Have you ever encountered a car at a show that completely blows you away, making everything else feel a bit… ordinary by comparison?
Car shows are undeniably fun for anyone with a deep love for cars, but for regular attendees like myself, they can sometimes feel repetitive. Perhaps it’s the lack of innovation, the predictable formats, or the often unfinished projects on display. With the latter, I blame social media, where sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes content often overshadow the traditional unveiling process.
Despite doing multiple walks through the 2024 Oslo Motorshow back in October, it was towards the end of my time at the show that something I had previously overlooked caught my eye. I’m so glad it did because Jørgen Aune‘s 2002 BMW E46 M3 is crazy cool.
Jørgen, a 39-year-old car builder and owner of JAAS Industriservice AS/JAAS Performance in Surnadal, Norway, has been immersed in the modified car scene for over 30 years. In that time, he’s built several cars, including two we’ve featured before: a 900hp BMW M3 clone and a 1,000hp BMW E21 ‘Street Sweeper.’
At first glance, Jørgen’s new E46 BMW M3 may appear to be a relatively ordinary build — if you look past the oversized wheels and tyre setup. But as is often the case with his creations, there’s far more than meets the eye.
Jørgen’s signature style revolves around a clean and subtle exterior, with only a few well-chosen aftermarket touches. The true artistry always lies beneath the surface. We’ll delve into those details shortly.
His main focus with the exterior was to accommodate massive 300/68/18 Michelin racing slicks under the rear wheel wells. To achieve this, 40mm of extra body width was added to each rear fender. At the front, no modification was needed to fit the chosen Michelin 280/68/18 rubber. The wheels are three-piece Work Meister S1s: 18×10.5-inch at the front and 18×11-inch at the rear.
The BMW also sports a custom carbon fibre front lip, an HGK carbon roof, and an aftermarket boot lid, all contributing to its minimalist yet purposeful look.
And now, for the part that made my jaw drop. Displayed at the Buldre Racing Team booth, the M3’s presence was unmistakable. If you know Buldre, you’ll understand that these Norwegian tuning experts are known for building insane machines capable of producing ridiculous power.
The large Garrett intercooler hanging from the front is the first clue that something extraordinary lies under the E46’s hood.
Behold, the wildest-looking BMW S62B50 engine I’ve ever laid eyes on.
What immediately caught my attention was the engine’s unusual layout. Jørgen has repositioned the engine 350mm rearward, primarily to accommodate a modified BMW E30 325i differential, reversed and mounted in front of the engine. That’s right, this M3 puts its power down through all four wheels.
This radical setup allowed for the installation of twin Precision 6266 turbos, each with a 50mm wastegate. With the engine sitting farther back in the bay, custom piping was fabricated to route air through the intercooler before it enters the combustion chambers via dual Bosch 74mm throttle bodies.
If that’s not wild enough, check out the custom air intakes routed through the headlights!
The engine’s internals are equally impressive: ported heads by Tore Toppklokk with Supertech valves, Wiseco forged pistons, and ZRP forged connecting rods all work in tandem with the stock BMW S62B50 crankshaft, ensuring rock-solid reliability.
The MaxxECU engine management system was tuned in-house by Jørgen himself. The result? A staggering 1,250hp and 1,400Nm at 1.6bar (23.2psi) of boost.
All this power is transmitted through a Tilton quad-plate clutch and custom flywheel into a Samsonas 5-speed sequential gearbox, paired with a Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R transfer case. The rear diff is a BMW E34 M5 unit, with Gripper LSDs featuring front and rear.
Once unibody, the M3’s chassis now revolves around a custom tube frame. Coilover suspension – a combination of AST (front) and BC Racing (rear) – enhances the handling and sets the ride height, while Ksport 8-piston and 6-piston brakes front and rear, respectively, ensure the car can stop as well as it goes.
The front frame extends into the cabin, where a fully integrated 6-point roll cage and four additional rear attachment points make sure the structure can withstand all on-track punishment.
Inside, the BMW’s original interior is completely gone, replaced with a stripped-down, race-focused setup. The firewall was custom-built to accommodate the relocated engine, and a specially fabricated transmission tunnel was created to fit the 4-inch exhaust system.
Mounted on the tunnel are a Blink Marine keypad for controls, a QSP hydraulic handbrake with a Wilwood master cylinder, and a Samsonas shifter for lightning-fast gear changes.
The interior also features Atech bucket seats with 6-point harnesses, a QSP steering wheel, and an ECUmaster ADU7 dash logger for advanced data monitoring.
The trunk houses two 405mm Spal cooling fans paired with an HGK 970x470x65mm dual-pass radiator. Fuel is supplied by three Walbro 535 pumps, a Nuke Performance regulator, and a custom catch tank.
“The idea to build an AWD BMW M3 came to me because I was tired of spinning the wheels with my previous cars. This time, I wanted something that could hook up,” says Jørgen. “The main inspiration was Ken Block’s Hoonicorn Mustang. I wanted something that could do the same insane things – but also compete in the Gatebil Extreme series. Above all, though, I wanted to build something no one had ever done before.”
With those words, I can’t wait to see Jørgen in action at next year’s Gatebil events – both competing in time attack and putting his AWD drift skills to the test in the Breisladden (Power Drift) competition. What a machine!
Alen Haseta
Instagram: hazetaa
