2012 E92 ZCP - 17k Miles - Dinan S2 Stripper Build Journal

[ericxog]

Hey guys. Though I'm pretty active on the socials, I thought it would be cool to start a build journal of my car. A little history, this is my 18th M3. I have had them all, from E36's, E46's, E92's, F80's, and a brief stint with the new stuff. After much enthusiasm and a long chamber of curiosity with these cars, I eventually settled on the two cars that stood out to me the most. By far, my biggest love affair had been with the E92 by a long shot, so after a few nice examples, I set out on a mission the find the ultimate one for me. No budget, just a long list of requirements. This is what I landed on. As it sits now, the car is built, but here has been the journey so far.

I purchased the car in NorCal. For the short while I was taking a break from the M cars, I was daily driving a 2020 S213 E63S Estate. Had great fun in that car, and was a true swiss army knife. I had pulled the trigger on a new truck, so it was time for the AMG to leave the stable and make way for where my heart truly lies, the E92 M3.

My requirements were Jet Black, Alpine White, or Space Gray. ZCP. Absolutely bare minimum options, with carbon roof and single hump being at the top of my list. After owning both 6MT and DCT cars in the past, I knew for my use case (street, and the enthusiastic sunday drive in the mountains), I would ultimately like to opt for a third pedal. Last but not least, I needed it as low mileage as I could find with these specs. I wanted a unicorn.

I put a deposit on this car sight unseen. It was a 2012, Jet Black E92 ZCP. Zero options other than Black Nappa and ZCP. It was a serialized Dinan S2 car, that had been bumped up to a S3 a few years later from when it was originally purchased new. The car had just hit 17k miles. It was a no accident, no story, no paintwork, previous EAG car owned by some really cool enthusiasts. It was perfect, I was elated. In person, it exceeded my expectations. I signed off, and was on my way back home to SoCal.



The car came pretty well outfitted already. Dinan 4.10 Differential, Dinan Under drive pulleys, Dinan Sway Bars, Dinan Throttle bodies, Dinan Pedals, S2 Engine tune, & a Dinan Intake and Exhaust (which wasn't installed on the car).

We landed in SoCal, hassle free. Car drove like an absolute dream, still felt and smelled brand new. I took a few photos, and tucked her away for it's upcoming maintenance and modifications.






Now, it was off to get this thing baselined and let the modding begin.

[ericxog]

First things first. We got the car over to Malek @ MRF Engineering for an inspection and rod bearings. Malek himself emphasized the incredible condition of the car, and it had been a while since he had seen one like this. I dropped the car off for Malek to work his magic. 17k miles, I'm sure I could have gotten away with it for a while. Nothing like piece of mind though.



With new bearings in, the fun began. I threw in a new OEM M-Performance Steering wheel, and GTS Door sills. I took delivery of a set of E88 Race Pockets, that were finished in WeissGold. Also being a Porsche fan, I thought it would be fun to bring some Porsche flair to the car. The E88's were wrapped in Yokohama Advan AD09's. To compliment the BBS shortly after, arrived a set of new KW V4 Clubsports, their 3-Way adjustable suspension system.






Before the big install. We were still waiting on one piece of kit that I was really excited about. I unfortunately didn't get a picture of the entire kit, as I just took a peak in the boxes, but these touched down and the car was ready to go to the installers.

AP Racing CP9660 Kit in their new ENP finish, as well as the rear CP9449 kit. AP rotors, with Ferodo street pads.



I took the car for one last stroll in stock trim. Beforehand, we installed a IND 1 piece alcantara shift knob, IND dress up kit (kidneys, side grills, reflectors, etc), as well as an M-Junkee arm rest delete. Buttoned that up with some simple Coby wheel treatment in 9002 Alcantara for the E-brake handle and E-brake boot, and we had ourselves a really nice cockpit to be in.

[ericxog]

It was install day. A huge thank you to Bimmerheads for the amazing quality work they put in. They have become good friends of mine, and have built tons of cars for me. They also built my S54 Swapped E36 M3 that is currently the stablemate to the E92.

Right before the big stuff went on, we installed a GT4 front lip (temporary placeholder until the OE GTS aero goes on), OEM M-Performance trunk lip, a Pinnacle Motorsports undertray, Turner Studs, and some yellow zinc bolts supplied by Slicer. Wheel, suspension, and brakes were on. Man, was that a good day...

[ericxog]

Now that the suspension components and wheels were installed. It was time to do something about the exhaust note of the car. Definitely one of my favorite characteristics of the car. I placed another order at IND, and at the doorstep was a Eisenmann Race Exhaust, paired with a Macht Schnell Catless X-pipe. I will likely be revisiting this area in the future with this car, as the exhaust setup is not for the faint of heart. It is extremely loud, especially free revving at idle. It does tame up a bit once it has some load and you are accelerating, but it can get pretty old after a few hours in the canyons. Luckily, I don't drive this car often, maybe twice a month. With that being said, the exhaust does definitely provide a sense of "occasion" when I do get to drive it. Eventually, I do see myself going with a full Akra for the car. A GT4 X-Pipe would be icing on the cake.

[ericxog]

And lastly, where we are left at now. I made another trip up to Malek, to pick up a special piece. An OEM GTS Wing. I haven't seen one of these pop up in many years, and in hopes of running full OE aero on this car eventually, I had to have it.

We got the wing home. Sourced a spare trunk, got it into the painters, and refinished it Jet Black. New M3 emblem, new roundels, and we were ready for install. The original OEM trunk got protected and tucked away in my warehouse.






This is where she sits now. I will make sure to update the build thread with any updates. Still have tons of plans for this amazing machine. We still need to check off front OE aero, plenum, kinematics, and some seats. She should be pretty awesome after that, then just tinker with the small stuff.

[TigerM3]

Glad to see you made the build thread, beautiful car!

[jimmymolio]

Literally dream E92. Enjoy it!

[Blindside_137]

Just awesome. Don’t see many build threads these days let alone high quality ones like this.

Thanks for messaging me on IG about the wheels. I have a set I’m getting done in a satin white gold powder coat which I hope looks as nice as yours.

Enjoy the E92!

[zhan28]

This was an excellent read, it’s been a while. Looking forward to future updates.

[Emin shak]

This is beautiful, great read. Not sure how I ended up at Coby wheel treatment mid read to order interior goodies haha

[jsciam]

Looks like you've had quite the M3 experiences. Could you put into words what draws you to the E92 over the E46?

Incredible car, great read. Thanks for sharing.

[LAKESHOW]

All class homie. Glad to see you back in an e92.

You’ve got me thinking about it now…Melbourne red sounds fun.

[GcD]

Nice build, tastefully done.

[ericxog]

Thanks for the kind words everybody.

[ericxog]

Originally Posted by LAKESHOW

All class homie. Glad to see you back in an e92.

You’ve got me thinking about it now…Melbourne red sounds fun.

Would be awesome to see you back in an E92 man. Like old times.

[ericxog]

Originally Posted by jsciam

Looks like you've had quite the M3 experiences. Could you put into words what draws you to the E92 over the E46?

Incredible car, great read. Thanks for sharing.

I think this question is really going to come down to personal preference at the end of the day, I know a lot of guys and friends in this hobby that swear by their E46’s. They are both, incredible in their own right.

For me personally, going back to that sense of occasion, the E92 provides a lot more for me personally. I think overall, the fit and finish of the car is far greater. The S65, has to be one of the most special engines I’ve had the pleasure to spend time with. This is coming from a lot of past vehicles as well. Mezger GT cars, 718 GT4, and a few other noteworthy units. The E92 doesn’t share the same fragility of the E46, and feels more robust and solid. Driving both cars at the limit, the E92 definitely shines in comparison to the E46, although it is a bit more bloated, it has always felt more composed to me. I come from a design background, so a a full aesthetic package is important to me as well. The E92 has to be one of the most cohesive designs I feel that has come out of M division. The interior (with the lack of I-Drive), I feel is extremely timeless. In the long run, the E92 just has tons more theatre to me.

Now this isn’t to bash the E46, I absolutely adore the S54. So much in fact that I put one into my E36 M3 coupe. The E36 has to be the best chassis feel of the bunch, such a light, balanced, and well behaved car. (and obviously figures would demonstrate this.) Its primary Achilles heel is that the USDM engines just were not very special, Europe definitely got spoiled in that department. The S54, paired with the light characteristics of the E36 chassis, is an incredible pairing.

Here are a few photos of the E92's stablemate. This car has been heavily modified, while trying to retain as much of an OE finish as possible. The body is untouched, even down to retaining rear seats with the cage for the sake of sound deadening. This car was 4 years in the making, and extremely special to me. I built this as a dedicated canyon car, but she is still surely a looker, and I like to keep it in pristine shape.

[vincE92M3]

You have great taste. Thanks for sharing!

[ericxog]

Originally Posted by Emin shak

This is beautiful, great read. Not sure how I ended up at Coby wheel treatment mid read to order interior goodies haha

Haha. Coby wheel is cool, wont blow your doors off in terms of quality, but it's just enough for some stuff and it is inexpensive. Enjoy!

[1FastSicilian]

love it!! Nice work Eric.

[Exclusivs]

Fantastic build! This thing just screams of quality. So nice seeing these cars get the attention they deserve. The 4.10s must be a really nice addition to the E9x 6spd driving experience! Keep up the great work.

Sam

[carswithdonuts]

Dang this is amazing!