Well it’s been a little while since I posted up, and that’s because I’ve been busy shooting some new rides. Fear not. I’d never let a social life get in the way.

I ran into Jay’s stunning black M3 convertible at a meet earlier this spring and knew right away I had to shoot this car. That was as far as I got. His idea was to shoot downtown so the day we met up I figured ok, if he wants to rip his lip off trolling the pothole ridden streets of downtown Toronto, his game. Surprisingly, this car championed its way around.

Rolling on some M5 fitment BBS RS wheels, this car just oozes style wherever you place it. Like any enthusiasts car, to really appreciate this one you have to go back to the start and understand how far it came. How far exactly? Well, this car started life as a 328i and by middle life it’s become a fully fledged M3.

This is possible since the E36 generation 3 series cars were the same chassis (minus bolt ons) as the M3. The only generation of M3 that this is true for is the E36, so E30, E46, E92 fans are all out of luck if they want to do this kind of ‘build your own’ of their favorite generation M3 when they become more affordable.

Although Jay might debate with you on this being the affordable route to get your own M3. In fact his words on the subject were short and consisted mostly of four letters. But the upside to doing your M3 this way is that you have full control over the parts that go into your car. You aren’t buying someone else’s problems if you properly research and look over the components you buy. The wonderful straight six came out of a southern US car and is in predictably great condition.

Perhaps that’s me trying to put a silver lining on it…

Considering it’s riding so low on its Bilstein PSS9 coilovers the front clearance on the Bimmer isn’t that bad allowing Jay to nearly tuck rim and still get in and out of driveways without leaving his bumper behind every time. Somehow zip-ties wouldn’t suit this car…

The interiors of the latest BMW’s are pretty bland affairs in my opinion. The E36 and E30 gen though are much more full of character. The seats are organic and look like they’d welcome a human form like a baseball glove. The worked in leather is warm and the detailing in the leather surfaces is what set these German cars apart from the competition.

Nice touches populate the interior.

There really isn’t a bad angle on this M3, the wheels dominate the car’s presence, but it makes no difference roof up or down, front or rear, it has proper stance all around, and as much attention was paid to what shouldn’t be fiddled with as what should be.

I love how deep the factory chin splitter is on the E36′s, it echo’s the deep dish of the BBS RS’s nicely.

Suitable camber goes along with such a stance, but Jay’s car avoids looking like its had its knees broken.

See what I mean about angles? Front and rear this thing just properly pops at you. The best part is this car may be for sale soon, so unless I grab it up you should get in touch with Jay if this is your dream car. Once it goes on the market, it won’t last long.