:
Vorsteiner GTS3 CF Front Bumper
IND CF Roof
Challenge CF/Kevlar Trunk
Vorsteiner CF Diffuser
OSS LED angel eyes
OSS LED AMBER Turn Signals
XenonDepot D1S 8000K
LCI Taillights
Lamborghini Pearl Black Side-markers with Tinted Turn signals
Lamborghini Pearl Black ///M3 and ESS badges
Suspension:
KWv3 Coilovers
RD sport Sway Bars
Braking:
Brembo Big Brake Kit (Painted Lamborghini Pearl Black): 6 piston front with 365MM rotors and 4 piston rear with 345MM rotors
Engine and Exhaust:
ESS Supercharger KIT VT2-600 at 6.5PSI intercooled with Lamborghini Pearl Black Manifold and Blower
Engine Covers painted Silverstone II
Akrapovic Full Titanium Exhaust
Interior:
BMW PERFORMANCE G-FORCE STEERING WHEEL with custom M upholstery
Active Autowerke Short Shift Kit
Passport 9500ci Radar Unit
///M Pedals
LCI I-drive knob and console
Rims:
ADV1 8.3 Deep Concave Wheels with Custom Finish (20x9.5 and 20x10.5)
Toyo Tires 255/30/20 and 285/30/20
Delivery of THE SILVER GHOST which was scheduled to be picked up on the 9th day of July 2010
Many people know IND by their E9x M3 projects, but we have had a passion for BMW and M cars in particular since long before the E9x M3 arrived in the US.
A local client of ours shares this same passion for M cars, and brought his E46M3 to us for it’s yearly “winter makeover”. This E46 M3 is run at tracks like Road America, Autobahn, Gingerman, and Grattan all summer long, and in the winter the entire front of the car is repainted to maintain it’s absolutely spotless appearance. Although this M3 is a track car, it has the look of a museum piece. I have not seen a better looking, more flawless E46 M3 since the cars stopped being sold by BMW as new.
While we were refinishing the appearance of the car, we thought we may want to refresh the car’s performance, too. We installed Enkei NT03 wheels in 18x10” width all around, with a custom powdercoated white finish, and added some 265mm wide Advan A048 tires for improved cornering. Vorshlag camber plates were added to the KW V3 coilovers for greater adjustment of camber and castor alignment settings, and an AutoSolutions short shifter took made shifting more precise and controlled.
Our client was so excited about the way his E46 M3 looked and handled, he bought an E30 M3 to match! The E30 M3 has been his dream car for years, and is a true classic. This one was in great shape, and of course was already Alpine White to go with his E46 M3. IND is planning a full refresh of this 20 year old classic, so we started by installing Ground Control coilovers, the always classic BBS LM wheels with Dunlop Star Spec tires, TreeHouse control arm bushings, Ireland Engineering trailing arm and subframe bushings, adjustable camber and toe plates for the rear subframe, and swaybar reinforcement blocks for the rear swaybar.
I hope everyone enjoys the photos!
IND’s client Jamie is a real example of hard work paying off. As a technician for Suncor Energy in Ft McMurray Canada, Jamie is no stranger to putting in extreme hours in extreme conditions, and works on some of the most amazing earth moving equipment in the world.
Jamie’s efforts maintaining the single largest fleet of the single largest trucks in the world have granted him the privilege of creating his perfect E90 M3, but just as in his work life, Jamie had to work very hard to get his beloved M3 to where it is today- his first Individual Moonstone M3 was taken from him in a car accident just last year! After losing his first Moonstone car, Jamie knew he had to get the second try just right.
Jamie approached IND looking for an Akrapovic exhaust system, but as we began to discuss his project, Jamie began to share his ideas with me. Jamie has a passion for detail and perfection, and knew that he wanted his modifications to be very subtle. His goal was to create a car that looked factory original to a layperson, but also sported modifications that could be appreciated by a true enthusiast.
To that goal, we selected Akrapovic’s prototype polished tips, a Brembo 380mm GT kit finished in the same beautiful Moonstone paint color, and BBS LM wheels as the major modifications on the car. IND painted all of the grille inserts on the car in a gloss black finish to accent the gloss black accents installed on the car from the factory, and added a European spec bumper to delete the reflectors in the cleanest way possible.
The centerpiece of the car, in my eyes, is the incredible engine bay. IND powdercoated the valve covers a high temp textured black, and painted the ignition coil covers moonstone for accent. Our best painter finished the plenum in it’s incredible Moonstone and gloss black paint scheme, and finished a Dinan carbon intake elbow in gloss black to match.
Unlike most of IND’s Portfolio Projects, this car was not assembled in house, but instead all of the components were installed by the owner himself! Jamie installed all of the modifications with ease, given his experience as a skilled technician.
To finish the car and take it on it’s maiden voyage, Jamie planned a road trip of international scale! Jamie drove the car from Ft McMurray in far northern Canada directly to IND, where we completed the car by installing the engine bay components. As a true enthusiast, Jamie has every intention of enjoying the car to it’s fullest, and is now on his way to Newfoundland before returning to Ft McMurray- a nearly 10,000 mile trip in total! Jamie will enjoy the car he has created for years to come.
Of all the companies modifying BMW cars today, IND may be the strangest. Most businesses will jump at the chance to sell any part and work on any car, but at IND this is not the case. Our chief function as a business is to represent Eisenmann GmbH in the U.S, and we do not take this lightly. Take on too many side jobs, too many projects, and you lose focus as a business. Quality starts to decline, and so we learned quickly that it is better to do a few things exceptionally than to do many things poorly.
This is precisely what makes IND strange. We will not work on every car owned by every client, and we will not install every part just to make a dollar. Our preferred clients are not simply the individuals who have spent the most money with us, but rather people who share a fundamental philosophy on the automotive hobby we love. We would travel to the end of the earth to help our best clients, and this month’s story is the most literal interpretation of that promise to date.
Our client, Mr Singh, is a unique individual. Having been a true car enthusiast for years, he knows exactly what he wants, and will stop at nothing to get it. Despite residing in a country that makes being a car enthusiast quite difficult, our client had one of the first LP640 Lamborghinis imported into India. When ESS’ amazing VT2-600 supercharger kit was released for the E9x M3, our client consulted with us and imported the kit immediately and was the first to have an ESS M3 in India. His collection of exotic cars represents his love for the automobile.
Of all of the cars in Mr. Singh’s collection, one in particular proved to be the biggest challenge. One car was so difficult to import, modify, and enjoy that it nearly bested our client. This car is the Nissan GTR. Just purchasing the car involved a series of cancelled orders and took our client all the way to London, where the GTR in question was finally acquired.
After purchasing the GTR, Mr. Singh knew he could not simply leave it as is. To compete among his collection, the GTR had to be a true giant killer and the standard power output simply would not suffice. The GTR continued to be a difficult beast to tame in this respect also- not only are there no GTR specialist shops in India, but to extract true power from the car, it is ideal to have access to an all wheel drive dyno. Finding an all wheel drive dyno facility is no easy task, and Mr. Singh once again proved his unwavering determination by immediately initiating the import of India’s first all wheel dyno!
To complete the recipe for the for India’s fastest GTR, we knew we could only contact the best shop dealing with Japanese cars in the US- AMS Performance. Not only are the people at AMS absolute experts in forced induction and all wheel drive systems, the staff of AMS are close personal friends of ours, and are the absolute most trustworthy people for the job. With AMS on board, we knew we had a winning formula. We soon formulated a plan that involved multiple intercontinental voyages, thousands of dollars in parts, custom tailored tunes, and hours of effort, all designed to build India’s fastest GTR.
Together, we made the 15 hour flight directly to India’s Delhi International airport, where we awaited the next leg of our journey to Mr. Singh’s home city of Chandigarh.
Stepping off the airplane’s taxi ladder onto the runway was an instant reminder of just how far we were from home. The sweltering air feels thick with moisture and envelops you as soon as the airplane door opens. The very smell and sight of India embeds in you the knowledge that you are in one of the earliest strongholds of modern civilization, a place of incredible philosophical and religious history.
An old friend greeted us as soon as we exited the airport: one of the first projects IND helped Mr. Singh construct, an ESS Supercharged E92 M3. This was the first time we had actually seen the car in person, despite having provided all of the parts, so of course the experience was very rewarding.
The following day we had the opportunity to stop by Mr. Singh’s residence and have a look at a couple of the English cars in his collection. Between the Range Rover AutoBiography edition and the Aston Martin DB-S I got the distinct impression that the English were still at the top of their game. The level of workmanship on the exterior and most importantly the interior of these two cars was something that is difficult to find in the modern world.
Mr. Singh’s friends at his local BMW dealer were kind enough to provide us an install facility. The beautiful tiled floors and air conditioned garages were a stark contrast to the streets of Chandigarh.
Mr. Singh’s GTR pulled into the shop with a stealthy rumble, and my hair stood in anticipation. I knew that after several day’s work we would transform the already formidable GTR into a true monster. As the car ascended the lift, I could only imagine the rush of acceleration to come.
AMS’ downpipes, coupled with the rest of the full exhaust system provide a formidable gain, but these parts alone are not quite enough to achieve the supercar-beating 600 horsepower offered by the Alpha 6 kit.
The final step of AMS’ hardware package for Mr. Singh was a piece brought in by special request- upgraded fuel injectors. While these are not required hardware for the Alpha 6 kit, Mr. Singh’s GTR is not staying at the Alpha 6 power level for long, and the IND and AMS teams will soon revisit India for the next step.
We all listened intently as the GTR was lowered from it’s perch on the shop lift. We knew that the roar that was about to emanate from the four exhaust tips would be deafening, and the whole team was excited to begin the most critical phase of the job- the custom ECU tune that would set this GTR apart from any other.
As AMS’ head software engineering Chris Black rode with Mr. Singh through the streets of India, all of us trailing the car could tell that the GTR was changed forever, and that Mr. Singh was addicted to the outright violent acceleration the car now provided. We were nearly ready to leave India, but we knew we would return soon to make this GTR the ultimate street weapon.
Larry, or BigLare as he is known on M3Post, is no stranger to having his M3 in the public eye. Larry’s Brilliant White BMW Individual M3 has one of the most recognizable, unique looks around so as IND we had a difficult task ahead of us when Larry asked us to install a carbon roof just in time for the SEMA show. How do you make one of the most unique, recognizable cars in the E9x M3 business even more unique and recognizable, without being excessive and gaudy?
Luckily, Challenge Engineering came to the rescue. The guys at Challenge shared an idea with us that had not yet been seen in the M3 community- the “Zonda style” or “V Weave”. Horacio Pagani introduced this weave on his Zonda F supercar to show his mastery over carbon fiber. By laying the carbon fiber in a V shape, you are forced to match every square and pleat of carbon to the opposite side. Each square must lay perfectly in line with every other to make a perfect formation, and this is an incredibly difficult thing to do. Larry and the staff at IND knew immediately that this idea from Challenge was the perfect tasteful and unique feature, and was destined to be the next step for Larry’s Brilliant White M3. Together with a full host of Challenge exterior parts in a matching V Weave, the carbon roof is an absolutely one-off piece.
As easy as it was to create the perfect idea for this car, completing the project was just as difficult. The car was dropped off at our facility five days before it had to leave for the SEMA show!
The car rumbled it’s way into the shop seconds after rolling off of our transport. We immediately removed the interior, and began cutting away the factory roof panel. By day three, the beautiful Challenge roof was installed, and the rest of the project could be completed.
IND also installed KW ClubSport suspension, RD Sport sway bars, and Rogue Engineering toe arms to improve the car’s already competent handling. We refinished the Volk G2 wheels in a high gloss black finish, and applied a unique color to Larry’s Brembo GT kit- BMW Fiji Green.
Five days after showing up at IND, Larry’s Brilliant White beast rolled back onto our transporter and headed out to meet the crowd at SEMA.
Come see the car at the SEMA show in the first week of November!
Originally accessed here: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=405430
All copied.
The aphorism “it’s not the destination, but the journey that counts” is a well worn one, and a lesson that can be applied to any life situation. When looking back at the development of IND’s portfolio service thus far, this old wisdom applies perfectly. More than a means to an end or part of some master plan for IND’s success, IND’s Portfolio Service has made the projects themselves the goal all of us are working for. Working with each client to customize their M3 to their specifications has become an opportunity and a privilege here at IND, and I’d like to thank all of the readers of BimmerPost for helping us realize these opportunities.
With that, here are each of the Portfolio Projects to date, from our own E92 M3 (one of the first modified M3s in the US), all the way to IND’s Red Death, Silver Standard, Blue Max, and many others.
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Project Red Death
The most exciting time in an IND Portfolio project’s development is the day I fly out to inspect our work in person. Making a Portfolio build go well involves so much more behind the scenes planning than many people can understand.
From consulting with Grand Am Cup winning race teams to determine the perfect ride height, to debating for hours about tiny, subtle details like the color of the finishing pieces on the car, to coordinating a completely one-off set of Brembo brakes directly with Brembo, to obtaining a set of HRE wheels designed specifically for the Fall Line motorsport program, completing an IND Portfolio project like Scott’s Dakar Yellow E92 M3 is no easy task. That’s exactly why those few hours spent on the airplane are both so exciting, and so nerve-racking. You think about each modification, each part installed just one more time. Will the ride height of the KW ClubSport coilovers work well with the 275/35/18 Nitto NT05 race tires sitting at each corner of the car? Will the higher spring rate at the front of the car work well with the extra grip available because of the hugely wide front tires? How will the gloss black mirror caps, side markers, grilles, and Vorsteiner front lip work with the Dakar Yellow paint? No matter how many hundreds of hours you spend thinking, planning, and researching, nothing is proven until you meet your client and see the car in person- this is the real moment of truth.
I met Scott in a busy airport parking lot after a long flight from Chicago. Portland’s busy airport could do nothing to conceal this M3, and even though there were cars and SUVs strewn about the parking area, my eyes were instantly drawn to BMW’s classic yellow color. As striking as the car is at first sight, it’s amazing how perfectly the details come together. When designing Scott’s car, Nate and I kept two themes in mind- the car is to be competition inspired, and the car is to be subtle and mature. The gloss black Vorsteiner lip, IND sidemarkers and grilles; the fully painted Vorsteiner bootlid- all of these details work together to give the car a put together appearance that hides the performance that lurks underneath the sheetmetal. The only real giveaway to the driver’s sporting intentions are the strangely huge Nitto NT05 tires and the custom powdercoated Brembo calipers, designed in collaboration with Brembo to mimic the brake calipers used in Brembo’s racing program.
Our first task was to leave Portland for the mountains of Oregon. With thousands of turns, sheer drops, and some of the smoothest road surfaces available in the US, the roads leading up to Oregon’s famous Mt Hood are at least as frightening as they are beautiful. Watching the Dakar M3’s competition proven components work together in harmony over the turns and constant elevation changes leading up to Mt Hood was truly amazing. The Brembo brakes never failed. The KW ClubSports and square 275 tires provided sure footed handling with perfect steering response, and eliminated the understeer inherent in the stock E92 M3. Being able to hear the sonorous exhaust note of the Eisenmann Sport exhaust as the M3 powered through the mountain roads confirmed things for me- this car was absolutely perfect. Watching Scott drive the car, I could tell that the Dakar project that we’d built together was perfectly in tune with his tastes, both visually and with regard to the car’s awesome handling and braking performance.
The amount of beautiful scenery in Oregon is really too great to describe adequately here, and I hope that these photos by my friend Johan can express the feeling of awe that these mountain roads impose on anyone who can make it all the way to the top. I truly felt on top of the world as we had dinner at the Timberline Lodge, looking over the snowy peaks of Mt Hood.
I’d like to thank all of our sponsors and partners in this Portfolio project:
Terrence at Nitto Tire
Gary at Brembo North America
Steve at Fall Line Motorsports
Omar at Active Autowerke
Julius and Johan at WheelSTO
Peter at Vorsteiner
Sven at Eisenmann GmbH
Roy at CA Automotive
I also wanted to personally thank Johan at WheelSTO here, for accompanying me on the trip. Johan’s work ethic made these beautiful photos possible.
Custom Atlantis Blue M3
As featured on M3POST homepage.
Very rarely in life, one will have the opportunity to create something truly unique. Whether it be a work of art, a work of engineering, a work of literature, or anything else, the opportunity to build something that you know has never been done before, and will not be achieved since is an opportunity every person should have the privilege of seizing. For the staff at IND, and for the car’s owner, IND’s Atlantis portfolio car was just this opportunity to make a unique mark on the world.
From the first time I spoke with our client Myke, I knew that his BMW Individual Atlantis E90 M3 was not a car that could be allowed to be in his ownership in factory form. BMW’s Individual program allows the most committed BMW enthusiasts to create their own unique car, with a choice of one-off exterior and interior colors and other options. Myke has a passion for personalized BMW’s that is difficult to match by anybody’s standards, and I knew immediately that we could create an amazing car together.
Through hundreds of phone calls, emails, and private messages, one thing became very clear to me- Myke is not afraid to take risks in creating his own interpretation of the already classic E90 M3. Several moments of constructing the car were downright nerve racking- will the wheels fit the overall theme of the car? Was it a mistake to apply gloss black powdercoat to the already beautiful Akrapovic exhaust tips? Will our hand built Carbon Fiber roof panel fit? Commitments like these required absolutely no fear.
When talking about IND’s Atlantis, the first thing that needs to be mentioned is the color. Available only through BMW’s Individual program, and only with the express approval of the BMW Individual program’s director, BMW Atlantis Metallic is a slap in the face to the average gray, silver, and white cars in your office parking garage. Vibrant does not begin to describe it. Atlantis Metallic shifts from Estoril blue to Avus blue to shades of green and teal, and simply can’t be captured by a single description. All of the staff at IND knew that the wrong modifications would ruin a car of this caliber, and so had to tread carefully.
From the start of the project, the centerpiece of the car would be the completely one-off carbon fiber roof panel. Because E90 M3s never came with a Carbon roof from the factory, we knew that this one item alone would set the car apart from any other like it. Myke even changed the build specifications of his car from a sunroof equipped car to a non sunroof equipped car, just to acquire the non sunroof headliner panel required to install our Carbon Fiber roof! Constructing a Carbon Fiber roof panel is no easy task, but fortunately for IND, Atlantis was in it’s planning stages well before the car even existed on BMW’s assembly line! We began work on selecting the parts and preparing the various components of the car about 8 months prior to delivery, which gave IND and our partners enough time to ensure absolute perfection. IND partnered with a local composites shop that constructs body work for winning ALMS, Grand Am, and Formula cars in order to create the carbon roof panel. Although IND had completed over ten carbon roof projects on E46 M3 cars, no amount of experience will steel you from the uneasy feeling of cutting the roof panel from a BMW Individual M3 with only 1,000 miles on the clock! All of the employees at IND breathed a sigh of relief when, after weeks of preparation, the Carbon Roof panel safely fell into place as if it had been there all along.
IND’s Atlantis Portfolio Project is the only E90 M3 in this color in the world, and the only E90 M3 in the world with a full replacement Carbon Fiber roof, so naturally the wheels could not be something that had been seen before either. I still clearly remember the phone call when Myke called me and said “This car can only have the Neez Model 15 wheels”. Through the three months that Atlantis has been at IND’s facility, many local clients have seen the wheels in person and expressed doubt about the choice. Seeing these wheels on the car, I would install nothing else. The beautiful and complex appearance of the wheels is augmented again by their rarity- this set of Model 15 wheels is the only set in the United States! Small details throughout the car, like IND’s Gloss Black sidemarkers, Gloss Black kidney grilles, and of course the beautiful Gloss Black powdercoated tips of the full Akrapovic Titanium exhaust system accent both the wheels and carbon roof perfectly. Nitto Tires and KW coilovers complete the footwork of the car.
With the Carbon Fiber roof being the centerpiece of the car, a critical point to consider was how to not take the eye away from the hand built masterpiece on top of the car. Brembo 380mm brakes were a must have for the car, and were color matched in beautiful Atlantis Metallic at Brembo’s facility to provide a cohesive look. RD Sport’s front bumper and Challenge’s rear diffuser were both installed as smoothly as possible, with no exposed Carbon Fiber to be seen. This ensured a smooth, together look for the whole car. IND’s custom paint work in the engine compartment carried the Atlantis Metallic and Gloss Black theme throughout the car, and worked to ensure that all modifications look as at home as possible. Dinan’s Carbon Fiber air intake, Rogue Engineering Power Pulleys, and an Active Autowerke software flash round out the power modifications.
Two moments in this car’s build will forever remain in my memory- Myke’s reaction to the car upon seeing it for the first time, and driving the car at the Midwest’s premier AutoBahn Country Club race course.
Preparing for delivery of the car was an all week long marathon of cleaning, testing, and perfecting. Every component had to fit perfectly. Every inch of paint on the car had to gleam as if brand new. Each body piece was buffed and professionally detailed for the best possible result. After a full week of late nights, the big moment for Atlantis finally arrived- meeting its owner after a complete transformation.
Myke slowly walked into IND’s delivery room, and looked at each aspect of the car. I was finally able to show him all of the details we’d included into the car- the gloss black honeycomb side vent that most people leave matte, the gloss black OEM rear bumper mesh, along with the painted and finished matte RD Sport air ducts in their front bumper. The pinstriped details on the M car’s beautiful intake plenum, along with the molded Challenge diffuser. Small touches like this can only truly be appreciated in person. Myke smiled, looked at me, and said “It’s just perfect. It’s exactly right. I wouldn’t change a thing”. Nothing in this business is more rewarding than hearing those exact words from a client. Once the car was thoroughly inspected and formally delivered, it was time to take some photos and video. Any location accessible to the regular public was simply not enough for a Portfolio Project of this caliber- only the best would do. The staff at IND could think of no better location than the AutoBahn Country Club.
AutoBahn Country Club is located in Chicago’s southernmost suburbs, and is a secluded, wooded paradise for anyone who truly loves motorsport. As AutoBahn is a private country club, the chance to drive a car at their North Track in complete private, for the entire day, is not only basically impossible, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
The exhaust note of the Akrapovic titanium system gave me chills as we loaded Atlantis on our enclosed trailer. The gleaming Neez wheels and jewel-like Brembo brakes made me absolutely beam. I had a very difficult time concentrating on the task at hand- making sure that the low RD Sport bumper cleared our trailer ramp- staring at the car was all I could do. My mind was occupied with only one thing- AutoBahn’s gorgeous race track.
Pulling into AutoBahn truly makes you feel like one of the privileged few. You park your trailer outside of the massive fenced facility, and have a quick chat with the friendly track marshal inside the small gate building. The look on my face must have given away that I had brought something truly special, and we were admitted with only a few simple questions about the gorgeous Atlantis M3. As the gates opened, we were able to see the private garages of the Midwest’s biggest shops- EuroSport, FallLine, and many others were all there permanently, year round to provide trackside support to their clients. The treelined behemoth that is AutoBahn’s North and South tracks loomed ahead of us. Together, the North and South tracks make a formidable course that is nearly four miles long, with many complex corners, elevation changes, and the years of study and improvement that a track like this commands.
The North Track was our concern for the day. North Track was completely closed and available to us only for the entire day. This would allow ample time to shoot the car. I started Atlantis for the next time that morning, and we began the delicate procedure of unloading the car from the trailer. The beautiful note of the Akrapovic exhaust promised amazing sounds later that day, as the car went around AutoBahn’s North Track at full song. Of course, our goal here was not to set record laps, or to abuse the car, but simply to preview the car’s capabilities. Together, the amazing stopping power of the Brembo brakes, the beautiful sound of the Akrapovic exhaust, and the sharp response of the KW coilover suspension made the car a joy to drive on the track, even at our leisurely pace.
It is a rare opportunity indeed to create a truly unique work- something that has never happened before, and will not occur since. Working to create IND’s Atlantis Portfolio Project car has been an honor and a pleasure, and I know the car will put smiles on the owner’s face for years to come. I’ll take one last stare at our work before it rolls onto the enclosed trailer for it’s long ride home, to Texas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jk_UgzDYQK8
[IMG]http://www.ind-distribution.com/images/AT36.jpg[/IMG
The Silver Standard
Working at IND gives all of us here a unique opportunity- we get to build the car we love over and over again. How many people are fortunate enough to modify beautiful cars for a living? Because offering styling consultation on our Portfolio projects is one of the key components of our Portfolio service, it is critically important for all of us at IND to keep an open mind. We have to do a fresh, new look for each car, and ensure that the finished project isn't just a mass produced modified car, but rather a car that is uniquely our client's.
This Silverstone II E93 convertible was built for a client that loves the E93 M3 for it's versatility, and it's tasteful looks. He wanted a beautiful M3 that retained it's high class appeal. To accomodate our client's desire for a clean and subtle E93, we chose to mold a Vorsteiner Polyurethane front lip to our bumper, removing any sign of the old OEM reflectors along the way. Complimenting the classic front lip is the new Challenge rear diffuser, which was also molded to the rear bumper. Nitto Invo tires in 255/30/20 Front and 285/30/20 Rear sit on BBS LM wheels in 20x9.5 Front and 20x10 Rear accent the OEM chrome trim perfectly.
Instead of choosing to black out everything in sight, IND left the chrome trim well enough alone on this E93, prefferring the bright, clean look it and the BBS LMs offer. Coming soon is an Eisenmann Sport exhaust system, Rogue short shift kit, and BMW Performance shift boot and knob.
Last year, all of us at IND were proud to release the Silver Standard. To this day, this car still captures the hearts of every employee at IND with it’s simplicity and understated elegance.
This year, the owner of the Silver Standard expressed a desire to continue improvements on the car, which presented us with a unique challenge: how do you improve something that in the eyes of everyone involved with the project was already about as close to perfect as you can get? After talking with the owner, we decided that the ESS VT1-535 kit was the perfect update for the car. The intake manifold was refinished in IND’s high gloss black, and the 535hp power level is a perfect compliment for this car.
Green Hell
Ask any racing driver or sports car enthusiast what “Green Hell” means to them, and they will say nearly the same thing- Green Hell is the nickname of undoubtedly the most terrifying, the most challenging, and the most lethal race course on the planet- the Nurburgring. Most people who are not fans of motorsport simply do not understand. What is the purpose of a place like this? What a terrible waste of life and resources, to build a race track that takes more human life in one year than any other track in the world. The Green Hell has of course more than once been a subject of international controversy.
But to me, the Nurburgring is much more than just a track. The Nurburgring represents the human drive to push the envelope. The drive to be faster, better, smarter than those that came before you, even at the cost of your own life. This desire, this attraction to risk, this primal drive to push the limits of what’s possible is what makes the Green Hell so irresistible. So to me, the Green Hell is not just a 14-plus mile strip of concrete in the mountains of western Germany, it is a direct representation of the human condition, the human struggle- our daily fight to make each move, each inch count.
I knew all of this well before I ever went to the ‘Ring, but nothing could prepare me for actually driving the track. Navigating the same hair raising corners as greats like Stefan Bellof, Jackie Stewart, and Hans Stuck really drove home to me just how impossible the track was to master- even with me driving at what I felt was a personal five tenths, well below even my own lowly limit. Feeling the elevation changes, seeing the blind corners, seeing how truly close the Armco barriers were to the track surface made it clear to me that the men and women who had challenged the Green Hell were truly heroes. Exiting the track, I knew my perspective was forever changed. I knew I would never be the same from that day forward.
IND’s Green Hell project was conceived almost immediately after our return from Germany. With the amazing Nurburgring still fresh in my memory, I felt truly inspired. When our long-time client Sam told us of his desire to push the limit of his E92 M3 at the track, I knew we’d found the perfect co-conspirator for our plan. Many people in the US have installed Supercharger or stroker kits on their new M3s, but few have any plans to push the car’s limits at the racetrack. This is what sets Sam apart from many people spending tens of thousands on their M3s, and this, I knew, would be the winning ingredient to our Green Hell project. As will all IND Portfolio projects, the most important factor to a successful and memorable project car is the owner.
So with this idea of exploring the limits of performance of the E92 M3, we had a starting point. Combining comfortable street driving with fearsome track performance and bulletproof reliability is an extremely delicate balancing act, so it was important to choose our plan for engine enhancement carefully. There are many extremely attractive options for the E9x M3 that will produce big power, but among the field of stroker motors and supercharger kits, one option truly stood out for it’s proven on track performance, “push-the-envelope” power, and bulletproof reliability. After weeks of long conversations, ESS’ VT2-600 supercharger kit proved to be the clear choice. The ESS kit offered power levels that were bordering terrifying, several years of on-track testing by the amazing GS Bilder race car, and the tuning pedigree earned by ESS’ 20 years of tuning BMW cars.
This supercharger kit became the heart of the build, and the focal point of the project. For IND, pushing the envelope does not mean addressing performance alone- the car also has to be visually striking. IND as a company has constructed many E92 M3s prior to Green Hell, so we knew we had to do some truly unique work on this car. To pay homage to the Nurburgring, and to keep with this car’s motorsports theme, we chose to use Porsche RS Green to highlight the key elements of the car. From the vibrant RS Green ESS intake manifold, to the RS Green Brembo brake calipers directly from Brembo, to smaller details like our own green sidemarker and pinstripe, we knew the color scheme of the car would challenge people’s perceptions of what’s possible on an E92 M3. Even the Rogue Engineering adjustable toe arms were finished in green to match the car’s overall theme.
The car received a total makeover in its performance as well, with every aspect addressed by some of the biggest names in the business. Rogue Engineering provided their fantastically precise short shifter and toe adjustment arms. Brembo’s track proven 365mm big brake kit and KW’s ClubSport coilovers ensure that the 600hp produced by the ESS Supercharger kit are precisely controlled. The new higher speeds the car will encounter on straights of famous Midwest racetracks like Autobahn and Road America will command a change in pad choice as well, to allow for a higher operating temperature. To evacuate exhaust gasses efficiently, and provide an intoxicating exhaust note, Eisenmann sent us their prized possession- the one and only Inconel exhaust system for the E92 M3. Not only is this Inconel muffler the only one in existence for the M3, it is the only single system of this kind Eisenmann plans to make, making it truly one of a kind. Together with the Challenge X pipe, this car creates a truly menacing sound as soon as it starts up. The low rumble at idle transforms into a true roar as the ESS Supercharger builds it’s full 6.5 psi of boost, and the engine soars to redline.
HRE Monobloc track wheels in 18x9.5 front and 18x10 rear in a custom gloss black finish are used, together with 275/285 Nitto NT05 tires for balanced handling. A full Vorsteiner exterior component line is also installed, with gloss black highlights on the GTS3 bumper’s front lip, and the type 2 diffuser. Together with the custom gloss black interior trim, the gloss black color tames the green highlights to create a finished appearance.
Although testing the car on the street is only a small indication of how visceral, how intense the on-track experience will be, I can see that ESS has truly created a monster with their supercharger kit. Achieving 100mph is just an instant that is quickly glossed over as the car claws for speeds deeper into the triple digits. It is nearly impossible to focus on such low speeds when the speedometer is climbing rapidly past 150, 160, 170mph. The scenery goes from speeding by to simply blurring around you. Your focus is on the road ahead of you only. Your eyes stop blinking. Life suddenly turns from a complex experience filled with paperwork, phone calls, emails, to a very simple thing indeed- focus. Clear, razor sharp focus. Even the small amount of driving we were able to do during this Chicago winter, I can tell that the Brembo brakes have quite a task ahead of them this upcoming race season, and that this car will now accomplish the exact goal we set- pushing the limits of what’s possible, both for us and for our client. The opportunity to challenge, to force an individual to break new boundaries- this is the ultimate privilege.
This Tuesday a friend of mine asked me if we were interested in bringing Green Hell to the famous Autobahn Country Club for a private test day, I found I was unable to say no. The chance to shake down the car for the first time since it was supercharged in a private, closed environment was just too tempting to resist!
Many questions were going through my head as we got in the car to drive to Autobahn Country Club- how difficult will it be to put down the 600 some horsepower provided by the ESS Supercharger kit? Will the car stay cool with the newfound power? Even without these questions, the alignment was still brand new, the Hawk DTC-60 pads housed in Brembo’s GT kit completely untested in a track environment, and we knew that much of the car’s behavior would be completely different.
Arriving at Autobahn, we soon realized we were in for much more than we anticipated. The paddock was full of absolutely fearesome cars like Ryan Gates’ Nitto Tire and AMS sponsored Evo X, the Cobb Tuning R35 GTR, and many other creations from top name tuners across the US. Luckily, Friday was still considered a “members only” day, and we were one of only about 5 cars actually running on the track.
As we began to put the M3 through it’s paces on Autobah’s south course, we immediately developed an immense confidence in the ability of the hardware at our disposal. The limit of the M3 was so staggeringly high. The engine, even with the ESS Supercharger kit installed never wavered in it’s ability to stay cool, lap after lap after lap. 20 minute sessions were flying by with literally no increase in coolant temperature or loss of braking power. Even the NT05 tires felt absolutely fantastic throughout the day, as they fought the car’s 600 horsepower for control.
The car felt so fantastic on Friday that even though we had only intended to have a relaxing Friday afternoon track session at Autobahn, it was absolutely clear that with a car that worked this well, the Redline Time Attack event simply could not be missed! At about 6pm, we called back to the shop, ordered some fresh engine oil and brake fluid, and got ready to spend a couple of hours prepping the car. Thanks to our friend Greg at GT Motoring, we were even able to make the car look the part by adding some vinyl to represent the car’s sponsors!
Passing tech at the event was an exercise in creativity- the car’s undertray was 1” too low for Street class, and because we had signed up so late on Saturday morning, raising the car was not an option as we could not realign the car, and removing the undertray was also impossible, as that would seriously hinder the car’s cooling ability. We chose to place the car into the only class that would take it- the Drift class! This class has the same rules as the Street class, except there is no height requirement. We were finally on our way.
In all, the Time Attack weekend was a great time. Autobahn was a truly beautiful facility as always, the car ran flawlessly, and we spent quality time at the track with many of our close friends. The car also clocked a great time- a second off from the other car in Drift class- another supercharged M3!
Thanks to the staff at Autobahn, Brembo, ESS Tuning, KW, Sparco, Challenge and Eisenmann for all of their help in making this car an absolute blast to drive at the track!
Burn The Clock by IND
Humanity has been obsessed with time since the dawn of history. The Egyptians, the Mayans, the Greeks, and thousands of other civilizations throughout human history have strived to measure and understand time. No mineral, artifact, or human creation, nothing is more precious than time. Time does not negotiate; it cannot be purchased, sold, or recovered once it’s lost. Mankind has accomplished impressive feats, but as each man lives his life, he does so under the looming shadow of passing time. No force is more fearsome than the passing of time itself. IND’s latest portfolio project makes this fact abundantly clear. This project was not a battle against limited resources, limited creativity, or limited ability, but rather a fight against time.
Nelson, our client for this Portfolio Project is an unsung hero in the car world. His collection of supercars has given magazine editors across the world the opportunity to test drive some of the rarest, most exotic vehicles on the planet, and has allowed regular car enthusiasts like us to read about machines we can only dream of having. His garage looks like every teen aged boy’s fantasy, with everything from Aston to Zonda contained within. Most important to IND’s mission in this project, Nelson is true car enthusiast, and is not content with acquiring cars simply to add to a stationary collection of exotics- the cars owned by Nelson are driven on the street and on the track, and driven to their limit.
Nelson has been a BMW owner since the 1970s, and has had a passion for the M division’s unique creations since the letter M began to quicken the heartbeats of performance enthusiasts worldwide, so was naturally felt inspired when he saw IND’s Atlantis E90 M3 portfolio project. The color was so striking to our client, that he knew he had to have it. The color itself comes with a price, however- a brand new M3, ordered through BMW’s Individual program can take nearly a year to obtain. As plans came together, our mission became very clear.
IND would create a car that would look at home next to Nelson’s two Bugatti Veyrons and Ferrari Enzo both because of its amazing performance and its exotic spec sheet. We also knew that Nelson wished to have the car in time for the summer’s track season, and could not think of a better venue to show the completed car to our client than BimmerFest in California- without question the biggest BMW gathering in the US. It is when we committed to these two simply-stated goals that the specter of time began to loom over IND.
We had to build a car that could fight against Enzo Ferarri’s personal legacy to capture Nelson’s attention, and we only had two months to envision and build such a machine.
The project started with the purchase of a brand new 2010 E92 M3. It had been a while since I had the chance to sit in an M3 this new, and the experience was no less intoxicating than the first time I’d gotten the opportunity. The car pulled into our shop with 29 miles brightly displayed on the odometer. The window stickers, floor mat protectors, and of course that wonderful smell of a new BMW were all there, and I could not conceal my excitement. Of course, after some moments of simply staring at the car, I began to regain focus. All of IND’s staff would have to talk and plan and debate for hours. Choices had to be made quickly, and correctly. Parts that many said were impossible to get would have to arrive within days of the car’s arrival at our facility. And of course, there was the matter of disassembling the entire car to prepare it for its complete refinish in BMW’s beautiful Atlantis Metallic.
Each part was meticulously packaged and labeled immediately after removal. A dedicated section of industrial sized warehouse shelving was purchased specifically for Nelson’s M3, and installed in a separate section of our warehouse to store all of the parts. One of the biggest challenges of building this M3 is the reassembly process- our technicians are doing the job that BMW does on an assembly line with complex machinery, entirely by hand. Each piece must be absolutely perfectly re-installed to ensure that the car has no strange creaks, rattles, or groans and feels and drives just like a car with 20 miles on it, fresh from BMW’s assembly line.
We chose our most qualified paint professional to complete the paint work on this car. He has been with our shop for 28 years, and lit up with excitement when we began discussing the magnitude of this project together. The beautiful Atlantis Metallic paint was applied to the freshly prepared car only two days after the car’s arrival at our shop. Every member of IND’s staff was aware of just how little time was available, and with time looming over our shoulders, not a single staff member wasted even a precious second between tasks.
A car meant to compete for attention with Nelson’s supercars would not succeed in its task with only the M3’s standard power level on tap. ESS Tuning’s supercharger kit was perfectly suited to the task, offering bulletproof reliability and power levels usually reserved for exotics. IND could not leave the engine bay well enough alone, of course, so we chose to finish the valve covers in a high gloss black, with their plastic covers in Atlantis Metallic, and the supercharger’s intake manifold in a jewel-like high polished gloss black to match the theme of the car.
From here, the car made a trip to visit our friends at Fall Line Motorsports. To complete the car’s interior, we knew we had to borrow an element from the M3 GTS- the roll bar. IND worked with the expert fabricators at Fall Line Motorsports to create a custom roll bar for the car, using 1.75” .095 wall thickness chromoly tubing. Fall Line used their experience in racing E92 M3s in the Grand AM race series to weld in this beautiful piece of safety equipment.
IND laid a coat of beautiful Atlantis Metallic paint on the car’s roll bar to integrate the piece into the car’s interior. Because Nelson’s vision for this car was originally inspired by both the M3 GTS and IND’s original Atlantis project, we knew that the Atlantis roll bar would be a perfect unifying point between both of these sources of inspiration.
To compete with Nelson’s exotic collection, we knew that we had to achieve something truly special in the car’s interior, and knew of no better starting point than Ericsson’s amazing Carbon Fiber door panels. Time was of course the enemy once again, because after contacting Ericsson we learned that not only had the panels never actually been made for a car outside of Ericsson’s own facility, they were to take about 8 weeks to build and import. After several conversations that included a fair amount of begging and pleading, IND was able to successfully import the panels in a matter of two weeks! Because the panels had never been sent outside of Ericsson’s own facility, fitting these panels to the car would be a true challenge. Our expert technician worked for nearly a week to create the perfect piece!
IND knew that only one set of seats would be right enough to continue the GTS theme- the BMW Performance seats. We contacted one of our connections in Germany to import the seats for us, along with hide after hide of BMW’s original leather (something we were told repeatedly was impossible to get). To match the all leather headliner and dash, the seats were painstakingly disassembled and completely reupholstered in leather. The seats were completed in four days, a nearly impossible feat! IND refinished the plastic seat belt pass through pieces in gloss black for an absolutely original look.
By far the biggest challenge of the project was this, a completely one off carbon fiber rear interior section. IND once again worked with our amazing composites manufacturer, and gave him his most ambitious task yet- build a piece that will completely cover the rear area left bare by installing the roll bar, match everything to the Ericsson door panels, and do it all in just one week. The entire staff worked through each night and the weekend to complete our project, and the result was even more impressive than anyone at IND could have possibly envisioned! The full carbon fiber interior treatment gives the car a fighting chance against Nelson’s amazing supercars.
Smaller details like the reupholstered shift and ebrake boots with M tri color stitching surround the leather wrapped gauge holder that contains oil temp, water temp, and oil pressure gauges by Stack. Monitoring this engine’s vitals will be critical, as the car will see it’s fair share of track use.
No other wheel will have suited this project more perfectly than BBS’ FI. The wheels were completely unavailable during the planning of this project, and to my knowledge, this is still the only set of BBS FI wheels in the United States as of today. The volcanic eruption of April made importing these wheels an even greater adventure, forcing IND to have our shipping contact in Germany personally pick the wheels up at BBS’ facility, drive them to the airport, and personally ensure the set got loaded on an airline flight. Seeing the wheels safely in our hands was truly thrilling!
Finally, after the key components for the car had been installed, IND was able to fly the chief software engineer for ESS Tuning to Chicago to program the car’s already incredible double clutch transmission, and dyno test the car. The M3 spun the dyno rollers with a fearsome bellow from the Akrapovic exhaust, and produced 522 horsepower at the wheels with just 6.5psi of boost from ESS’ supercharger kit!
More Burn The Clock:
When the car pulled into IND’s facility for it’s final cleaning and inspection prior to departure for BimmerFest, all of us at IND could collectively feel the specter of time lift, and our tensions eased. The job was done, and we no longer had to fear time’s looming presence, at least until our next project began.
Our trip to visit the Blue Max!
Nate and I had the privilege of spending the day with our client Nelson to shoot his just-delivered Blue Max IND Portfolio car. Nelson’s hospitality was truly heart warming as he and his wife let us into their home with open arms, and our stay in Florida was a great experience.
We met at Nelson’s house early Wednesday morning. Nelson opened his home’s garage door, and we were both absolutely elated to see the Blue Max parked inside, next to his stunning Rolls Royce Ghost. With the incredible cars available for Nelson to drive on any given day, it was truly an honor to see the M3 getting regular use.
The home had a separate, detached garage. The door was rolled down, so I had to ask what was inside.
As the garage door rolled up, I found I was only able to stare in shock. The open door revealed two Bugatti Veyrons. Seeing a Veyron in person is the only way to get a true appreciation for the car’s design and construction. Although I was anticipating a world class fit and finish, nothing could have prepared me for how amazing the Veyron is in person. The paint seemed infinitely deep. The aluminum on the extremely rare Sang Blue Veyron is so highly polished it is difficult to convince yourself it is not chrome. And then there is the interior. Never have I seen a more perfect use of leather, carbon, and aluminum in a car’s interior. Nothing I can say here will effectively describe the appearance of the Veyron. The car is truly moving artwork. You simply have to see and experience it for yourself.
We left Nelson’s home, and drove to the shoot location- a private Fly-In community in central Florida. I was eager to experience the Veyron on the road, and again found myself completely unprepared. Driving the car normally, the sound of the four turbo chargers dominates all other tones emanating from the exposed engine. You can immediately hear and feel the car’s incredible power potential. I’ve said before that Nelson is a true car enthusiast, and this day doubled my confidence in this. Nelson drove the Veyron without the trepidation one might anticipate from someone driving such a costly supercar. The car was built to be driven, and Nelson had no fear of driving it. As we drove through Florida’s back roads, we approached some corners and I was shocked at the force with which the heavy Veyron gripped the ground. The car was absolutely flat through the bends, and seemed to respond perfectly to every input.
Then the inevitable happened- we encountered a long and straight stretch of road. Nelson placed both hands on the steering wheel and said “you may want to lean your head back against the headrest”. It is literally not possible to describe what happened next using words. The Veyron’s acceleration was so immediate, the power delivery so smooth that I can only describe the experience as completely dissimilar to driving a car at all. I felt as if I was strapped to a rocket. There was no jerking between shifts (in fact, you could not feel the gear change at all), no shape to the powerband that made power increase or decrease throughout the engine’s RPM range. The car achieved a speed that should only be confined to closed courses so quickly and effortlessly that it simply did not feel like an automobile at all.
We arrived at Nelson’s hanger, and were greeted with more automotive art work. The Ferarri California, the Bentley Drophead, the Ferarri 599 were all incredible cars. I had heard quite a few times about two cars in particular, and was excited to see them- the Heffner twin turbo Gallardo LP-560, and the RennTech modified SL65 Black Series had occupied my imagination for months now. Both cars boast nearly 1000 horsepower and blistering acceleration. Both are incredible in their own right.
Although we cannot reveal the photos from our shoot prematurely (you can expect to see the entire shoot in this fall’s EuroTuner magazine), here are some behind the scenes shots from that day:
The Silver Ghost
A project that could be viewed as a wonder of the world! It is a car that turns the head of many not only tuners but families and children all over the city. No matter where we go there’s a story to be told: the silver ghost doesn’t only have that unique look to drop jaws anywhere it stands but it also holds enough power to disappear off into the distance shocking all those who are watching!
Early in the year I got in touch with IND distribution looking to get a few small modifications done that would slightly change the appearance of the car and add better handling to it. We had set a deadline for this small project to be completed within two weeks. As the deadline was approaching fast we ran into a few problems with the car. The dealership took care of most of the issues as they were just minor recalls but it wasn’t till the M3 went onto the dyno where we figured it lacked in the power section! It was there where I had lost faith in the M3 after paying for a car that held a name of performance and it didn’t even put out enough power to keep up with the competition. I quickly called IND and spoke with Ilia regarding this matter and we came to conclusion that it was time to take this car to another level of performance and power.
On the 4th day of May in the year of 2010, the 2008 Silverstone II M3 was driven to IND and I handed the keys over to Ilia. In the first few weeks the original modifications on the car were parted out to make room for the new long list of modifications that were going to go into this beast. Throughout the process more and more modifications kept being purchased to transform this car into a unique head turner.
Untouchablee82 and I departed from Toronto with IND Distribution as our final destination. Unaware of what my car would look or sound like we drove to IND with high hopes that the beast would be a car that would blow us away. After 8 long hours of driving through the dark night we finally arrived at our destination. The car was still in the final stages and was just drying up in the paint booth when I saw it my just dropped!
The following day I returned and was sitting in the IND office waiting for my car to arrive back at the shop from alignment. When I heard an aggressive sound in the distance I came outside to see what had arrived to my surprise it was The Silver Ghost!
After 2000KM of driving my only response about the ESS kit was WOW! Speechless... the m3 should have originally come like this! On the dyno the silver ghost put down 569.4 HP and 370.9 TQ at the wheels. Driving this car has never been more fun, anytime you need extra power its right there under your feet. As for the gas mileage originally it was in the high 18.9 km/L but after putting kilometres on the car and driving it back home from Chicago the car readjusted to the new power and came down to the original numbers of 14.4 – 14.7 km/L. On the highway I get better gas mileage than average but during the city driving and traffic driving it goes up to about 15.1 – 15.5 km/L. The power delivered by this ESS kit is unspeakable of and it’s an experience that even words can’t explain.
All the time and money spent on this car was well worth the wait. This final project is a masterpiece that satisfies every desire out there! At the end of the day all I can say is Thank You to IND for all the hard work that was done and for walking side by side with me while I kept changing my mind through the build.
Special Thanks to Ilia Smolov for watching over the process as it took place
Thanks to my brother Shahab aka untouchable
Arash
Modifications
Exterior:
Vorsteiner GTS3 CF Front Bumper
IND CF Roof
Challenge CF/Kevlar Trunk
Vorsteiner CF Diffuser
OSS LED angel eyes
OSS LED AMBER Turn Signals
XenonDepot D1S 8000K
LCI Taillights
Lamborghini Pearl Black Side-markers with Tinted Turn signals
Lamborghini Pearl Black ///M3 and ESS badges
Suspension:
KWv3 Coilovers
RD sport Sway Bars
Braking:
Brembo Big Brake Kit (Painted Lamborghini Pearl Black): 6 piston front with 365MM rotors and 4 piston rear with 345MM rotors
Engine and Exhaust:
ESS Supercharger KIT VT2-600 at 6.5PSI intercooled with Lamborghini Pearl Black Manifold and Blower
Engine Covers painted Silverstone II
Akrapovic Full Titanium Exhaust
Interior:
BMW PERFORMANCE G-FORCE STEERING WHEEL with custom M upholstery
Active Autowerke Short Shift Kit
Passport 9500ci Radar Unit
///M Pedals
LCI I-drive knob and console
Rims:
ADV1 8.3 Deep Concave Wheels with Custom Finish (20x9.5 and 20x10.5)
Toyo Tires 255/30/20 and 285/30/20
Delivery of THE SILVER GHOST which was scheduled to be picked up on the 9th day of July 2010
Modifications
Exterior:
Vorsteiner GTS3 CF Front Bumper
IND CF Roof
Challenge CF/Kevlar Trunk
Vorsteiner CF Diffuser
OSS LED angel eyes
OSS LED AMBER Turn Signals
XenonDepot D1S 8000K
LCI Taillights
Lamborghini Pearl Black Side-markers with Tinted Turn signals
Lamborghini Pearl Black ///M3 and ESS badges
Suspension:
KWv3 Coilovers
RD sport Sway Bars
Braking:
Brembo Big Brake Kit (Painted Lamborghini Pearl Black): 6 piston front with 365MM rotors and 4 piston rear with 345MM rotors
Engine and Exhaust:
ESS Supercharger KIT VT2-600 at 6.5PSI intercooled with Lamborghini Pearl Black Manifold and Blower
Engine Covers painted Silverstone II
Akrapovic Full Titanium Exhaust
Interior:
BMW PERFORMANCE G-FORCE STEERING WHEEL with custom M upholstery
Active Autowerke Short Shift Kit
Passport 9500ci Radar Unit
///M Pedals
LCI I-drive knob and console
Rims:
ADV1 8.3 Deep Concave Wheels with Custom Finish (20x9.5 and 20x10.5)
Toyo Tires 255/30/20 and 285/30/20
Delivery of THE SILVER GHOST which was scheduled to be picked up on the 9th day of July 2010
Many people know IND by their E9x M3 projects, but we have had a passion for BMW and M cars in particular since long before the E9x M3 arrived in the US.
A local client of ours shares this same passion for M cars, and brought his E46M3 to us for it’s yearly “winter makeover”. This E46 M3 is run at tracks like Road America, Autobahn, Gingerman, and Grattan all summer long, and in the winter the entire front of the car is repainted to maintain it’s absolutely spotless appearance. Although this M3 is a track car, it has the look of a museum piece. I have not seen a better looking, more flawless E46 M3 since the cars stopped being sold by BMW as new.
While we were refinishing the appearance of the car, we thought we may want to refresh the car’s performance, too. We installed Enkei NT03 wheels in 18x10” width all around, with a custom powdercoated white finish, and added some 265mm wide Advan A048 tires for improved cornering. Vorshlag camber plates were added to the KW V3 coilovers for greater adjustment of camber and castor alignment settings, and an AutoSolutions short shifter took made shifting more precise and controlled.
Our client was so excited about the way his E46 M3 looked and handled, he bought an E30 M3 to match! The E30 M3 has been his dream car for years, and is a true classic. This one was in great shape, and of course was already Alpine White to go with his E46 M3. IND is planning a full refresh of this 20 year old classic, so we started by installing Ground Control coilovers, the always classic BBS LM wheels with Dunlop Star Spec tires, TreeHouse control arm bushings, Ireland Engineering trailing arm and subframe bushings, adjustable camber and toe plates for the rear subframe, and swaybar reinforcement blocks for the rear swaybar.
I hope everyone enjoys the photos!
IND’s client Jamie is a real example of hard work paying off. As a technician for Suncor Energy in Ft McMurray Canada, Jamie is no stranger to putting in extreme hours in extreme conditions, and works on some of the most amazing earth moving equipment in the world.
Jamie’s efforts maintaining the single largest fleet of the single largest trucks in the world have granted him the privilege of creating his perfect E90 M3, but just as in his work life, Jamie had to work very hard to get his beloved M3 to where it is today- his first Individual Moonstone M3 was taken from him in a car accident just last year! After losing his first Moonstone car, Jamie knew he had to get the second try just right.
Jamie approached IND looking for an Akrapovic exhaust system, but as we began to discuss his project, Jamie began to share his ideas with me. Jamie has a passion for detail and perfection, and knew that he wanted his modifications to be very subtle. His goal was to create a car that looked factory original to a layperson, but also sported modifications that could be appreciated by a true enthusiast.
To that goal, we selected Akrapovic’s prototype polished tips, a Brembo 380mm GT kit finished in the same beautiful Moonstone paint color, and BBS LM wheels as the major modifications on the car. IND painted all of the grille inserts on the car in a gloss black finish to accent the gloss black accents installed on the car from the factory, and added a European spec bumper to delete the reflectors in the cleanest way possible.
The centerpiece of the car, in my eyes, is the incredible engine bay. IND powdercoated the valve covers a high temp textured black, and painted the ignition coil covers moonstone for accent. Our best painter finished the plenum in it’s incredible Moonstone and gloss black paint scheme, and finished a Dinan carbon intake elbow in gloss black to match.
Unlike most of IND’s Portfolio Projects, this car was not assembled in house, but instead all of the components were installed by the owner himself! Jamie installed all of the modifications with ease, given his experience as a skilled technician.
To finish the car and take it on it’s maiden voyage, Jamie planned a road trip of international scale! Jamie drove the car from Ft McMurray in far northern Canada directly to IND, where we completed the car by installing the engine bay components. As a true enthusiast, Jamie has every intention of enjoying the car to it’s fullest, and is now on his way to Newfoundland before returning to Ft McMurray- a nearly 10,000 mile trip in total! Jamie will enjoy the car he has created for years to come.
Of all the companies modifying BMW cars today, IND may be the strangest. Most businesses will jump at the chance to sell any part and work on any car, but at IND this is not the case. Our chief function as a business is to represent Eisenmann GmbH in the U.S, and we do not take this lightly. Take on too many side jobs, too many projects, and you lose focus as a business. Quality starts to decline, and so we learned quickly that it is better to do a few things exceptionally than to do many things poorly.
This is precisely what makes IND strange. We will not work on every car owned by every client, and we will not install every part just to make a dollar. Our preferred clients are not simply the individuals who have spent the most money with us, but rather people who share a fundamental philosophy on the automotive hobby we love. We would travel to the end of the earth to help our best clients, and this month’s story is the most literal interpretation of that promise to date.
Our client, Mr Singh, is a unique individual. Having been a true car enthusiast for years, he knows exactly what he wants, and will stop at nothing to get it. Despite residing in a country that makes being a car enthusiast quite difficult, our client had one of the first LP640 Lamborghinis imported into India. When ESS’ amazing VT2-600 supercharger kit was released for the E9x M3, our client consulted with us and imported the kit immediately and was the first to have an ESS M3 in India. His collection of exotic cars represents his love for the automobile.
Of all of the cars in Mr. Singh’s collection, one in particular proved to be the biggest challenge. One car was so difficult to import, modify, and enjoy that it nearly bested our client. This car is the Nissan GTR. Just purchasing the car involved a series of cancelled orders and took our client all the way to London, where the GTR in question was finally acquired.
After purchasing the GTR, Mr. Singh knew he could not simply leave it as is. To compete among his collection, the GTR had to be a true giant killer and the standard power output simply would not suffice. The GTR continued to be a difficult beast to tame in this respect also- not only are there no GTR specialist shops in India, but to extract true power from the car, it is ideal to have access to an all wheel drive dyno. Finding an all wheel drive dyno facility is no easy task, and Mr. Singh once again proved his unwavering determination by immediately initiating the import of India’s first all wheel dyno!
To complete the recipe for the for India’s fastest GTR, we knew we could only contact the best shop dealing with Japanese cars in the US- AMS Performance. Not only are the people at AMS absolute experts in forced induction and all wheel drive systems, the staff of AMS are close personal friends of ours, and are the absolute most trustworthy people for the job. With AMS on board, we knew we had a winning formula. We soon formulated a plan that involved multiple intercontinental voyages, thousands of dollars in parts, custom tailored tunes, and hours of effort, all designed to build India’s fastest GTR.
Together, we made the 15 hour flight directly to India’s Delhi International airport, where we awaited the next leg of our journey to Mr. Singh’s home city of Chandigarh.
Stepping off the airplane’s taxi ladder onto the runway was an instant reminder of just how far we were from home. The sweltering air feels thick with moisture and envelops you as soon as the airplane door opens. The very smell and sight of India embeds in you the knowledge that you are in one of the earliest strongholds of modern civilization, a place of incredible philosophical and religious history.
An old friend greeted us as soon as we exited the airport: one of the first projects IND helped Mr. Singh construct, an ESS Supercharged E92 M3. This was the first time we had actually seen the car in person, despite having provided all of the parts, so of course the experience was very rewarding.
The following day we had the opportunity to stop by Mr. Singh’s residence and have a look at a couple of the English cars in his collection. Between the Range Rover AutoBiography edition and the Aston Martin DB-S I got the distinct impression that the English were still at the top of their game. The level of workmanship on the exterior and most importantly the interior of these two cars was something that is difficult to find in the modern world.
Mr. Singh’s friends at his local BMW dealer were kind enough to provide us an install facility. The beautiful tiled floors and air conditioned garages were a stark contrast to the streets of Chandigarh.
Mr. Singh’s GTR pulled into the shop with a stealthy rumble, and my hair stood in anticipation. I knew that after several day’s work we would transform the already formidable GTR into a true monster. As the car ascended the lift, I could only imagine the rush of acceleration to come.
AMS’ downpipes, coupled with the rest of the full exhaust system provide a formidable gain, but these parts alone are not quite enough to achieve the supercar-beating 600 horsepower offered by the Alpha 6 kit.
The final step of AMS’ hardware package for Mr. Singh was a piece brought in by special request- upgraded fuel injectors. While these are not required hardware for the Alpha 6 kit, Mr. Singh’s GTR is not staying at the Alpha 6 power level for long, and the IND and AMS teams will soon revisit India for the next step.
We all listened intently as the GTR was lowered from it’s perch on the shop lift. We knew that the roar that was about to emanate from the four exhaust tips would be deafening, and the whole team was excited to begin the most critical phase of the job- the custom ECU tune that would set this GTR apart from any other.
As AMS’ head software engineering Chris Black rode with Mr. Singh through the streets of India, all of us trailing the car could tell that the GTR was changed forever, and that Mr. Singh was addicted to the outright violent acceleration the car now provided. We were nearly ready to leave India, but we knew we would return soon to make this GTR the ultimate street weapon.
Larry, or BigLare as he is known on M3Post, is no stranger to having his M3 in the public eye. Larry’s Brilliant White BMW Individual M3 has one of the most recognizable, unique looks around so as IND we had a difficult task ahead of us when Larry asked us to install a carbon roof just in time for the SEMA show. How do you make one of the most unique, recognizable cars in the E9x M3 business even more unique and recognizable, without being excessive and gaudy?
Luckily, Challenge Engineering came to the rescue. The guys at Challenge shared an idea with us that had not yet been seen in the M3 community- the “Zonda style” or “V Weave”. Horacio Pagani introduced this weave on his Zonda F supercar to show his mastery over carbon fiber. By laying the carbon fiber in a V shape, you are forced to match every square and pleat of carbon to the opposite side. Each square must lay perfectly in line with every other to make a perfect formation, and this is an incredibly difficult thing to do. Larry and the staff at IND knew immediately that this idea from Challenge was the perfect tasteful and unique feature, and was destined to be the next step for Larry’s Brilliant White M3. Together with a full host of Challenge exterior parts in a matching V Weave, the carbon roof is an absolutely one-off piece.
As easy as it was to create the perfect idea for this car, completing the project was just as difficult. The car was dropped off at our facility five days before it had to leave for the SEMA show!
The car rumbled it’s way into the shop seconds after rolling off of our transport. We immediately removed the interior, and began cutting away the factory roof panel. By day three, the beautiful Challenge roof was installed, and the rest of the project could be completed.
IND also installed KW ClubSport suspension, RD Sport sway bars, and Rogue Engineering toe arms to improve the car’s already competent handling. We refinished the Volk G2 wheels in a high gloss black finish, and applied a unique color to Larry’s Brembo GT kit- BMW Fiji Green.
Five days after showing up at IND, Larry’s Brilliant White beast rolled back onto our transporter and headed out to meet the crowd at SEMA.
Come see the car at the SEMA show in the first week of November!
03-07-2011, 09:41 PM
#2
03-07-2011, 10:02 PM
#5
So much WIN! Gimme that Red Death M3, I'll be happy forever. 
And that GT-R, AM and Audi from India, specially Mr. Singh! Good to see Desi
's Rolling hard these days.
I heard this story from a friend of mine who witnessed a dude bring his Honda Accord to DTO office (Indian DMV) to transfer licence plate to his new car, which was a freaking Bentley Flying Spur. Thats a huge upgrade..
And that GT-R, AM and Audi from India, specially Mr. Singh! Good to see Desi
's Rolling hard these days.I heard this story from a friend of mine who witnessed a
dude bring his Honda Accord to DTO office (Indian DMV) to transfer licence plate to his new car, which was a freaking Bentley Flying Spur. Thats a huge upgrade..
03-07-2011, 10:19 PM
#7
who put that GT-R in there?!?!Loved all the silver M3s, though the Atlantis Blue one is still one of my favorites of all their projects. Maybe its just me, but wouldn't some of them be able to afford an Aston Martin V8 Vantage with all the money put into their cars? That's just me.... but still some very impressive and well-built cars.
Wow, the interior of the white one is
too.
Trending Topics
03-08-2011, 01:54 AM
#12
03-08-2011, 06:49 AM
#15
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Regional Coordinator (Southeast)
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damn
03-08-2011, 11:04 AM
#18
BANNED
iTrader: (33)
wow...i just took an extra 20 mins for lunch, and it was totally worth it. thanks for sharing OP 
/page bookmarked.
/page bookmarked.
03-08-2011, 06:37 PM
#21
Whats up with RDX owners?
iTrader: (9)
E30....
Aside from the E30, I can't pick my favorite. Theyre all beautiful machines.
Aside from the E30, I can't pick my favorite. Theyre all beautiful machines.
IND
and most of these are reposts
03-10-2011, 02:09 AM
#27
OT, but I just noticed that Gallardo above is for sale.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lambo...fCarsQ5fTrucks
Edit* Has a turbo kit as well.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lambo...fCarsQ5fTrucks
Edit* Has a turbo kit as well.
03-11-2011, 10:00 PM
#31
Team Owner
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Kansas City, MO (Overland Park, KS)
Posts: 36,545
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on
5,162 Posts
I think I need a cigarette now....
03-11-2011, 10:38 PM
#32
Moderator
iTrader: (3)
So much fucking win. Aaron thanks for posting that! Why were you on a M3 site though, thinking about getting rid of the TL-S? 
Every single car was breathtaking, but I must say the Atlantis Blue M3 is my favorite. The amount of custom work that went into it, the rare BBS wheels, and especially the color, make it #1 in my book. The E30 is fantastic looking as well.
Nelson's car collection is amazing to say the least. I don't really know what to say about that besides that he needs to send me some money
Every single car was breathtaking, but I must say the Atlantis Blue M3 is my favorite. The amount of custom work that went into it, the rare BBS wheels, and especially the color, make it #1 in my book. The E30 is fantastic looking as well.
Nelson's car collection is amazing to say the least. I don't really know what to say about that besides that he needs to send me some money
08-17-2011, 09:19 PM
#35
Senior Moderator
So i joined the team at IND and wanted to have a thread to showcase some of the cars that we get to get our greasy hands on. 
Rebuilding history.
No matter how many M3 iterations are released by BMW, most seasoned BMW enthusiasts will agree on one thing- no modern M3 can replicate the unfiltered appeal of the original E30 M3.
The E30 M3 is an anomaly even among BMW’s sporting bloodline - a car that was created for competition use first and released to the public purely as a means of achieving motorsport homologation. This clarity of purpose is visible in every aspect of the E30 M3’s design, and it’s precisely the car’s focus that makes it unique.
To most modern day car buyers the E30 M3’s 4 cylinder engine is noisy, rough, and lackluster in terms of bottom-end power output, the suspension rough and unyielding, the interior cramped and uncomfortable by current standards. But the rare few understand the E30 M3 for what it is - a sports BMW in it’s purest form.
The E30 M3 is an ultimate expression of BMW’s motorsport heritage, and every component seen on the car affirms this fact. The 4 cylinder engine is dynamically perfect, allowing the E30 to have fast turn-in and fantastic steering response due to the engine’s short length. The S14 four cylinder sings to it’s redline with an unmistakable noise and produces power at high RPM where it’s needed most. The chassis is rigid and suspension and steering incredibly communicative. The interior is compact and completely driver-focused with no extraneous controls or decorations.
Our client is an experienced BMW fanatic, and is among the crowd that can appreciate the E30 M3 for the piece of motorsport history it is. The owner of this beautiful E30 M3 purchased the car several years, and has worked tirelessly to improve and restore the car every year. To date, IND has completely overhauled the suspension with solid bushings, reinforced the rear subframe, added Ground Control coilovers, installed BBS LM wheels and the car’s gorgeous EVO aerodynamics package including a front spoiler and rear wing with integrated gourney flap. We’ve also added a Personal steering wheel, a carbon fiber sunroof panel, and helped our client perform countless maintenance tasks. Our client has also rebuilt the engine to be a true 2.5 liter!
This E30 M3 will never stop evolving as it’s owner continues to develop and restore the car, but here are some of our latest photos of his masterpiece in progress. Enjoy!
Style up!
Rebuilding history.
No matter how many M3 iterations are released by BMW, most seasoned BMW enthusiasts will agree on one thing- no modern M3 can replicate the unfiltered appeal of the original E30 M3.
The E30 M3 is an anomaly even among BMW’s sporting bloodline - a car that was created for competition use first and released to the public purely as a means of achieving motorsport homologation. This clarity of purpose is visible in every aspect of the E30 M3’s design, and it’s precisely the car’s focus that makes it unique.
To most modern day car buyers the E30 M3’s 4 cylinder engine is noisy, rough, and lackluster in terms of bottom-end power output, the suspension rough and unyielding, the interior cramped and uncomfortable by current standards. But the rare few understand the E30 M3 for what it is - a sports BMW in it’s purest form.
The E30 M3 is an ultimate expression of BMW’s motorsport heritage, and every component seen on the car affirms this fact. The 4 cylinder engine is dynamically perfect, allowing the E30 to have fast turn-in and fantastic steering response due to the engine’s short length. The S14 four cylinder sings to it’s redline with an unmistakable noise and produces power at high RPM where it’s needed most. The chassis is rigid and suspension and steering incredibly communicative. The interior is compact and completely driver-focused with no extraneous controls or decorations.
Our client is an experienced BMW fanatic, and is among the crowd that can appreciate the E30 M3 for the piece of motorsport history it is. The owner of this beautiful E30 M3 purchased the car several years, and has worked tirelessly to improve and restore the car every year. To date, IND has completely overhauled the suspension with solid bushings, reinforced the rear subframe, added Ground Control coilovers, installed BBS LM wheels and the car’s gorgeous EVO aerodynamics package including a front spoiler and rear wing with integrated gourney flap. We’ve also added a Personal steering wheel, a carbon fiber sunroof panel, and helped our client perform countless maintenance tasks. Our client has also rebuilt the engine to be a true 2.5 liter!
This E30 M3 will never stop evolving as it’s owner continues to develop and restore the car, but here are some of our latest photos of his masterpiece in progress. Enjoy!
Style up!
Last edited by Crazy Bimmer; 08-17-2011 at 09:22 PM.
08-17-2011, 10:44 PM
#36
Wow.... that looks god damned amazing.
08-18-2011, 04:39 AM
#38
wow...way to raise my blood pressure first thing in the morning. I love BMW's blue color and that one with the green engine illuminated with the headlights on is retarded hot.
08-18-2011, 06:45 AM
#39
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Regional Coordinator (Southeast)
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This thread has made something very clear to me. Someday I must own a BMW.
