The Phoenix: My Build Journal Excerpts

[Gt4]

Should have kept it phoenix yellow to be honest. Way more unique than yet another blue car on the road

Other PY owners should be grateful than, their PY Coupe just became more rare! 1/522 instead of 1/523! Haha

[Maxima SE]

Should have kept it phoenix yellow to be honest. Way more unique than yet another blue car on the road

[Epoustouflant]

San Marino Blue is super pretty. Although still can't believe you painted over PY...

We gave it a full strip & sand off!

In all seriousness, I explained why here and here.

In short: the paint's condition was crap, PY isn't all that rare and in demand, and once you factor in costs to do this, the wannabe CSL status, wanting to keep this in the family and a blue M being my teenage dream - well, it makes sense to me.

It's all very much an emotional choice.

[liam821]

San Marino Blue is super pretty. Although still can't believe you painted over PY...

[WestBankM4]

San Marino Blue is one of my favorite BMW blues, color looks absolutely unreal under the sun and perfectly muted in the shade.

[Epoustouflant]

Well, things are moving fast and I can barely make the time to post these updates across platforms. Pardon the copy paste for those that follow me on IG!
--
I still had the blues.
—
New Build Journal entry
Special Series: Restoration of The Phoenix
—

In this entry, I skip the flafla and give it to you straight: we're seeing blue.

Which blue? It had to stay in the family - BMW makes the best blues.

My teenage dream was always to find an E60 M5 in Interlagos Blue, but I wanted something more modern. It was between Marina Bay Blue and San Marino Blue: M5 versus the M3.

There was only one way of uncorking the dilemma: test sprays.

Up next: we get into the engine bay spray session, we go bold and start stripping it down to metal.

Cheers,
Matt
@m3_epoustouflant

[Epoustouflant]

I hope to see the paint job in person next summer as I am considering repainting my E46 M3 LSB. Saw your car at the BMW Trois-Rivières dealer this summer but haven’t see you. I was with my 2006 E46 M3 ZCP Imola, I had my mountain bike on the roof rack as I was on my way back from Mont SM and stop by.

Dang! I’m hoping to be more active with the E46 this Summer and bring it out to events.

DM me anytime over on IG to set something up. That BMW meet in TR was a great time - except for blowing out my GTS lip brackets on a road kill 😂

[Gt4]

Thanks dude! I've worked with that shop quite a bit in the past. This is my first complete color change on a personal car with them.

It's a huge undertaking for sure. Both subframes off, complete tear down of the underbody and all windows are coming out.

We're going for OEM level: everywhere there was coats of paints, this will have some. Lots of areas had slight overspray and not complete coverage: the firewall section, the interior, the trunk - etc.

We'll match that.



To think this is now prized! What a shame that experience was for the original owner.



Yesiir! Excited to join the Blue team - been on my mind forever. BMW has the best shades of blue in the business.

I hope to see the paint job in person next summer as I am considering repainting my E46 M3 LSB. Saw your car at the BMW Trois-Rivières dealer this summer but haven’t see you. I was with my 2006 E46 M3 ZCP Imola, I had my mountain bike on the roof rack as I was on my way back from Mont SM and stop by.

[Epoustouflant]

Atlantis Blue would be cool as hell if you want to keep it with a BMW color. That and Calypso Red are my faves personally. This should be cool to see regardless of which color you pick. A truly GOOD paint job is a big undertaking and pretty expensive. Not to mention a full color change. I've seen some 25k paint jobs that look like trash in person lol.

Cool to hear you want to gift the car to your dad, too.

Thanks dude! I've worked with that shop quite a bit in the past. This is my first complete color change on a personal car with them.

It's a huge undertaking for sure. Both subframes off, complete tear down of the underbody and all windows are coming out.

We're going for OEM level: everywhere there was coats of paints, this will have some. Lots of areas had slight overspray and not complete coverage: the firewall section, the interior, the trunk - etc.

We'll match that.

Just don't mistake the "s" for a "c": https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=842479

To think this is now prized! What a shame that experience was for the original owner.

First I'm happy to hear that the car will be color changed!!

Second I'm even happier to hear it will be a shade of blue!! 😁

Can't wait to watch this unfold.

Yesiir! Excited to join the Blue team - been on my mind forever. BMW has the best shades of blue in the business.

[Casa de Mesa]

It's a shade of blue

We started tearing into the shell today, but gave a first symbolic scuff.

PY is getting sanded away to dust.

First I'm happy to hear that the car will be color changed!!

Second I'm even happier to hear it will be a shade of blue!! 😁

Can't wait to watch this unfold.

[Nate047]

YUP I remember that story lmao.

[heinzboehmer]

Atlantis Blue would be cool as hell if you want to keep it with a BMW color.

Just don't mistake the "s" for a "c": https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=842479

[Nate047]

Atlantis Blue would be cool as hell if you want to keep it with a BMW color. That and Calypso Red are my faves personally. This should be cool to see regardless of which color you pick. A truly GOOD paint job is a big undertaking and pretty expensive. Not to mention a full color change. I've seen some 25k paint jobs that look like trash in person lol.

Cool to hear you want to gift the car to your dad, too.

[Epoustouflant]

What's the new color? Or is that top secret

It's a shade of blue

We started tearing into the shell today, but gave a first symbolic scuff.

PY is getting sanded away to dust.

[r4dr]

What's the new color? Or is that top secret