bmw e46 safari

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I Want An Affordable Coupe That I Can Transform Safari Style! What Car Should I Buy?

Todd is tired of navigating the pot-hole minefield of Los Angeles and wrecking his wheels. He wants to get an affordable coupe that he can turn into a safari- style car with more suspension travel and off-road tire goodness. What car should he buy?

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Here is the scenario:

Los Angeles has become a pothole minefield. I hit one so hard, I think I broke my car. I’m thinking about ‘safari-ing’ a car and could use some suggestions. It needs to be a two-door, preferably with all-wheel-drive. I would go either with a manual or an automatic since LA traffic sucks. Other than that I’m pretty open to ideas. As for budget, I can spend up to $20,000.

Quick Facts:

Budget: up to $20,000

Daily Driver: Yes

Location: Los Angeles

Wants: Coupe, AWD, something that can be Safari’d

Doesn’t want: Boring

Expert 1: Tom McParland - Look To The Past

Todd, I love this idea. Safari cars are a great trend right now, but what you are basically doing is making a rally car out of a regular car and I’m of the philosophy that every car can be improved by making it a rally car. As you are probably well aware, one of the most legendary rally cars is the Audi Quattro Turbo Coupe . Those old school rally cars had a turbocharged five-cylinder motor and some versions were boosted up to like a billion horsepower or something. That was a car that dominated off-road circuits and it should be your inspiration.

Which is why you need an Audi two-door for this project. Now the TT may be the more interesting choice from a style perspective, the problem is that it has the front-biased Haldex AWD system, whereas the A5 coupe has a longitudinally mounted motor and the more “traditional” quattro system that sends 60 percent of the power to the rear wheels, and 40 percent to the front. The A5 is also a more modern iteration of the classic Quattro Coupe.

There are plenty of these two choose from. Here is one not far with around 60,000 miles for less than $13,000. That’s plenty of money leftover for suspension mods, rally lights, mud flaps, knobby tires, and a big-ass turbo that will likely make the engine explode.

Expert 2: Justin Westbrook - This Isn’t Hard

Step one: Accept that any Safari project is going to be a money pit, so push away any worries of buying a car that’s already a potential money pit.

Step two: Safari a fucking Porsche.

This 2001 911 Carrera 4 AWD I found in Lake Elsinore isn’t exactly an exciting color with grey on silver, but it looks like it’s in good shape with just over 74,000 miles on the clock, has a manual, and it gives you a couple grand left to not get very far on your Safari project, but it’s a start.

The only problem is I want to buy it and leave it alone, as it sort of seems like a pretty good car as-is. But do what you must.

Expert 3: Stef Schrader - Hell Has Officially Frozen Over

If there’s anything my recent Gambler 500 experience has taught me, it’s that you can Safari anything. The more sacrilegious it is, the better. What you need is something that will snap necks and get forum fanboys to ask, “y u rune kalssic???” What you need is...a Subaru?

I found the one modern USDM Subaru that’s as far from car-bro-basic as you can get, with no vaping habit required: the SVX.

The SVX is such a weirdo that it routinely makes roundups of “modern classic” cars, despite its lackluster automatic transmission. That’s easily solvable per one ad for a front-wheel-drive SVX I found, which said you can swap out the transmission for one from a 90s Legacy or a newer STi. I believe that, given that Subaru components are basically Legos for older, dumber hooligans. The oddest combinations bolt together relatively easily and actually work! You’re going to be under the car anyway for this conversion, so do it.

But you don’t want that $500 front-driver. You’re going for maximum heresy here. Spring for the all-wheel-drive version, of which there’s a $4,300 example with a decent-looking interior that still has the original window sticker and a $3,500 two-tone SVX that’s up on its maintenance, both on your coast. Take your resident Subaru person and get a good in-person look at both before handing one the cash.

I love Safari 911s. I love off-road-ready, mud-splattered Audis. But you will make everybody angry and happy at the same time if you Safari up an SVX, guaranteed.

Expert 4: David Tracy - Buy The Original Safari Car

I once wrote the take “ Safari All the Cars ,” in which I stated that lifting cars and giving them big fender flares makes them look great, but ruins them functionally.

So why ruin a perfectly good car when you can buy one that was, from the onset, designed to offer less than optimal fuel economy and handling? Take the AMC Eagle SX/4—it’s basically an AMC Spirit that’s been lifted, and given some nice fender flares and a sweet four-wheel drive system.

Does it handle as well as the regular car? Does it get as good fuel economy? Maybe not, but none of that matters, because the AMC Eagle SX/4 is the coolest car in the line of AMC Eagles, and that’s saying something.

All AMC Eagles are amazing machines, so just buy one of those instead of ruining a perfectly good Audi A5, Porsche 911, or Subaru SVX.

Expert 5: Patrick George — A Cheap BMW Is Your Answer

You want to safari a car for LA potholes? My friend, that’s overkill. You safari a car because you’re concerned about the end of human civilization, which will inevitably happen in our lifetimes.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t scour the wastelands looking for water and gasoline in style and comfort—or that you can’t enjoy a smooth inline-six engine when you’re searching for settlements to raid. Why not safari a cheap BMW 3 Series? I’d suggest an E36, but you want AWD, and that generation didn’t offer it as an option at all as far as I know. So a slightly newer E46 may be a better option. And I know you want a coupe, but a sedan is so much more practical for water jugs, and the human skulls you will inevitably collect as war-trophies.

I even found a build thread to watch:

Here’s a pretty nice 330xi near you for way under your budget—it’s only $6,800. Pick it up and cruise the apocalypse in style! See you at the Thunderdome, friend.

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A Perfect One-Car Solution: The E46 M3 Touring

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Wagon, touring, estate–interchangeable names for vehicles with a roof that spans beyond the rear passengers and over the cargo area with liftgate access at the back. Over the years, some manufacturers have teased performance wagons as concepts, but never produced them for consumers (cool to see, but not so great if one is your dream vehicle). This was the case for Kyle and Maggie Baca, so they took it upon themselves to build their own E46 M3 Touring.

I was first introduced to the Baca’s proper-roof-length E46 M3 Touring at the National Capital Chapter (NCC) Deutsche Marque Concours (DMC) event in May of this year, although I didn’t know who owned it at the time. In addition to enjoying the DMC event with my four-year-old son, I was busy taking photos of the cars in attendance. I probably walked by the Baca’s E46 a few times thinking, “I really like the color on that M3 coupe.” It was only until later, when a friend asked, “Did you see that E46 M3 wagon?” that I realized I had only been paying attention to the front half of the car.

What can I say? I was distracted. Four-year olds require a certain amount of attention–especially at a concours event.

After returning to appreciate both the front and back halves of the custom M3 Touring build, complete with proper E46 M3 bodywork, interior, S54 engine, and manual transmission, I immediately thought of BMW’s first M3 Touring. No, not the G81 that BMW recently unveiled at the Goodwood Festival in June–I’m talking about the E46 M3 Touring Concept that they used to tease the world in 2000. In my eyes it’s the perfect vehicle.

While I couldn’t find the M3’s owners to speak with at the 2022 DMC, I wanted to know more. In an effort to make contact, I harnessed the powers of the Internet and posted some photos that I had taken of the long-roof E46 at the DMC event to an E46 M3 Touring Facebook group. Within a few hours Austin Sera replied, tagging Kyle Baca’s Facebook account (more on Austin in a bit).

I must apologize: I wasn’t fully truthful earlier. As it turns out, this wasn’t the first time that I had seen Kyle and Maggie Baca’s wagon. After chatting with Kyle via email, I realized I had also seen this car (pre-M3 bodywork and wearing a different color) at the 2019 DMC event three years earlier!

It all came rushing back as I recalled speaking with Kyle at the event and learning about the components he used to complete the S54 engine and all-wheel-drive drivetrain swap. (S54 is the code for the last naturally aspirated 3.2-liter inline-six M engine that came in production E46 M3s, late-model Z3 M coupes, and Z4 M roadsters and coupes, producing 333 horsepower.)

With introductions re-made, it was time to get the full story. Kyle, Maggie, and their two children, Caroline and Nicholas, live in Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC. They are BMW enthusiasts and enjoy modifying their vehicles. Kyle commented, “What has always drawn Maggie and me to the marque is the balance between utility, sportiness, and ride quality.” Their history of modified BMW wagons includes a 2006 530i xDrive, a 2007 328i xDrive, a five-speed manual 528i, a 2010 535i xDrive, and of course this beast of an E46 M3 Touring.

What was the inspiration behind the Baca’s M3 build? Kyle recalled, “In July 2018, we saw a 2001 325xi with an S54 engine swap and all-wheel drive listed by a specialty dealer, Glen Shelly, in Colorado. It was built by a BMW master tech and a detailed spec was laid out on the site. The car looked beautiful, but it had over 278,000 miles. This got us thinking, ‘What if…?’”

That question led to a list of high-level goals: S54-power with 8,000 rpm to play with, E46 styling, the practicality of a wagon, all-wheel drive, and, as Kyle puts it, “all-metal factory E46 M3 bodywork for the icing on the cake.”

To turn their vision into reality, Kyle dug in and began an online research project. He said, “I reached out to the only other person I could find that had taken on the challenge of building an all-wheel-drive S54 drivetrain. After chatting back and forth on the forums, he gave me his number, and it turns out that not only was he local, but we had already talked about BMWs, swapped parts over the years, and have lots of the same BMW friends. It was none other than BMW guru Austin Sera.”

With Sera’s parts-shopping list in hand, in August of 2018 Kyle and Maggie started a nationwide search for parts, which included the foundation for the project: an E46 325xi Touring with a five-speed manual transmission. It’s a rare combination with production numbers estimated to be in the low hundreds, but according to Kyle, “This is the only touring chassis that will accommodate the 330xi six-speed manual transmission.”

They found a suitable donor in December 2018—less than four miles from their home! The project’s base would be a manual 2004 325xi Touring with only 114,000 miles on the odometer.

Building blocks began to fall into place as parts were tracked down: a 76,000-mile S54 engine, a 64,000-mile 330xi six-speed manual transmission, and X3 differentials to change the gear ratio to 3.91. The Bacas had reached out to a number of local shops and individuals to help assemble the parts, but as Kyle put it, “Ultimately, no one wanted the job. They were wary of the scale and feasibility of the modifications being presented, and doubtful about whether my parts would actually integrate or were a complete set.”  To further complicate things, the Bacas were selling their home, had accepted an offer, and were closing in five weeks.

Kyle said, “It’s now or never,” so he took a sabbatical from his day job and began working seven days a week in his garage, building their dream Touring. Under the hood, the engine was refreshed with ACL rod bearings and all-new seals, except for the head gasket. The assembly VANOS was overhauled with upgraded parts, and the chain tensioners were replaced. A 330xi oil pan was used in conjunction with an S52 windage tray and M50 oil pump. The cooling system, including radiator, was replaced with factory E46 M3 parts up to the task of keeping the S54 happy. The fuel system was upgraded to factory M3 parts. A slew of while-you’re-in-there maintenance parts were replaced or upgraded, such as belts, hoses, sensors, and motor mounts.

Kyle Baca makes progress on the drivetrain swap in his garage. [Photo courtesy of Kyle Baca.]

In the suspension department, Kyle said, “The stock suspension was replaced with KW V1 coil-overs, and all suspension bushings were replaced. While the wagon is not known to be susceptible to subframe issues, the subframe was reinforced with TMS plates. The rear subframe was custom-built with reinforced rear sway-bar mounts and then powder-coated. The differential bushings were replaced. Custom rear sway-bar drop links were fabricated by Road Race Technologies, who also provided an alignment to aggressive street specs.”

This all sounds like a lot of work—because it was. Kyle reflected, “I looked forward to each day out there in the garage, but it was wearing on my body, and borderline not healthy to be channeling this much obsession.” Fortunately, after 280 hours of work, one day before the movers came, Kyle fired up the “332xiT” for the first time and it left the Baca’s garage under its own power—332 because of this 3 Series’ new 3.2 -liter oil-pumping heart–you know, a naming convention reminiscent of the days when BMW model numbers actually reflected the model and engine displacement.

The S54 looks right at home, complete with proper OEM shrouds and clips.

To complete the first phase of the project, before digging into more substantial body work, the Bacas had E46 ZHP bumpers painted and installed. Shortly thereafter, they took it to the 2019 DMC, which happens to be the first time I saw the car—albeit its original color and shape.

The interior was next on the project list. In addition to the imported full-leather 330i Touring interior, M3 front seats were installed. A recovered black headliner and A, B, and C-pillar covers were also installed. Kyle enlisted Austin Sera to help with electrical work, such as making the M3 seat functions fully operational, and integrating an M3 dash control panel.

After some more time in the car, some items had to be readdressed. Kyle didn’t like the clutch chatter from the lightweight flywheel, so he took it to RRT, who installed an OEM LUK clutch kit.

This is as M3 as an E46 Touring interior gets!

The last major piece of this project was the proper E46 M3 bodywork. Kyle said that similar to the mechanical portion of this project, finding a shop to do the body work was a challenge. His friend and fellow Touring enthusiast Stuart Moulton came through with a recommendation: Mid-Atlantic Customs. Kyle said, “The car went to Mid-Atlantic Customs for fabrication and paint in early 2021. OEM components were sourced including an M3 hood, M3 fenders, M3 quarter panels, M3 side skirts, M3 corner lights, M3 side mirrors, M3 headlights, and an M3 CSL front bumper. All associated hardware, fender liners, and ducting was sourced from OEM M3.”

This wasn’t simply a bolt-on affair. There was cutting and welding involved on all four corners of the car. And don’t forget what has to happen to the trunk floor to make the rear E46 M3 rear exhaust section fit properly!

When it came time to pick a color, Kyle said, “The decision to change color was rather difficult for Maggie and me, but we ultimately decided that while the change will ultimately be lost on most, and disliked by purists, we wanted something subtly more modern while keeping with a BMW color for an OEM touch.” They chose Grigio Telesto, which happens to be an M3 Individual color.

Mid-Atlantic Customs performed metalwork on the Bacas’ E46 M3 Touring. [Photos courtesy of Kyle Baca.]

I heard the Baca’s M3 Touring before I saw it. The crisp, precise exhaust note cut through the cool Sunday morning air just after sunrise. This was the first time I had heard the car run, and it didn’t disappoint. For our photo-shoot location, I chose a terrace with a mix of old-school pavers and a new-school industrial-style building—perfect for this Grigio Telesto E46, which now straddles the classic and modern boundary. 

Kyle, Maggie, Caroline, and Nicholas stand behind their E46 M3 Touring.

While I took photos of this amazing Touring, Kyle and I passed the time chatting about work, hobbies, and of course cars. Come to find out we have similar vehicle histories. and children are close in age and have similar interests. We headed back to Kyle’s house to meet with Maggie, Caroline, and Nicholas for a few family photos in front of this performance family hauler. Naturally, the highway portion of the drive called for some rolling shots. Hearing the S54’s symphony of intake and exhaust sounds as we cruised on highways and side streets was a real treat.

Rollers, anyone?

After such an intensive project, was it worth it? After seeing this car up close and hearing Kyle’s story, I definitely think so! But then again, I didn’t have to do any of the work. For me, the Bacas’ E46 M3 Touring achieves the trifecta of performance, utility, and style; it’s the perfect one-car solution.

Kyle summed it up nicely when he said, “The final product has exceeded our expectations, and the soundtrack is simply addictive. Oh, and the kids really dig the car.  No compromises!” – Mike Bevels

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About The Author

Mike Bevels

A member of BMW CCA's National Capital Chapter, Mike Bevels served as editor of BimmerLife.com from 2022-2024 and co-editor of his chapter's magazine from 2020-2023. Mike enjoys spending time with family, attending automotive events, and working on BMWs.

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You can now enjoy a safari from the comfort of a MINI in the UK

Home » You can now enjoy a safari from the comfort of a MINI in the UK

Gabriel Nica

August 24, 2021 / 2 minutes read

MINI and Longleat, UK’s No. 1 Safari Park, recently signed a new partnership aimed at bringing the two companies together. And what better way to enjoy a safari other than from the comfort of a MINI? The British car maker will be delivering a ‘pride’ of animal-print Countryman PHEV models to Longleat, which will then be used to offer visitors a ride. The first such rides have kicked off on August 21 and if you want to experience one you’ll have to hurry as they will only last until August 31st.

This collaboration is also raising money for Tusk, a wildlife conservation charity close to Longleat’s heart. “We are all animal-lovers in the MINI team so we’re really excited to be partnering with Longleat, a brand that shares our core values and adventurous spirit. The MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrid is both spacious and versatile; the perfect fit to enable Longleat to carry out the important work they do, whilst supporting their future sustainability ambitions. Hopefully the animals will approve too!” said David George, MINI UK Director for UK & Ireland.

The MINI Countryman PHEV models will be able to offer the visitors the chance of seeing the animals without emitting harmful gasses as they have an electric range of about 26 miles. Longleat’s animal team will also use the MINI Countryman PHEVs to travel around the park as they carry out duties such as helping feed the animals, maintenance work, veterinary runs and delivering equipment and supplies around the estate.

Shaun Steel, Commercial Director at Longleat, says, “As the first Safari Park created outside of Africa, Longleat has always led the way in creating magical animal encounters for families, with conservation and animal welfare also key in our values. We’re thrilled to be partnering with MINI, a brand that’s synonymous with adventure and bringing a smile to people’s faces. The new fleet of MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrids are important for our on-site work with the animals and off-site educational outreach, as well as fitting-in with our sustainability ambitions; they are the perfect addition to our pack!”

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