BMW E46 GTR
An ordinary E46 turned into a real-world tribute to one of gaming’s most iconic cars.
It Wasn’t Supposed to Go This Far.
The E46 started life as a fairly ordinary BMW. The original idea was simple: build something fun, make it look right and enjoy it.
Then the plans got bigger.
The car became a full Need for Speed-inspired GTR build, with an M54B30 swap, M3 rear end, air suspension and a widebody that completely changed what the project was meant to be.
Like most Be OK Garage builds, it hasn’t exactly been a straight line. Parts changed, ideas changed, things broke and deadlines got increasingly questionable.
What It’s Running Now
Engine & Drivetrain
BMW M54B30 3.0-litre straight-six, manual gearbox, E46 M3 rear end and custom propshaft.
Body
Mikinka Projekt GTR widebody with a 1700 mm T89 RCW rear wing, finished in BMW Titanium Silver.
Suspension
Backline air suspension.
Wheels & Fitment
18-inch 10.5J wheels with custom hub adapters to achieve the fitment required for the GTR widebody.
How We Got Here
Before the widebody, paint and show-car stuff, there was a lot of time spent underneath it. This is where the E46 stopped being an ordinary 318Ci.
Out With the Old
The original engine came out and the car went up on the lift. At this point there was no pretending it was going to be a quick cosmetic build anymore.
The M54B30 Goes In
The 3.0-litre straight-six was fitted into the bay for the first time, still stripped of most of its ancillaries and with plenty of work left ahead.
Making It Work
With the engine physically in place, the less photogenic part began — electronics, plumbing and turning an engine sitting in a bay into a running car.
M3 Rear End
The E46 M3 rear assembly was offered up to the shell, bringing the drivetrain and chassis much closer to what the finished car needed.
Joining It All Together
With the major components in place, the work underneath continued — driveline, suspension and all the small jobs needed to turn a collection of parts back into a car.
Built in a Shed.
This is where the E46 stopped looking like an E46 and started becoming the GTR. Test fitting, cutting, bonding, filling, sanding, paint — and a lot of figuring things out as we went.
Mr Stent Did All of This.
Not in a professional body shop. Not in a temperature-controlled spray booth with extraction, airflow and expensive equipment. This car was built and painted by Mr Stent in a shed in a field in Wexford — with plenty of the work happening outside when that was what the job required. Considering the conditions, what he managed to achieve with this car is genuinely impressive.
First Test Fit
The GTR kit went onto the car for the first time. Nothing finished, nothing blended — just the first proper look at how completely the kit was going to change the E46.
The Rear End Takes Shape
Rear panels and wing test fitted. This was the point where the proportions started making sense and the silhouette finally began to look like the car we had in our heads.
Body Shop to Suspension
Mid-build, the car had to leave the bodywork behind and go onto a truck because the Backline Performance suspension slot couldn't be missed. Not exactly a normal build sequence, but very on-brand for this project.
Bonded, Filled, Shaped
Once the kit position was right, the permanent work started. Panels bonded to the car, filler going on and endless shaping to turn separate fibreglass pieces into one coherent body.
Titanium Silver
After all the fitting, filling and sanding, the shell finally disappeared under fresh BMW Titanium Silver. The rough build suddenly looked like a finished car.
The Details
Panels were painted individually too, including the bonnet — one of those moments where the finish finally started revealing just how good the car could look.
Fresh Out of Paint
The freshly painted shell before the car was put back together. No bumpers, no trim, no distractions — just the shape of the GTR bodywork in silver for the first time.
From a Field to This.
Before the engine swap, the M3 rear end, the GTR bodywork, the air suspension and the paint, it was a mouldy Oriental Blue 318Ci sitting in a field.
It was never bought as a special car. It wasn't an M3, it wasn't rare and there was no sensible reason to take the build this far.
That's probably why it became the perfect Be OK Garage project.
And we're still not finished.