Rendezvous," "Bullit," "Corvette Summer," "Ronin," "Smokey and the Bandit." I can't recall many of the cast, but I sure as hell remember the starring cars in those movies. The same can be said about "The Fast and The Furious." Although critically panned, the film brought hot Asian imports to the forefront of millions, and no car in the show was cooler than the Toyota Supra built by Craig Lieberman. All he did was build the ultimate show car, an icon that will be remembered long after we are gone.
I think, however, that the Supra easily could have been substituted by the 2002 M3 featured here. The Flossman/Eisenhaus GTR-style aerodynamic package is an exceptionally rare piece, gracing just one other car in the U.S. It looks like it just rolled off the track at Hockenheim. Quigley's Paint and Body spent many hours blending the kit into the body and then spraying its panels with multiple coats of PPG paint and clear. The sizeable fender flares allow fitment of giant HRE 540R wheels, measuring 9.5x20 (3-in. lip) in front and 11x20 (5-in. lip) out back with gunmetal centers. The rubber is ContiSportContact, sized at a whopping 255/30ZR-20 and 305/25ZR-20, and a KW Variant III suspension provides adjustable ride height and performance settings. Larger Hotchkis sway bars and 14-in. StopTech brakes with four-piston calipers complete the underpinnings. Umnitza Angel Eyes conversion kit for bi-xenon headlamps give the BMW's face a singular appearance.
Although rated at a respectable 333 bhp, it would take a bit of movie magic to make this car a thundering monster. As it was already at the ragged edge, Lieberman wisely opted to leave the engine largely stock save for a carbon-fiber ram-air intake and a Nitrous Express 40-hp shot of nitrous oxide (anyone calls it "naus" gets a free beating). For serious power, this car should visit Dinan and look into its supercharger system. You could put a pair of blowers in there, Hollywood-style.
The cabin features more gadgets than the Mir space station, the most striking of which is the Motec data logger, a pod many of the F1 teams use. The center console features a Xenarc 7-in. touch screen w/PC interface, TelemaDX PC-based control software for touch screen, Passport SR7 radar detector/laser detector, BelTronics Performance meter w/PC interface, a Dell Latitude PC 1.8 GHz w/CD-R/DVD, and Clarion VRX935DV w/7-in. motorized touch screen. Drivers are comprised of three sets of Infinity 6.1 Kappa Perfect separates, two W12Gti JBL subwoofers, two P1200.1 JBL 1200-watt amps, and three P80.4 JBL 80x4 amps. There are also two video cameras hidden in the front bumper
Lieberman admitted he's taken a lot of heat from purists who view his treatment as automotive sacrilege. No doubt he will get it for this car, too. Still, the kid of some producer is going to see the musclebound Bimmer and say it's the coolest thing in the world. Before long, it may just have a movie of its own.
(Special thanks to Bimmerforums.com for helping us hook up with the best BMWs in the world.)