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2002 Active Autowerke BMW M3
By: Drew Phillips
Photography by the author
June 13, 2006

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With the E46 M3 on its way out, it is the end of perhaps the best sports coupe ever built. BMW emphasized world-class handling with one of the best engines in the world to create a relatively affordable and useful sports sedan. The last model built was the M3 Competition, a watered-down version of the CSL built for Europe. While still a great car, it was a second-rate offering to U.S. BMW fans who were left envious of the more extreme versions available elsewhere in the world. Fortunately, M3 owners have plenty of options to enhance the performance and appearance of their cars. Sam Weinberger of Sherman Oaks, CA decided to take that option with his charcoal gray 2002 M3.

Weinberger had a specific mission when building his car. With the exception of a few subtle appearance changes, all of his modifications serve the specific purpose to enhance the performance of the car. The car is a daily driver, so the bells and whistles that go into a show car are forgotten. The interior is left stock, and no heavy stereo system was added. In fact, Weinberger plans to take out some of the material in the trunk and replace the rear deck lid with a carbonfiber piece. The only big piece of bodywork currently added is an AC Schnitzer carbonfiber front lip spoiler.

To go with the stock charcoal gray paint, Weinberger went for a blackout look. The windows are tinted twenty percent, and the kidney grille and taillights are both blacked out. All of the BMW logos have also been changed to black and white, making several of the close-up photos appear grayscale. Rounding off the visual upgrades are Umnitza angel eye Xenon headlights and foglights.

The heart of the M3 is its 3.2-liter inline-6, and its naturally aspirated 103 bhp/liter makes it one of the world’s best. Revving up to 8000 rpm, the stock engine produces 333 bhp and 262 lb-ft of torque. Add a supercharger, however, and things get interesting. Weinberger selected Active Autowerke to add boost to his M3. The Stage II supercharger package includes a Rotrex C38-71 supercharger with an AA aluminum cast intake manifold, front mounted air-to-air intercooler, by-pass valve, larger injectors and spark plugs, mass air meter housing, supercharger oil cooler, 75mm pulley (the stage 1 kit uses an 80mm pulley), a K&N air filter, and a water alcohol injection kit. The kit also comes with Active Autowerke engine software. The Stage II supercharger produces 7.5 psi of boost, producing just under 500 bhp. Weinberger’s M3 also features a GruppeM titanium exhaust, pushing output to 510 bhp and 413 lb-ft torque.

Special attention was also given to the handling and braking of the car. H&R springs and shocks were installed front and rear to provide better performance through the turns and lower ride height. The M3 now rides on Dunlop Sport 9000 tires wrapped over BBS LM rims, 18 inches in front and 19 inches in the rear. Between the spokes, the Brembo Granturismo big brake kit can be seen. The kit includes drilled discs, 15” in the front and 13” in the rear as well as steel brake hoses and Brembo pads.

With a 500 bhp M3 on hand, the only thing Weinberger needs is a good road with plenty of twisties to run up and down the rev range. Lucky for Weinberger, he happens to live on Mulholland Drive above Hollywood. The combination is a driver’s dream – one can just imagine piloting the ultimate driving machine along the Santa Monica mountains with the windows rolled down, the sound of the supercharger and the exhaust filling your ears.