Waiting for the Right Moment

Finding the right car to start modifying can be quite the struggle, as any enthusiast will tell that cars are money pits. Quality parts generally cost much more and exclusive parts can be nearly impossible to find. Because of this many refuse to settle and hold out in the pursuit for the “perfect build” and continue to wait for the right moment to make these purchases. Recently we had the pleasure to meet up with Arizona native, Ivan Jacobo, to discuss his BMW E46 M3 build. When we first saw the car we knew right away that it had to featured, it was easy to see that each part had been meticulously picked to complement the next.


Question & Answer:

SR: Whats your name?

IJ: Ivan Jacobo

SR: What do you do for a living?

IJ: I cook for a living, I started my own food truck ( 319 the truck) last year but we got rear ended and totaled 3 days before the Superbowl this year. So now im doing private contracted chef work, until I decide what will be my next step.

SR: What do you drive?

IJ: BMW E46 M3 Hardtop Vert

SR: How long you have had the car?

IJ: Ive owned the car for a little over two years, but I decide to mod it about 6 months ago.

SR: Why did you chosse the plat from you did?

IJ: After playing need for speed when I was younger and seeing the m3 e46, it quickly became one of my favorite cars. I choose the convertible version because I liked it really. To me there are 3 different M3 E46 body styles, vert, coupe and hardtop convertible. I just like the way the car looks with the hardtop and if you want to go top down, all you have to is remove the hardtop to enjoy the weather.

SR: How long has the build been underway?

IJ: I wanted to get the build going as soon as i got the car. But decided to wait and do some maintenance work first and save for the right parts I wanted.

SR: Favorite part about the build/car?

IJ: My favorite part about the build is the fact that it got me back into cars. And ive meet and became friends with so many cool people.

SR: Hardest part about the build?

IJ: Hardest part about the build was definitely waiting to be able to afford the parts I really wanted to be honest.

SR: Future plans?

IJ: The mods that will get done in the next two months are, gold rose harness-bar, industry garage rear flares, custom front fenders and the wheels will get rebuild to 18×14 w/ 7″ lips in the back and 18×10.5 w/ 3.5″ in front gold flake center brushed lips and black hardware. And hopefully after some boost and bbk maybe a color swap.

SR: Anything you would change?

IJ: If I could change anything it would be my front lip choice Ive broken a total of 4 now, and I keep buying the same one every time. Shows how much Ive learned.

SR: Who has helped with the build?

IJ: The whole build was done with friends from StoopidLow or ABMWGroup. Jayar fernandez helped me source and pick my wheel combo, Ric Guerrero and Bryant Nguyen rolled my fenders to fit the wheels as well as coilover install and dialing the fitment.(StoopidLow)

AZBMWGroup: Tofy Alshammary helped me with all the stance questions as he already had his M3 stanced. Amr Abdin and Marv Martinez were my go to guys when it came to advice on installing parts and getting recommendations on parts.

SR: Special thanks?

IJ:  All the guys Ive mentioned above they are the real MVP’s!


Mod List:

  • Khoalty CSL one piece carbon fiber lip
  • Vorsteiner carbon fiber CSL rear diffuser
  • Oem LED lights
  • Custom Josh Avery rear splitter
  • Custom side skirt extensions with fins
  • BC racing coilovers
  • SPC performance rear camber arms
  • Work meister s1 3p wheels (18×9 +34 2in lip fronts and 18×12 +21 5in lip rears)
  • Custom rear backseat delete
  • Status Racing Icon carbon fiber and suede race seats
  • Sparco floor mounts
  • Schroth racing harness
  • Supersprint race exhaust

Images:

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Images provided by Cody Gephart