With over a decade of experience in the automotive show scene, countless Best In Show trophies, magazine features, and a strong persona in the BMW scene, Chase Donnelly serves as a fantastic champion for aftermarket manufacturers and car care companies. As a young boy, Chase found himself interested, entranced, and emerged in the car culture. This passion transferred into adulthood and resulted in the BMW below. With year after year of improvement and enhancements, this 2000 328Ci has proven itself in competition and ranks among the most recognizable E46 models on the net. Customized from top to bottom and boasting the highest performance numbers of any vehicle of its make and model, this certainly stands out for it’s show and go.
Aesthetically, this E46 benefits largely from a combination of limited production body panels from AC Schnizter, Hamann, Vorsteiner, and the world’s only SRS-Tec carbon rear bumper & diffuser. The lines of the custom body work and carbon accents are further enhanced by Arlon’s Matte Aztec Bronze vinyl installed in New Jersey by Designer Wraps. Inside the cockpit, STATUS carbon racing seats wrapped in leather and alcantara highlight an otherwise rather luxurious interior. Despite the creature comforts, a Raven half-cage in the rear further strengthens the structural rigidity while also serving as a mounting point for the STATUS harnesses. In traditional show car fashion, ICE can be found littered throughout including a Sony sponsored audio build with a 7-inch touch screen and multiple speakers, amplifiers, and subwoofers. To add a final bit of spruce, a custom Z8 push button start and built-in Valentine 1 system have been incorporated. Equally altered are the performance aspects of the car.
Opening the hood, RRT Racing outfitted the somewhat timid 2.8L with BimmerBrakes headers, AEM methanol injection, and an Active Autowerke stage 2.5 supercharger kit. With upgraded plugs, sensors, intercooler piping, and a slew of other internal upgrades, the motor breathes far easier and spits out the combustion through an in house exhaust system; fabricated by hand by RRT owner James Muskopf. To ensure the rest of the drivetrain can support the 400-plus horsepower, JB Racing’s clutch & flywheel were installed along with a Xionsville racing radiator. Active Autowerke’s intercooler & oil cooler keep temperatures in their normal ranges while Horsepower Freaks subframe reinforcement kit ensures the rear axle stays firmly attached to the vehicle. Other enhancements include DPE lightweight wheels, Bilstein PSS9 coilovers, the Performance BMW strut bar, and other carbon accents throughout the engine bay. Despite the hodgepodge of parts, the finished product comes together in a uniquely unified fashion and provides a confident, comfortable, charge of acceleration.
Over the last few years, Chase helped to promote and represent Meguiars’, Vorsteiner, Active Autowerke, and RRT Racing at national shows, localized social events, and on the world wide web. As a founding member of Timeless Motor Group, this BMW can be found displayed amongst a handful of other heavily customized show vehicles including Euros, Domestics, JDM, and exotics. Like RRT, Timeless Motor Group enjoys tuning and customizing vehicles to take something somewhat ordinary and creating the extraordinary.
