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

Atlantis Beauty: Andrew's Individual 2018 BMW M3

We are fortunate to work with customers from all over the spectrum of automotive enthusiasm. Some want simple upgrades like exhaust and aero, others build strictly track day cars, and a select few go all out and pour their efforts into a full blown show car.

We recently went out with Andrew and his Atlantis Metallic F80 Competition to document his story with the car. We’ve been helping to make his vision a reality over the last few months. It’s exciting to watch a project go from factory stock to whatever the builder has dreamed up, and we’re happy to be a part of that process with our passion driven vendors.

Below is our interview with Andrew about his build, its current state, and where it’s going in the future.

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Performance Technic: What is your history with cars and building cars in general? Was it always BMW, or did you start elsewhere?

Andrew Kahrimanian: The first BMW I ever drove was my dad’s 1988 E28 528i in Cirrusblau Metallic. I actually remember the day he brought it home. When I finally had my license I would find every excuse to drive the E28, and I fell in love the first time I drove it. Ever since then I have been a BMW enthusiast. My own first BMW was a black 1993 E36 325i with a manual transmission. From there I had an E30 325is in Bronzit, an E39 530i in Toledo Blue, an E46 323ci in Titanium Silver, an E60 525i in Titanium Silver, an F10 550i in Alpine white and now my F80 M3 in Atlantis Metallic. I have always loved BMW but I also had a heavily modded VW GTI 1.8T in between my BMWs. That was definitely a fun car but there’s nothing like getting behind the wheel of a BMW.

PT: Can you talk about how you decided you wanted an F80? Did you know you wanted an Individual, or were there any other options for you?

AK: All of the cars I have ever owned prior to the F80 have been used cars. I am in the car business so when something came into the dealership on trade that I liked, I would try to take it home with me. However I never had the opportunity to choose the exact specs I wanted in any of those cars. I always told myself that I would one day get a new car that was “mine,” where I would choose every last detail. I got to the point with my F10 where I was ready for something different and I knew it was time to step it up. I had always wanted and M3 and one day while I was at the dealership getting service on my F10 I decided to take one for a test drive. I was hooked immediately and went inside to put a deposit on an Individual F80 M3—my first new car. This was to be the car that I got to choose everything, from start to finish… MY car.  

PT: Did you have the build plan for this car “mapped out” in your head before you got it, or did it evolve after you purchased it?

AK: Ordering an Individual car takes lots of patience since you have to wait months for it to be built overseas. The silver lining is that you have lots of time to plan out your mods! I spent the months waiting for the car stockpiling parts in my garage. It is definitely an ever evolving project but I had the basics planned out before the car even arrived at the dealership.

PT: Briefly, list some of the modifications on the car. What mods are your favorite(s)?

AK:

• 20” BBS LM-R’s

• KW V2 Coilovers

• AWE Carbon Fiber Intakes

• M Performance Carbon Fiber Engine Cover

• M Performance Carbon Front lip and lower splitters

• M Performance Carbon Side Mirror covers

• Remus Valvetronic Exhaust with Carbon tips

• Active Autowerke Midpipe

• RKP Carbon Side Skirt Extensions

• IND Blacked out front and rear roundels

• Vortsteiner Rear Diffuser

• Sterkenn Upper Carbon splitters

• Downstar Billet Dress up engine bay hardware

• Dinmann Carbon flat bottom Steering wheel, Carbon Seat backs, Door pulls, window switches

• M Performance Pedals, shift knob and alcantara boot, e-brake handle and alcantara boot

• BPM Stage I Tune

My definite favorite major mods would be my five wheels (the four BBS wheels and the Dinmann steering wheel). I also love the small details like the Downstar engine bay hardware and the black painted roundels. I feel that the small details actually make a car. It's all in the details. 

PT: The BBS wheels seem to be the crown jewel on this build. What specs did you build them to and are they what you imagined they would be?

AK: One of my best friends was in contact with a friend we made during our days showing our VW’s who started a business doing custom, one-off wheel builds. He had a set of custom BBS’s done through him and after going back and forth between different wheels, I decided to have a custom set done for the F80 as well. This wheel build was another “Individual” build, where I got to choose every facet of the wheel. I’ve always loved the LM-R’s so I decided to go that direction and they had to be 20”. I feel that a 20” wheel perfectly fills the arches of the F80.  We tried for weeks to source a set of used 20” faces overseas but were unsuccessful. We actually had to order to a brand new set of 20” LM-R’s from BBS just to harvest the faces from in order to do a 3 piece conversion. It took a couple rounds of tweaking them but we got them to the exact specs I have hoped for.  BBS LM-R 20”x10” and 20”x11.5” with brushed gunmetal faces, high polished step lips, matte black barrels, half hidden fasteners and gold bolts, wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sports. I wouldn’t have them any other way. 

PT: What is the purpose of this car? Do you mostly show it, or is there a balance between “for fun” driving and showing?

AK: The purpose of this build is to have fun! I truly enjoy modding cars and making them my own. I take pride in anything I put my mind to and this is no exception. This car is definitely not my daily driver and I try to take it out only on my days off for fun, and to the occasional meet or show. 

PT: What do you have planned next for this build? Is there anything specific you have in mind?

AK: I would eventually like to do a roll cage, shave the front and rear bumper reflectors, a GTS hood and an upgraded sound setup. I really like how the car sits as of now so I don’t foresee any drastic change in the future.  

PT: How do you go about choosing what parts and modifications go into the car? Are there some brands that you have always had a sort of loyalty to?

AK: Quality over quantity. I would rather have 20 quality mods than 100 eBay replica mods that don’t fit properly. It’s really not about brands to me, it’s about reputation, customer service and quality craftsmanship.

PT: If you didn’t build this F80, would it have been a different BMW?

AK: I almost pulled the trigger on an R8 instead of the F80. But I knew I had to stay with BMW. 

We’d like to give a big thank you to Andrew for sharing his story and for having a truly genuine take on building cars. If you’re in the Bay Area, chances are you’ll run into this car at some point—be sure to say hello and see for yourself all of the effort and care that has gone into building this beautiful M3.

A True Track Monster: Alex's M3

We are excited to be sponsoring the 2018 Bimmer Challenge season, and providing support for Alex and his track born-and-raised E46 M3. The first event of the season takes place this weekend and we have finished some prep work to get the car ready to compete. Here's a small gallery we shot last week - enjoy and wish Alex luck at the track!