Topless Beauty!

Convertibles! A rarity on our Sri Lankan roads! So here we are featuring one very unique car for many special reasons. Not only is it special because its a convertible but because of a few other reasons that we will reveal later in this post! 

Getting second glances from pretty girls while driving this car might be an advantage but its the interesting questions you get asked from onlookers that intrigued me the most! A tuk tuk driver (with a very bewildered expression on his face) asked us where the roof of this car was?! Shocking yes, but its not often that common folk see's a car of this nature driving around!

So it is expected to see adults and children alike staring out of their car windows or pedestrians stopping for a moment to take a quick look at not only such a very different but beautiful car too! 

But I did mention it was a special car for a few other reasons too. There are supposedly 5 E36 convertibles in Sri Lanka. And this is the only six cylinder E36 Convertible over here in Paradise Island!

Also it came with the MTech Sports Package from the factory itself. So it is one of the few cars with the original body kit and respective accessories which include better suspension and also interior details.

It is this particular bumper that makes the front end of an E36 more aggressive and meaner! 

It was only available on the M3 and as an optional extra. Now it has become a popular mod among E36 owners! 

This car belongs to my friend Indula's Dad, who actually owns quite a collection of cars! From delightful classics to some unique modern metal. So the car is in good hands! 

And when true petrol heads owns something like this, modifications are always part of the equation! 

The stock wheels have been replaced with these dished out 17 inch Beyern wheels with black centres! 

But they do hope to upgrade to original M Contours when they manage to find a set! 

What a side profile! A little technical fact, even though the front and rear of the E36 sedan and coupé/ convertible look similar they are very different. Starting from the rake of the windscreen to the slimmer  front indicators and rear tail lamps. Certain bits of the interior differ too! 

A shot of the rear with the original MTech bumper and side skirts! Note the after market exhaust.....

If you were wondering what those two letters were, well those are Indula's Dad's initials. Supposedly all their cars have these badges. 

Lets step into the interior for a moment shall we? 

This car is a very late 1998 model, which means it was the last of the E36's to roll out of Germany. So its laden with everything you could ask for! 

Someone was intelligent(and rich) enough to tick the optional MTech package on the order sheet! 

For just doing that you get the lovely double stitched MTech III steering wheel and the bucket seats! Mind you the seats are electric too! I wonder whether you can see it but note the intricate stitching on the steering wheel in the M colours!

A few things have been upgraded too, including this AC SCHNITZER trim panel, gear knob and door locks! 

Devil is in the details! 

A BMW is not a BMW without its famous in-line 6 cylinder engine! 

An AFE intake from USA improves the engine breathing performance and makes it sound so much better too! 

A Strut brace has been installed and further improving the handling are after market sports springs and shocks.

Helping the engine breathe out more easily is the REMUS Back box. The sound emitted from this is just pure petrol head music! 

Stopping power comes from these drilled and grooved rotors (all round) with uprated brake pads! 

Another special feature is the colour! The only E36 in Sri Lanka with this shade from factory.

It is known as Techno Violet. Its a purple that tends to look a different shade every time the lights hits the different contours on the body of the car. Nice! 

Also completing the mod list are the angel eyes, which have been mounted in a very unique fashion too! They are actually mounted within the inner glass itself. Makes it look more subtle than mounting the other way we are normally used to. Future plans include a better free flowing exhaust system and a LSD. 

That's Indula by the way. Studying to be an Automotive Engineer he manages to carry out most of the little mods on the car! 

And I shall leave you with this one! Hope you enjoyed this post, and make sure you take a second look if you see this car roaming the streets of Colombo! 

A Big Thank you to Indula for taking time off his busy schedule to let me shoot his car! 

By Charith Kulasiri