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daygoVR6
11-13-2005, 04:54 PM
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ONE CLEAN BMW
Carl Agbayani and his ’04 BMW M3

Words: Brad Harvey - daygoVR6, socaleruo.com
Photos: Rueben Poon - SDSilver01, socaleuro.com

The BMW M3 has always been a favorite amongst the euro-tuning world ever since its release in 1986 when it was based on the E30 chassis and designed by BMW Motorsport. Originally the M3 was designed to be used as a Group A touring car, but it wasn’t long before the car was brought to production and public demand for the M3 made it a success over the years, and came to be a favorite all around as a tuner car. Carl Agbayani of San Diego, California has taken his passion and enjoyment of tuning imports over the last fifteen years and put all his efforts into creating what you see here. Being the President of the well-known European car club Team Rennen, and the owner of the newly opened Creative Autoworks in San Diego, Carl is no stranger to BMWs. “I always knew I would eventually have one. When I was 16, my uncle had bought a new M3 and took me for a ride - I was hooked,” Carl tells me. Once Carl began looking into getting one of these he started out looking at the popular E36 chassis that is so recognizable in the BMW camp for its versatility. After a trip to Bimmer Fest in ‘03 he got to view the new E46 based car that was due to release in ’04 and decided it was time to make the investment.
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Giving this car its edge in the BMW world is the combination of the Alpine White paint with the factory Imola Red interior. Carl explains, “I had to special order this combination since it wasn’t something that was normally offered. I knew I wanted to have this car as a show piece, and wanted that extra edge while I was at events.” The combination certainly gives this car that added edge and definitely stands out when going down the road. “This is also the first real car I’ve ever modded”, Carl tells me. “After going through numerous Japanese Import cars I wanted to get into the European car world and this seemed like a good way to start.” A closer look at the exterior reveals some added touches that have been installed to give this car a more aggressive look. The Hamann front lip, combined with a set of Hamann Fog Light Covers that have been molded into the bumper to help clean up the lines and not make things look too busy. Rounding out the back of the car to go along with the rest of the body is an AC Schnitzer 3 piece trunk spoiler color matched to go with the rest of the paint work and a CSL carbon fiber diffuser was installed to give the car the styling Carl sought after.
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When it came time to look for a wheel and tire combination, Carl found himself unable to decide on what he really wanted. “There are so many really nice sets out there that can make any car look good, I wanted something that not many people were already using in the show scene,” he tells me. As the car sits now it is sporting a set of DPE RO5 Variant S wheels, sized at 20x8 in the front and 20x10 on the back, with Toyo T1’s on all four corners. Most people after the 4th set of wheels are typically happy with what they have, but after a recent trip to Las Vegas and the ’05 SEMA show, “I can assure you there will be a different set on here before the start of the 2006 show season,” he explains. After many attempts on getting the ride height right, and get the car to feel just perfect going down the road, multiple coil-over setups have been in and out of the car. Currently, suspension duties are handled by a set of H&R race springs paired with Tokico Struts (yet to become available on the market) to give the stance you see here. Although it’s not shown in these photos, a Benfer upper front strut tower bar has also been installed to keep chassis flex to a minimum.
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The engine was kept relatively stock, since the car is mainly driven to and from shows and every now and then on an easy-going Sunday drive. There wasn’t really a need to go overboard with modifications to the factory 3.2 liter engine, although Carl did have an Eisenmann Race along with an XTEC intake system under the hood to help free up some ponies. The Eisenmann system is a second try on the car in the quest to be different than everyone else. He explains, “Later on down the road I plan on going with something a bit more extreme with engine modifications, but for now I am trying to focus more on the styling and functionality of the car for upcoming car shows.” The transmission is a work of art in itself, as Carl ordered his M3 with the factory 6 speed, fully sequential transmission, to go along with the rest of his package.
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The interior is almost poetry in motion adorned in factory Imola Red. You almost are afraid to sit in the seats as it still has that “new car smell”. Currently a Pioneer AVIC N1 head unit handles all the radio tuning duties with a full Phoenix Gold Audio package is due to be installed in the car before the start of the next show season. The interior lighting has been upgraded with the XTEC Xenon lamps as well making late night map reading easier.
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This BMW is definitely a heavy hitter on the show scene giving other enthusiasts a car to loathe over. It’s got a lot of what we look for in a tuner car. Awesome clean looks, good sound and performance that seems to go hand in hand with the M3. “As the car sits now the car is a contender, Carl tells me. By the end of this year you won't even be able to recognize it from how you see the car now”. I just hope Carl can find a set of wheels he will be happy with before the show season starts in ’06.

Check out www.creativeautoworks.com

Creative Autoworks
7569 Convoy Ct
San Diego, CA 92111
858-279-8900 phone
858-279-8908 fax
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MORE PHOTOS OF THIS CAR ARE FOUND BY CLICKINGHERE (http://www.snapandshare.com/photo_album-uid-13081-fid-32371.htm) OR BY CLICKING HERE (http://www.snapandshare.com/photo_album-uid-11046-fid-33583.htm)

Vehicle Information

Year: 2004 Make: BMW Model: M3

Owner: Carl Agbayani

Location: San Diego, CA

Occupation: President (Paradym Corporation) and Owner (Creative Autoworks)

Engine Size: 3.2 Naturally Aspirated

Engine Modifications:
Eisenmann Race Exhaust
XTEC Intake
Benfer Strut Tower Bar

Transmission:
Sequential Manual Gearbox

Suspension:
H&R Race Springs
Tokico Shocks – Demo Set (Not yet for sale)

Exterior / Body mods:
DPE R05 Variant S (20x8 Front, 20x10 Rear)
Toyo T1R Tires
Hamann Front Lip
Hamann Fog Light Covers (Molded in)
CSL Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser
AC Schnitzer 3 Piece Rear Spoiler
Apexcone DDE

Interior mods:
Pioneer AVIC N1 Head Unit
Full Phoenix Gold Audio (In my possession, not Installed)
XTEC Xenon Look Interior Lighting

Quick shout outs, thanks to, quick plug:
SoCalEuro Staff – Thanks for the shoot!
Creative Autoworks – All your High End Tuning Needs!
Team ReNNeN – Under Construction….Coming out in full force in 2006
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beehotch619
11-13-2005, 08:43 PM
wow, nice car carl, it was good chillin with all you e46 guys today!

karl
11-13-2005, 09:29 PM
everyone knows the correct way to spell carl is with a "K" like me :)
<-----------------

318daily
11-13-2005, 09:54 PM
The Hamann front lip is so nice, as is the rest of the car. :tup:

SDpnoy
11-14-2005, 12:34 AM
Nice write up


:bowdown: Team ReNNeN :bowdown:

netnet
11-14-2005, 05:24 AM
Nice Ride!

:tup:

RavinJetta
11-14-2005, 07:12 AM
Always a favorite of mine.

Brk4Euros
11-14-2005, 08:36 AM
Alpine White is a must! One clean looking M3.....

PANZR15
11-14-2005, 08:47 AM
Nice write up


:bowdown: Team ReNNeN :bowdown:

Agreed. Good write up.

ReNNeN.CaRL
11-14-2005, 10:28 AM
Thanks for the feature SoCal Euro! :tup:

Thanks for the comments guys. More to come for 2006 :)

Lunchbox
11-14-2005, 05:02 PM
Damn, Agy's on it! Nice job with the article Brad!

Zoom
11-14-2005, 05:26 PM
Nice feature Carl!

socal328
11-14-2005, 05:36 PM
props to Carl :tup:

SDSilver01
11-14-2005, 05:38 PM
Carl's a great guy. He seriously hooked me up with Creative Autosports when I needed to replace my control arms and tie rods. It was a fun time shooting those photos.

v2rocket
11-14-2005, 06:09 PM
sweet ride man! very sweet!

you rock btw i still need to take you up on the offer for angel eyes you sent me awhile ago thanks man!

BoostedBoogie
11-16-2005, 04:58 PM
hey congrats man!

AndrewE46
11-16-2005, 06:05 PM
Cot damn!

Congats Carl

jacobo
11-17-2005, 11:18 AM
Congrats Carl. I still need to see it in person, so I guess I'll have to come to a Wednesday meet again.

ReNNeN.CaRL
11-18-2005, 08:58 AM
Congrats Carl. I still need to see it in person, so I guess I'll have to come to a Wednesday meet again.

come on down bro. we'll get more bmws to show up :tup:

ThreeSixT
11-18-2005, 11:05 PM
what about Audi's?... :D

nice write up bro :tup:

ReNNeN.CaRL
11-20-2005, 12:06 PM
nice write up bro :tup:

start comin out to the meets again. :tup:

boostedM3
07-22-2006, 01:45 PM
Carl...your car looks even cleaner in person!!
GOOD JOB.!

iflyM3
11-26-2006, 01:59 PM
it looks nice, indeed... i'd want more for performance than just mere looks though. although, the e46 M3 is already packing a punch... i'd turn up the heat a little with a supercharger kit from active autowerkes. with 500 ponies... ain't much that could stand in your way!

mike
11-26-2006, 02:09 PM
Wow, back from the dead thread!!!!!!!!!

Active Autowerke is nice, but VF Engineering has a kit, very nice, very fast and reliable as Nik brings his cars into us at Crevier , not to mention I have a VF kit on one of my cars, quality is extremely high. Not to mention they are SoCal local.

iflyM3
11-26-2006, 02:15 PM
Wow, back from the dead thread!!!!!!!!!

Active Autowerke is nice, but VF Engineering has a kit, very nice, very fast and reliable as Nik brings his cars into us at Crevier , not to mention I have a VF kit on one of my cars, quality is extremely high. Not to mention they are SoCal local.

yeah, i decide to bring it back out... nice ride, just lacking a little on performance mods... seems most of the modding was left for just the appearance of the car. i don't like the VF kits as much as Active's. AA kit's produce more power efficiently with the same reliability as say, Dinan. I will have to look further into VF though, just becuase they are local.

mike
11-26-2006, 02:28 PM
Dinan's kit is over priced. VF's kit for your car, in stage 1 gets 350HP and almost 300 FTLBS of torque, uses a bullet proof Vortech charger and its $4500. Not bad

I have no experiance with the Rotex charger Active autowerkes uses, It would be interesting to see both of their dyno charts side by side to see the curves

iflyM3
11-26-2006, 02:42 PM
Dinan's kit is over priced. VF's kit for your car, in stage 1 gets 350HP and almost 300 FTLBS of torque, uses a bullet proof Vortech charger and its $4500. Not bad

I have no experiance with the Rotex charger Active autowerkes uses, It would be interesting to see both of their dyno charts side by side to see the curves

Actually quite similiar... but then again it also varies per car,environment, and every dyno is different... but, it kinda gives you an idea. hmmm... Active is cheaper by only $500 but i am still going to look into VF... since it a lot closer than Florida.


VF Vortech @6.0psi (Vortech@6.0psi)
http://www.vf-engineering.com/images/kit/bmw/e36_m3/dyno2.gif


AA C38-Rotrex @7.0 psi
http://activeautowerke.com/dyno/E36C38.jpg

mike
11-26-2006, 04:06 PM
oh you have a S50, my mistake, I might know of a brand new S52 crank for sale...................

iflyM3
11-26-2006, 04:14 PM
hmmm...

mike
11-26-2006, 04:22 PM
A buddy of mine used to have an E36 M52 with the Dinan kit on it (we get deals on that stuff, only reason he bought it) with cams, and some other bit, stock E36 M3 exhaust, made 280 at the rear wheels, He bought a complete S52 that needed a rebuild, and a new crank, he ended up selling the car and still has the motor and crank.

ReNNeN.CaRL
11-27-2006, 10:27 AM
Thanks for the comments but the lack of mods to the engine was done so that I could keep the warranty. Maybe in the future .... maybe not.

mike
11-27-2006, 10:39 AM
Yeah, that motor has its problems, Had any problems yet Carl? The S54 is way down in price because we replace so many, I think they are around $8K for a long block now, you either get the rod bearing spin or the sheared VANOS drive peg that catches in the timing chain, no good. (We had a kid at the old dealer I worked at, who did a valve adjustment, and didn't get the rocker retaining clip back on right, ugly)

They might not have a ton of power, but you won't find a car with RWD that feels better or has a better chassis than the M3, you can steer it in a corner with the gas pedal

iflyM3
11-27-2006, 11:20 AM
Thanks for the comments but the lack of mods to the engine was done so that I could keep the warranty. Maybe in the future .... maybe not.


Warranty? oh, that explains a lot. i was wondering why it was even a featured car. anybody can slap some spoilers, wheels, intake, and an exhuast on. with so much potential and the engine not even touched... kinda' like a virgin dressing all pretty and not putt'n out. hehehe...

in the future... hell, with the E90 M3 coming with a huge V-8 i wouldn't even waste my time with the E46... especially, if your E46 M3 is still under warranty.

either way, nice ride mann.

ReNNeN.CaRL
11-27-2006, 11:42 AM
mike,

Nope no problems at all.


iflyM3,

You are free to your opinion ofcourse. Everyone mods in different ways, I preferred to spend the first few thousands on the body not the engine.

As far as the feature, I do not know. I was asked to be a feature car and I accepted, I wasnt going to question whether the car deserved it or not.

iflyM3
11-27-2006, 11:57 AM
mike,

Nope no problems at all.


iflyM3,

You are free to your opinion of course. Everyone mods in different ways, I preferred to spend the first few thousands on the body not the engine.

As far as the feature, I do not know. I was asked to be a feature car and I accepted, I wasnt going to question whether the car deserved it or not.


that's cool no problems... i didn't even know that the S54 had any major issues. cool, now i do. learn something new everyday. ;)

that's very true. i can see your view point, afterall you didn't want to violate the terms under warranty, i would have probably done the same in your shoes. the e46 m3 already packs quite the punch at 333hp... why not enhance something else? absolutely, and the change from the E36 to the E46 body is very different. i like the e36 body but the e46 comes across a little more agressive with the fenders and the whole appearance just looks more agressive. the E90 took some time for me to get used to, i am still not completely liking that change. hehehe. overall, as i have stated before it's still a nice ride. the whole warranty issue explains the lack of engine performance enhancments.

to each his own.

ecks
11-28-2006, 10:18 AM
alll i gotta say is Gah Deeym