For enthusiasts like Ken Peng, who have motor oil pumping through their veins, purchasing a car is a tough decision. In November 2003, Ken finally took the plunge and decided on a brand new 2004 BMW 330i in Orient Blue Metallic. He came to the conclusion that there wasn’t another car in its price range and class that could size up. The 3-Series has the perfect blend of performance, luxury, and reliability. The BMW 330i is a beautifully balanced vehicle right off the showroom floor but Ken improved on its German engineering.

Before starting his project, Ken wanted to do things right so he decided to go to the authority in E46 bimmers, E46Fanatics.com. Within a month of his brand new BMW 330i, Ken was logging on to E46Fanatics, contributing and absorbing a wealth of modification knowledge.

Ken got the ball rolling with a complete exterior and interior overhaul. Ken swapped his stock front fascia for a M-Tech II front bumper, installed Clubsport front splitters, bolted on a custom european license plate and blacked out his stock grilles. The rear end received a custom CSL trunk and AC Schnitzer roof spoiler. To accentuate the body lines, Ken installed a set of M-Tech II side skirts, M3 style mirrors, body color matched moldings, blacked-out window trim and 35% window tint all around. Exterior lighting modifications include Leistung Motorwerke angel eyes, Euro-Style corner lights and projector fog lights. The interior was refined by the addition of custom black suede trim, an alcantara shift boot, an alcantara e-brake boot, an AC Schnitzer shift knob, custom painted gauge needles and LED interior lighting.

The BMW 330i sports a 3.0 liter 225 hp rear wheel drive engine that matches the e46 chassis perfectly but like all gear heads, Ken decided to install some power adders. He started by installing UUC Underdrive Pulleys to gain a minimum of 4 horsepower. Furthermore, an ECIS Cold Air Intake and Custom Exhaust System were installed to make the combustion process more efficient. The factory ECU got an Active Autowerke Software Reflash which removed the top speed limiter, upped his rev limit to 7000 rpms and most importantly added an extra 15 horsepower to the motor.

The factory 3-Series suspension offers impressive handling and ride quality but after some thread searching and advice from other E46 owners, Ken chose to upgrade to a H&R Cup Kit and Rogue Engineering Rear Shock Mounts. It was an easy choice because he learned that the kit would deliver improved handling, uncompromised ride comfort, a 1.4 inch drop in the front and a 0.75 inch drop in the rear. To correct any camber changes caused by the new H&R Cup Kit, Ken added lightweight Turner Motorsport rear camber arms. Finally, a Leistung Motorwerke Front Strut Bar was bolted on to tighten up the front end.

Ken uses his BMW 330i to commute 700 miles on a regular basis and no matter how fast you drive, 700 miles is a long trip. Realizing that he needed some entertainment to keep his sanity, Ken upgraded his Harmon Kardon audio system with a Kenwood KDC-X890 head unit, a MB Quart Discus Component System, a MTX Audio Thunder 5500 10” Subwoofer and an Audiobahn A2002T Amplifier. He also opted for a Passport Escort X50 Radar Detector to avoid an highway surprises. His long trips also took a toll on his stock rollers so Ken decided it was time to upgrade. He tossed the stock 17 inch wheels and tires for some enormous 19×8 DPE R07 2-piece forged wheels wrapped in super sticky 235/35/19 BF-Goodrich KDW2 tires. Not only did his car handle better, it looked bad ass.

Ken tells us that future modifications will include a M3 style rear bumper, Hamann GTR side skirts, an ATR Powerbulge Carbon Fiber Hood and plans to rework his in-car electronics. Even after spending $7,000 on modifications, Ken has no plans of slowing down his modification process because “the job is never done, you can say you’ll stop some day but you never will.” His words, not ours and we’re glad to hear it.

Ken epitomizes his bimmer in three words.. “Pure Driving Joy”. We believe anything else would be an understatement.