Rest of the set
[4/8/13 Update]
Photoshoot pics!
Sample of the photoset:
[4/4/13 Update]Rear quarter panel + VMR wheels picture with thanks to ilikebmxbikes
:
Hello fellow 1addicts,
I would like to start this thread off with the following disclaimers:
1. Should you choose to follow the steps that ilikebmxbikes and I have taken, do your research. There are too many variables and I cannot guarantee that the project will turn out anything like ours.
2. My goal with doing this project is not to mock, mimic or tread on hallowed M ground. I had a deposit on one and my crooked dealership sold it out from under me. So I chose to instead get a 135i and after many months I found the perfect 1 for my project VENOM.
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So let's begin:
During a trip to visit family when the 1M's were still in production/near end production in December 2011 I saw this gorgeous 1M near LA at a coffee shop (La Canada).
I became very familiar with these forums, reloading the front page every day to see if there were new details about the 1M and what the final numbers would be so I might get my own.
Unfortunately, the deposit I put down on a 1M never came to fruition. So I searched for alternatives but could not find anything that drew my attention as much as the baby M had done.
So, I eventually narrowed my results down to the 135i, the car the 1M was based upon. After about 6 months of searching, I found this:
This Jet Black 1 was both
to care for and clean and also
such a thrill to drive.
After going on a couple drives with m3dragon's group, I got more acquainted with my car and the bimmer world. That Integra in the background has been with me for near a decade now.
Unfortunately, I do not have many pics between when I got my 1 and now. But in that time I still yearned for the 1M and still watch every single video I can find on its meaning to BMW and the design cues. (Saw a new one at a BMW shop that I haven't seen before with interviews from the designers that was pretty interesting and had videos of them driving it under heavy camo when it was still a pet project.)
In that time, I decided to go with Cobb, got some RR downpipes from a member here, and upgraded my AEs to a set of off-brand white halos.
A few months ago (August-ish) I started contemplating converting my car into a 1M piece by piece. I had planned to do this in the following order: exhaust, rear end, front end, and then whatever was left. Oddly enough, I ended up getting rear-ended while stopped on a busy street. This accident allowed me to start calculating the body conversion and with the help of an amazing advisor, I had my project plan underway as well as several quotes on 1M panels. Then I met several other key members of 1addicts who clued me into exactly what parts were needed for the full body conversion.
Together with ilikebmxbikes we calculated and compared costs for the better part of a month to see what the conversion would require both in cost and in time. Finally, we bought all the parts for the conversion and boy did my wallet feel a ton lighter
. But, today it was all worth it.
Today I bring you the first half of my 1M modification.
Here is a teaser for the next and hopefully last part of this conversion (fingers crossed there are no hiccups)
This is what ilikebmxbikes and I will be heading down to socal in a couple of weeks to complete.
Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Feel free to ask any questions, I can't guarantee that I will share all the details at the moment because we are still sailing through uncharted waters with our modifications and we want to respect all the people who have helped us out thus far in our conversions. Also, sorry for the dirty pictures, blame the rain...
-Venom