From Plantation, Florida, James Wheeler is passionate about his Ultimate Driving Machines, owning three BMW's so far, with each one better than the last. His first, a 330 convertible, introduced him to the power, style, and superb handling that sets BMW apart from the crowd. It got even better the day his 2002 M3 convertible was delivered. The car was a daily driver for the first two years but slowly began the transition to a full-blown show car that has been virtually unbeatable on the southeast show circuit.

Wheeler designs video games for a living, so it's no surprise that his car is a combination of unique innovation blended with cutting edge technology. Wheeler decided early in the build that he would take the BMW to the next level by incorporating the best of everything the aftermarket had to offer. With the help of his good friends Richie Castillo of Castle Motorsports and Fabian Ortega of Accessory World Customs in Miami, Wheeler has elevated an already world-class car to stratospheric levels.

Everything about this car is extreme. The highly polished, Stage II supercharged, six-cylinder engine is augmented with six Sneaky Pete nitrous bottles in the back seat and pumps out a staggering 525 horsepower. Suspension upgrades include Brembo Gran Turismo 14 inch Big Brake System, Eibach springs, Active Autowerke camber arm kit, along with an AC Schnitzer Polished Racing Strut Brace.

The exterior make over began with the already wide Flossman wide-body kit designed for the BMW GTR. To create a more aggressive look, Wheeler extended it even further (2 inches in the front and 4 inches in the rear), then molded it in to maintain the sleek lines of the car. The hand-formed carbon fiber wing with a built in monitor was also redesigned to span the new larger dimensions. HRE wheels, 9 X 20 in front and 12 X 20 in the rear have a one-of-a-kind offset, built-in by HRE to ensure the rims fill the expansive wheel flares. Dozens of custom built carbon fiber accent pieces and the elegant House of Kolor Kandy Blue paint create the perfect finishing touch.

But the real story here is the amazing competition audiovisual system that boasts 14 speakers, four amplifiers, a pair of headrest monitors and a PS2 in the dash that surrounds passengers with multiple gaming screens while they are listening to concert hall sounds. JL Audio "Clean Sweep" amps power the mids and highs in the cabin as well as the JL Audio 8W7 Subs in the motorized Plexiglas enclosure in the trunk. Spectators, watching the motorized enclosure, also get to see themselves on the Icon-TV 15" monitor, thanks to the rear view camera. There's even a 5-inch monitor in the rear view mirror with its own night vision camera and remote capability. Carrying it to extreme, separate video cameras feed monitors built into the side mirrors. Wheeler named the carbon fiber center console "Alien Head" and it is more than decorative, holding the numerous stereo components and the multiple illumination switches that light up the car at night. Additional electronics include a K40 Calibrae Radar Laser Detector with front and rear jammers, Alpine SEC-150R alarm with remote top and perimeter sensor, auxiliary power supply built into the trunk, and a LoJack Early Warning Recovery System. Naturally, James added a 160GB hard drive with more than 50 games on a second PS2, rounding out the amusement options.

The completed car has been a joy to drive and hard to beat on the show circuit. As a matter of fact, Wheeler has a serious problem since the huge number of trophies is gradually squeezing his favorite convertible out of the garage!

Shout Out: "Thanks to Joe Greeves and ESM for the feature!" -James Wheeler