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In Reply to: Wide body kits posted by Alan Taur on May 14, 2000 at 22:08:10:
Esquiss Auto
Tel 0033 247 520 327
Rafale kit: Roughly $3000 I think
As far as the Iding body kits, unfortunately they're only available from Japan and I don't think there's any U.S. distributor here either.
I saw one Iding Front Spoiler on eBay just a few months ago and it went for more than $500.
With so many limited choices, I decided to go with the AC Schnitzer kit for my car.
Good luck
Jon
: I've been down this road. I looked extensively for the past six months for a wide body kit for my 95 M3/2. All the AC Schnitzer kits are no longer in production and all remaining kits reside at ACS in Germany only available for an in-house conversion. BTW, the bodykits sold for over $5000, and paint/install would run you another $3-5 grand as well. The Hamann kit is still available, but again, the cost is around $6K and install will run you about the same $3-5K. Zeemax has a wide body kit that has box flares very similar to those of the E30 M3. All these body kits will end up costing you about $8-10K total, which includes paint/install. Rieger Tuning has a wide body kit (that's sold by JTmotorsport)which is called the Infinity II/GTR. This kit is the cheapest at arount $2600. Problem is that it's poorly made and will require extensive install/refinishing time. I bought only the fender flares initially just to test the waters before fully committing to the project. My body shop tried for over a solid week to get the fender flares to mate up properly to the fenders with little to no success. The arches aren't even close to matching the the wheel/tire profile! The tire/fender gap varies wildly from front to back. WE pretty much gave up on the fenders, and they now sit unused and unloved in the corner of the body shop, and I'm $900 poorer for it. Of note, The Zeemax is poorly rendered in fiberglass and will require additional refinishing time.
: Regarding the M3 GTR look, your only option is to either purchase a carbon fiber kit form PTG (the factory race team) in Winchester, VA, or buy a fiberglass version from Conversion Techniques in Oakland, CA (510) 639-0911. The CF kit will run around $5600 for the flares, fenders, bumpers and rocker panels. The fiberglass version runs less than $3K. The original BMW E36 M3 GTR bodywork kit actually costs $18K! I seriously considered the fiberglass/CF GTR option, but was dissuaded by both PTG and Conversion Techniques. It simply wouldn't work for a street car. Show car, maybe. Race car, yes. The biggest problem (no pun intended) is getting large enough wheels to fill the wheel wells. You'll need at least 18-19 inchers that are at least 10 inches wide in front and 11 inches wide in back, and then you'll probably still have to run spacers. (ideal wheels will run around $6K for the set!)The wheel wells were designed for tall racing tires, and I don't believe there is a street tire equivalent. Anyway, you'll end up spending at least $15K before you're even close to finishing the project. It would be undrivable on the street given the minimal ground clearance.
: Anyway, my search for the perfect wide-body kit continues. BTW, does anyone know about the French-made kit by Exquiss? I've never seen it in this continent.
: Also, if anyone knows where I can get the Iding Power SIII/M3 body kit, I'll pay absolutely top-dollar! (The company, unfortunately, went out of business over a year ago, never to be seen, nor hear from ever again...)
: Hope this helps! Happy hunting!
: -Alan Taur
: ataur@flash.net
: San Francisco, CA
: 95 M3