BMW owners tend to be some of the most devoted, passionate and engaging folks you’ll ever meet. By far. Recently I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with one such BMW enthusiast, shoot some great footage of his car, and talk shop.

I first met Andy Kim (or Andy’s car) in downtown Bellevue, Washington. I was driving around town when I heard this monster exhaust note. It. Was. Loud. It also sounded good, and it was getting closer. Soon enough, this Satin Candy Red E92 M3 appeared; angry, low, race-ready. I wasn’t able to do much other than grab the Instagram handle on the side of the car. Later that day I sent the owner of the M3 a private message on Instagram, and discovered that Andy Kim is the keeper of this red beast.

As it turns out, not only is Andy a huge BMW fan, he’s also a really nice guy! In our chats, I find out that Andy’s M3 is actually a first gen 2008 model year that he’s owned for the past 3 years now. Even so, you’d be hard pressed to think that’s it’s an 08 because, as Andy puts it “I’ve customized the car with many LCI upgrades.” For the uninitiated, LCI or “Life Cycle Impulse” means that as BMW introduced upgraded headlights/nav systems/brake lights over the course of the E92 model lifespan, Andy upgraded his 2008 car to include these latest parts. Example; when the 2008 E92 M3 came out, BMW didn’t offer the car with LED rear brake lights. Over the years however, BMW did an LCI update and offered this option. And Andy’s car? Well, it’s chock-full of upgrades! More on that later.

I ask Andy why he chose the E92 M3, and his response is a typical one, but one that rings so true to so many of us. “Everyone has their dream car that one day they hope to buy. You see a car, get fascinated by it, and you keep imagining that you’re driving that exact car. The E92 M3 was that kind of car to me. I saw my first E92 M3 when I was a junior in high school back in 2008. I just couldn’t take my eyes off of the car as it would pass me by. I then made the decision I’d own one someday.”

I’m pretty sure we’ve all been there. I’m pretty sure many of you reading this are imagining your dream car right now! But I wanted to know a bit more about why Andy wanted an E92 M3, and he responds with “the exhaust noise that the car produces out of its V8 when you accelerate and push it hard is amazing, and the fact that it’s the last of the naturally aspirated M engines that BMW ever built definitely was a big reason.”

 

As you can tell, this car is very near and dear to Andy’s heart. It’s his daily driver too! So I wondered if he’d been on any awesome adventures with his M3. “I’ve been all throughout Washington State driving my M3. It reacts well everywhere I go! At times I’ve driven it hard and it performed like a beast. Other times on leisure drives it performed like a luxury sedan!”

Speaking of performance, one quick glance will tell you this car is decked! I ask Andy all the modifications he’s done, he laughs, and then sends me a detailed list. See below:

Performance:

  • SPEC twin disk clutch
  • VAC coated rod bearings and bolts
  • Dinan CF high flow intake
  • IPE F1 x-pipe
  • Fi exhaust valvetronic system installed by Vital Energy Motorsport
  • BMP sport stage 2 tune

Exterior:

  • APA Satin Candy Red vinyl wrapped by Vital Energy Motorsport
  • 18” TE37SL wheels
  • Modecarbon GT4 CF front lip
  • Forcewerkz CF sideskirt extensions
  • Hamann style CF diffuser
  • Custom CF diffuser fins by TEE
  • Custom headlights (full blackout with Umnitza v4 rings, Phillips 6800k HID low beams)
  • IND gloss black front grills
  • IND gloss black side gills
  • IND gloss black hood vents
  • BMW OEM E92 LCI taillights
  • BMW OEM Performance high kick spoiler

Interior:

  • BMW Performance V2 Electronic Steering Wheel
  • F82 M4 M Performance Shift Knob
  • Hardwired Passport 9500ix radar/laser detector
  • Hardwired 2 channel dash cams
  • CIC iDrive retrofit
  • Custom codings by BIM Coding

Sound System:

  • Rockford Fosgate T500-1bd amplifier
  • JL Audio 2 12” W3V3 subwoofer with custom enclosure
  • Audio Control LC2i 2 channel line out converter

I’m set back. I go through the list 2 more times to wrap my head around the modifications he’s done. The time, energy, and of course costs associated with such a build scream out loud that this is truly a labor of love. Still, I can’t help myself, and so I ask Andy how much all of this cost him. He replies and says that “all of the extra parts, maintenance jobs (including replacing the rod bearings and throttle actuators) plus oil changes were pretty pricey. Enough to probably buy myself another E92 M3!”

And there you have it! A beautifully customized E92 M3 under the ownership of a true BMW enthusiast who regardless of the time, energy and costs involved, managed to get the car of his dreams and now graces our streets with his very red and very loud M3. Be sure to check out the photo gallery below, and leave us your questions in the comments section!