It takes a lot to stand out in the car tuning industry – luckily Rolloface‘s E92 M3 is about as subtle as a sledgehammer sandwich!
Nowadays we hear the phrase ‘no compromise’ all the time and it’s nearly always stretching the truth. Check out any no compromise 1.2-litre family hatchback as it asthmatically chugs itself up the mildest of inclines. Or that no compromise, 200-grand supercar – true, it might catch fire on a hot day and shred its tyres on every little pothole but at least you’ll look cool on the back of the recovery truck. How about this no compromise bacon roll while I’m at it? It’s got red sauce and everything.
My point is it’s rare to see something that’s distilled down to the point of absolute excellence. And in my humble opinion Ken Ho’s M3 is exactly that.
Now, the stock E92 M3 is an unbelievably quick car, in fact, it’s a proper monster. Over the years at FC I’ve been lucky enough to drive all sorts of random automobilia, some of the exotic big-money variety, some full-on race kit with all the trimmings. But as real-world cars go the M3 is up there in the big leagues, one of perhaps 3 or 4 practical road cars that can put your heart in your mouth, hair on your chest and make your sphincter pucker for at least 36-hours after you mash the loud pedal into the carpet. It’s basically a useable supercar and, although it’s expensive compared to your average 318D rep-mobile, when you look at what you get in terms of performance and equipment – it’s actually an undeniable bargain.
The thing is though, unlike the original ‘left-hooker-only’ E30 model, the big, bad E92 was never exactly hardcore. Some might argue that, a few special editions aside, over the years the M3 badge has steadily lost a little of its original hairy-chested, street-hero flavor as newer models have been developed. They’ve all got faster sure, but there’s a difference between being quick while living in the lap of luxury and feeling like you’ve earned that 0-60 time by wrestling a wild animal into submission. And that’s exactly what you get with Ken’s die-hard coupe.
You could call this car an M3 Plus, or possibly Minus, depending on how you look at it. It’s also a demo car for Ken’s company Rolloface Performance so that should go some way to explaining why it’s been pushed to the absolute limit of extreme.
Rolloface manufacture a number of staunch performance parts in California, all of which you’ll find here on their bonkers showpiece. They’re perhaps most well-known in the US for their race-proven brake kits and super-light forged wheels, but in 2015 they moved into the world of functional aero kits and that meant they needed a demo car to make a big splash at SEMA 2015. Suffice to say when they rolled out this particular creation at the world’s biggest trade show, it certainly got the desired effect.
What’s important here is, they make some of the most uncompromising performance gear on the planet, so it’s no good going all half-arsed with the marketing. In reality it was this notion that gave Ken the inclination to go properly bat shit with the modding. Instead of the usual ‘exhibition’ route of filling the car with electronics or even more luxurious trim, he’s stuck to his unyielding performance philosophy by following a very simple formula.
What we have here is a big V8 at the front, rear wheel drive at the back and some sizable trouser potatoes in the middle. This car has everything it needs to be an absolute colossus on the tarmac, but importantly, nothing more. No added frills. Look at it like this, there’s not many people who would take one of the world’s most luxurious hyper-coupes and immediately pull it to pieces. With all those millions spent developing stuff like amplified sound systems and IDrives, all you find here is the efforts of the Bavarian stylists on the workshop floor. And that my friends, takes vision.
The result though is something else, this car is a kind of purified awesomeness. You’ll find every part that’s been added is there to do one of two things, enhance the bare-bones driving experience every time Ken takes it on the track (which is a lot). And, the bit that pays the bills, to show off the Rolloface Performance catalogue to its best ability. Actually every part that’s been removed does exactly the same thing.
In fact, there’s been quite a bit taken away from the original E92 Coupe, all in the name of extreme weight saving. The original exhaust has made way for a silly-money titanium job, the interior has been fully stripped and the dash replaced with a custom-made carbon fibre item that weighs under 3kg. Shit, even the passenger seat has been kicked to the curb, there’s no fat chicks needed hogging the horses here, or any other chicks for that matter. Driving this super-lightened motor I wouldn’t be surprised if Ken feels almost suicidal on the days he has an extra pancake for breakfast. What with that lot and the 10-piece fiberglass widebody kit it’s over 250kilos lighter than standard, and that’s the equivalent of a lot of free horsepower. Not that the tuned V8 doesn’t serve up plenty of grunt anyway. No surprises Ken and his crew call this thing the Hulk – I’d imagine you wouldn’t like it when it’s angry either.
Despite the lack of, well, ANY creature comforts all the signature Rolloface details are there. On close examination you can see the inner barrels of those massive forged hoops are anodized in their company green hue. As for those super-high-end multi-pot brake kits, you don’t have to examine quite so closely to see they’re absolutely huge. That rear spoiler which has to pass through the bootlid and be custom mounted to the chassis isn’t what you’d call shy either. The business end of this build though, it’s main reason for being, will always be that awesome widebody kit.
Taking more than a couple of styling cues from the BMW M235i racing car this one took over 4 months to be sculpted out of clay before being molded in fiberglass and eventually fitted to the car, just in time to get to Vegas for the show. The new panels add 45mm of extra girth each side, not to mention a shed load of road presence. They certainly swallow up those 12-inch wide 19s, even with a crazy ET-15 negative offset and enormous 305 Toyo 888 track tyres.
Ken’s vision for the look was what he calls “Time Attack, with some real Rolloface rally stance” and, I think you’ll agree, the boys have absolutely nailed it. True to the uncompromising theme of this car, after the show the kit was re-molded and is now available in both carbon fibre and dry carbon options too. I’m guessing you’ll also need a pretty uncompromising wallet to get your mitts on either.
The point is you can’t help but let your jaw hit the floor when you see this car and, as that’s the general idea, it does its job perfectly. As a monster track car this Ken’s no compromise Beemer is amazing, as a marketing tool for Rolloface though, it’s absolutely off the chart. If you need proof that this kind of advertising works just be honest with yourself and ask the simple question – do you want one? Of course you do, me too, and rightly so. You see what I mean?
Who are Rolloface Performance?
The boys at Rolloface have only been around for 3 or 4 years but already they’re making big waves on the street, especially when it comes to their big brake kits. Apart from their huge range of fast road and track-spec stoppers, which offer exceptional performance, they’ve also hit the market with some of the maddest customization options we’ve ever seen too. Just check out their camo calipers and discs for starters!
Along with their custom wheels, these are available for a wide variety of European cars, so both race and show car awesomeness could be a mere click away. Get online at Rolloface and see what they can do for you.
Owner: Ken Ho
Tech spec: BMW E92 M3 – The Hulk
Exterior:
Rolloface GT3 widebody kit consisting of hood duct, front bumper, wide fenders and quarter panels, rear bumper panel, carbon side skirts, front and rear spoilers, APR performance GT-250 adjustable swan neck carbon fiber wing, customized Rolloface aluminum rear wing mounting structure, removable boot lid with aero catches, Hexis wrap (dark grey) with limo green details.
Chassis:
12×19-inch Rolloface ZR-1 forged 3-piece wheels (ET -15), 305/35×19 Toyo R888 tyres, Rolloface RT-3 3 way suspension, Rolloface SR-C series big brake kit, (front 8 piston rear 6 piston all around 2-piece floating 380mm), Pagid RS series brake pads.
Tuning:
Modified Rolloface Titanium exhaust (non-cage), custom RPM ECU program
One off Rolloface double engine oil cooler, Japan Gruppen M carbon fiber intake system.
Interior:
Recaro Racing bucket seat, Rolloface customized roll-cage ‘Double X’, ne off Rolloface carbon fibre dashboard, Sparco 5-pt harness and 285 steering wheel, NRG Racing flip up boss.
Thanks:
The Rolloface Team, Nick (3D designer), Tony (fiber work), Moody (wrap work), Edison (project schedule), Branden (material supply), Vicky (connection and communication), Mark (racer knowledge), Kevin (wiring and ECU connection), www.rolloface.com
