Atlantis 2.0: Revisiting Andrew's Individual M3

The last time we shot with Andrew was in October of 2018, when he had just finished his first round of modifications to his Atlantis M3. Since then, he has continued his build journey with the same exceptional style and taste that the car took off with at the beginning.

Andrew has focused on aesthetics and cosmetic touch ups as much as he has focused on performance. It feels like an almost 50/50 balance, which gives the M3 a breath of show car flair in addition to a rush of performance based attention.

As you can see, Andrew did away with the stock fenders and hood, opting for shaving out the OEM front bumper reflectors, Dinmann deep vent FRP fenders, and an OEM GTS hood. Adding just a little bit more width up front accentuates the car’s already dramatic rear flare, while the GTS hood brings in a ton of depth in the Atlantis paint.

The next upgrade you might have noticed right away is the Brembo B-M4 aluminum monoblock 380mm BBK, with type 3 rotors. Artfully color matched, the Brembos are washed with the interior color of the car: Sakhir Orange. Andrew’s theme here with the brake color, as well as the roll cage color, is to bring the exterior to the interior, and vice versa.

The most obvious of new upgrades seems to be the color matched Studio RSR Cartesian roll cage. It peeks out from the interior of the car and perfectly ties in with the Atlantis Blue exterior, in the same way that the Brembos tie in with the Sakhir interior. To accommodate the new cage, Andrew had custom upholstered floor mats and rear seat bolsters to fit the cage’s lines. Talk about attention to detail.

With this second phase of the car, what we’re calling “Atlantis 2.0,” we see a huge leap by Andrew into perfecting the show car look, while potentially building up to be able to take the car to the track. Could this mean more wheel choices and track based mods in the future? Probably. Until then, we’re going to sit back and enjoy seeing this car at the shows and online. Please enjoy the remainder of the photos in the gallery below, and watch for more updates from Andrew on his Instagram: @bmdoubledru

Cafe Technic: After Hours, July 2019

In July, we continued our summer months Cafe Technic meets, except this one was a little different. We hosted it this time on a Friday evening, and it was a surprisingly big turnout! Moving forward, we may alternate between weekend mornings and Friday evenings to give our attendees some variety. Hanging out with so many friends, family, and new faces was a great way to end the work week. It’s also not a bad way to slip away from work early and miss out on some of that Bay Area traffic.

Check out the photo gallery below and see if you can spot your car! As always, thank you to everyone who attended, and we look forward to the next one!

Total ANRKY: Jimmy's F80 M3 and ANRKY Wheels

Performance Technic: Tell us a little about your preference for BMW. Did you own BMWs before you acquired your current F80?

Jimmy Philipose: As a kid, I always had a love for cars. In high school my first car was a ‘91 Acura Integra. My love for modifying cars started with this vehicle. After high school, I moved onto a ‘96 Acura Integra GSR, but I always dreamed of owning a BMW. Once I graduated from college and landed a job, I bought my first Bimmer, a 2004 330ci. I followed up the 3 series with a 2012 535i M Sport. Then, in 2018, I landed my dream car—my F80 M3!

PT: What appealed to you about the F80 M3?

JP: The M3 was a car that I dreamed about growing up, as I said before. I love the combination of performance and luxury that the vehicle offers. With the F80, I really liked how the rear end bulged out a little more than the M4. Plus, now that I have kids, the four doors really come in handy. I also haven't owned a manual since my days of owning an Integra. I didn't know how much longer manuals would be offered so once I found a manual F80 with the options I wanted, I had to go for it!

PT: Did you buy the car with the goal of modifying it, or did it happen organically after experiencing it stock?

JP: Definitely bought the car with modifications in mind. I don't think I have ever left a car stock!

PT: What wheel + suspension combination do you have on the car right now, and how did you come across ANRKY Wheels?

JP: Currently I am running ANRKY's RetroSeries RS1s with KWV3s for suspension. I started looking for new wheels just a month after buying my M3. I was really looking to purchase HRE 300 Classic Series, like I saw on Joe's M3. While looking at countless images on the web and social media, I noticed a company named ANRKY liking some of the HRE posts. Since I had never heard of the company, I looked to see what they offered and to my surprise, they had a lot of high end custom wheels with very aggressive designs that I liked. I started to follow their IG account and noticed they posted a up coming teaser for their new "RetroSeries line. Once I saw the picture of the RS1s, I was intrigued. After some research and finding out that they actually manufacture their wheels in the HRE facility, I decided to take a chance and order my own set.

PT: What are the specifications of your RetroSeries RS1s? How did you come to choose those specs, and does the car look the way you expected it would when you designed the wheels?

JP: The wheels are 20 x 9.5 up front with 20 x 11 in the rear. I am running Michelin Cup Sport 4s on 265/30/20s up front and 305/25/20s in the rear. Not sure of the offset, as I don't think ANRKY discloses that information. The process of picking the finishes on the wheels took me months. I kept going back and forth, often leaning to Joe for his advice. He was great and very patient with me. I just found it very difficult to find the right color wheel to go with Mineral Grey. I finally landed on a satin black finish for the face, with a polished gunmetal outer lip, and a polished gunmetal barrel. I was pretty worried that the combination could be possibly too dark for the car and not have enough pop to stand out. But once the wheels arrived at PTech, I knew I had made the right choice.

PT: How do you feel the wheels, suspension, and cosmetic upgrades improve the F80 platform?

JP: Honestly, I feel like the upgrades I have done have really transformed the car. I get a lot of compliments on the looks of the car and the fitment of the wheels. The suspension makes the car feel more planted to the ground. I am planning to track it one day so I can really see how it does with the suspension upgrades.

PT: Do you have any other plans to upgrade / modify the car, or are you happy with where it’s at now?

JP: Overall I am happy with the car, but I don't think I am done yet. In the next year I am planning a GTS hood, an upgraded intake, and midpipe / exhaust.

PT: How has your experience been with this new community since acquiring the car?

JP: In the last year I started attending some F80 events, and I have to say that the F80 community is a really great bunch of people. I really enjoy seeing everyones builds and talking to everyone. The F80 crew really is a great group!