BMW M3 owners looking to transform their ride to a GT-inspired race car lookalike can now turn to CLP Automotive’s Interceptor kit to accomplish the task. The full carbon fiber widebody conversion kit doesn’t come cheap though, priced at around $12,400. Your hard-earned dollars will get you a new front bumper, hood, fenders (with lower vents), side skirts, flared rear quarter panels, rear bumper and a rear spoiler.

Those looking to complete the entire transformation however, can shell out even more money to get a set of center-locking 19×9-inch (front) and 19×12-inch (rear) wheels – complete with conversion kit for the center lock – and Bilstein race suspension. To back it all up, CLP Automotive will also outfit your M3 with a G-Power supercharger kit, and Akrapovic titanium exhaust system, giving the M3 a new net horsepower of 600-hp. Inside, CLP also offers a roll cage and lightweight Recaro seats. The complete package (including the body kit) comes in at a little more than $96,500 but includes installation.

GALLERY: CLP Automotive BMW M3

GALLERY: BMW M3 GT Race Car

Vorsteiner has made quite a splash with its GTRS3 carbon fiber wide body conversion for the current generation BMW E92 M3. And for Bimmerfest 2011 (which just passed), Vorsteiner decided to debut another widebody M3 project; this time sporting a red and white theme that won itself the nickname of Candy Cane.

The car started its life as your typical M3, sporting 414-hp and 295 ft-lbs of torque from its 4.0L V8 powerplant. Vorsteiner opted to take the vehicle over to Auto Talent to have an AA M3 supercharger fitted on bringing its performance level to a daunting 620-hp. Every bit of that power is put to good use, spinning the 20×10.5-inch wheels up front and the 20×12-inch wheels in the rear. There’s plenty of rubber protecting the Vorsteiner V-309 Forged Concave wheels with 285/25/20 Michelin PS2 rubber in the front and a massively wide 325/25/20 in the rear.

While the exterior is majority white, the widebody converted M3 sports red accents giving it the appearance of a candy cane… sort of. It’s a cute nickname at best with red accents seen on the wheel faces, mirror covers, hood vents, BMW roundels, and side vents. In addition to the carbon fiber wide body, Vorsteiner also outfitted the body with a vented carbon fiber race hood and VRS carbon fiber boot lid.

Additional performance for the BMW comes from a Vorsteiner lightweight titanium exhaust system and a set of Brembo GTR big brakes in the front and the rear. Giving the widebody M3 the stance that it needs on those 20-inch wheels is a set of KW V3 coilovers. For the inside, the red and white theme continues with embroidered floor mats featuring red accents.

GALLERY: Vorsteiner Widebody Candy Cane BMW E92 M3

[Source: Teamspeed]

For some people, BMW‘s E92 M3 coupe is a near-perfect vehicle. It offers great looks, a BMW driving experience, luxury, sportiness and the unmistakable performance that only an M-series can offer. But to some, 420-hp out of the M3′s V8 might not be enough to satisfy their needs. That’s where Manhart Racing comes in, transplanting the M3′s much bigger brother’s X6M powerplant into the sport coupe chassis. That’s right, the thrill of a twin turbo M3 coupe can now be experienced.

By replacing the M3′s V8 with BMW’s X6M powerplant, Manhart Racing was able to squeeze plenty of extra horsepower thanks to its twin turbo forced induction. With some ECU modifications and a new exhaust, the M3 puts out 724-hp and 641 ft-lbs of torque.

To back up the power, Manhart Racing also added some carbon fiber components, suspension upgrades, and a lightweight set of BBS wheels.

Check out a video of the V8RS after the break.

[Source: Topspeed]

Continue Reading…

It’s certainly not a household name, but Japanese tuner Varis is making headway modifying not only Japanese cars, but European models as well. The company does complete transformations, with everything from aesthetics to performance, with designs that are extreme, but not quite over-the-top.

On display at the Varis booth at the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon were Japanese-market favorites like the Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Mitsubishi EVO X and Nissan GT-R. Varis also showed off more subtle looks for the E92 BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG with penty of carbon fiber add-ons.

Take a look through the gallery of Japanese and European Varis-tuned cars below:

GALLERY: Varis Display at the Tokyo Auto Salon