SP Rides: One cool sleigh ride!
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Year, make, model: 2007 BMW 335i
Owner: Nathan Bush
Age: 26
Occupation: Construction, Navy
Hobbies: Cars, hiking, trail running
Color: PPG Crimson Red
Engine: Ghassan-built engine, CP pistons, Carillo rods, ARP head studs, ARP main studs, Full Ferrea valvetrain, Cometic rod and main bearings, Darton sleeves, closed deck, King head gasket, O-ring’d, high flow port/polish head, plugged PCV head ports, Propulsive Dynamics-built transmission, VRSF 335D chargepipe, Sharp Customs intake manifold with port injection, Split Second AIC port injection controller, Tial BOV, Wagner Competition Evo II intercooler, Fuel-it Stage 3 low pressure fuel pump, 4 bar MAP Sensor, Twin Mocal engine/trans coolers, Audi R8 ignition coil conversion, RB external PCV system, ViE single turbo manifold, Garrett GTX3582r Gen II dual ball bearing turbo, dual Tial wastegates with open dumps, Motiv FlexFuel kit with lines/analyzer/module, Motiv Boost Box for Custom Tuned by Chris Kontos at Motiv Motorsports
Exterior: 1m front bumper, M3 rear bumper, M3 side skirts, custom-built headlights,TracSpec hood vents, carbon fiber duckbill trunk
Interior/audio: Nelson racing wheel custom red camo carbon fiber weave steering wheel, custom fit diamond stitch floor mats, hardwired radar/dashcam/charging phone mount, Cerwin Vega Stroker 12-inch sub, Alpine V12 1000-wat monoblock amplifier
Wheels, brakes, tires: Niche Misano 18-inch wheels, R1 Concepts drilled and slotted brakes, Nitto INVO 275/35/18 in back
As Christmas Day draws near, what’s more perfect than ripping up asphalt in a bright red sleigh? Of course, this is a 2007 BMW 335i model, which has quite a few more ponies than the Santa’s regular ride. Eat your heart out, Rudolph.
Nathan Bush’s first taste of import goodness were a 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T and a 2001 BMW 325i non-turbo, which are fun rides with the proper modifications. However, his eyes became drawn to this BMW 335i thanks to its affordability, decent upgrade potential, and overall luxury.
For two years, he was pleased with the power and performance, but of course, all stock things must come to an end. The itch soon became too much to ignore and modifications galore began to stack up, partly because Bush enjoys the idea of being a resident guru for all things 335i. With extensive research and hard work for himself and for friends and acquaintances, he soon became fairly known for his knowledge — so much so that he’s the president of the Oahu Euro Car Club. It has become a mecca for around 500 European car enthusiasts including Audi, BMW, VW, Porsche and more.
The engine itself is a great talking point for this, as the stock OEM was jettisoned after a nasty detonation and swapped with a Ghassan-built engine filled with more goodies than a stocking stuffer. CP Pistons, Carillo Rods, ARP head and Main studs, a full Ferrea valvetrain — you name it, the engine has got it in spades.
Even the transmission has been upgraded, and his resulting modification list is almost too lengthy to print. This baby gets up and goes thanks to all the parts as well as the Garrett GTX3582r turbo that provides the power. Although Bush didn’t build the engine, he certainly was responsible for the installation and single turbo conversion. You’re talking about $17,000 of guts, enough to make this baby sing.
In addition to the engine build, he handled the exterior upgrades such as the 1m front bumper, the M3 rear bumper and side skirts as well as the custom-built headlights that really show off the color-change LED Halos. TracSpec hood vents were precariously installed to perfection while the carbon fiber duckbill trunk was painted to match the PPG Crimson Red paint.
The sporty suspension has been accented with Niche Misano 18-inch wheels that have had their center caps replaced with the legendary BMW emblem. They’re fitted with Nitto INVO tires which are brought to a halt by enormous R1 Concepts drilled and slotted brakes.
For style and comfort, stunning custom fit Diamond stitched floor mats accent the interior alongside the Nelson Racing steering wheel. The rear trunk has been retrofitted with a custom enclosure that includes a 12-inch Cerwin Vega Stroker Sub powered by an Alpine V12 1,000-watt amplifier.
For Bush, this car is a never-ending process of modifying — an education, if you will, and one that sometimes has its ups and downs. He understands that it can be a love-hate relationship, but a true enthusiast means you have to push through to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Naughty or nice, that’s a good list to be on.
