Do you have a favorite double-take car? That's a car you see, and then it registers that what you saw was more than initially met the eye. That car for many at Legends of the Autobahn was Eric Choi's E46 M3 Touring. We have seen E46s galore; we have seen E46 M3s. we have even seen E46 Tourings. But all wrapped up into one? And it was so well executed that attendees were overheard asking why it was in the Tuner class. Orange County, California, resident Choi first attended Legends as a spectator in 2018, driving his stock E46 M3. For 2022, he rolled onto the lawn under the morning mist in his E46 M3 Touring, causing the volunteers directing cars to do a double-take. He's always been an E46 fan, so it's no surprise that this creation takes the E46 platform to a level even BMW only teased with this generation. "The E46 is my favorite generation of the M3, and the E46 M3 was my first M car." Choi explains. "I didn't have a chance to drive the E46 M3 when they were brand new, but I think with this M3 Touring, I created a vehicle that BMW would be proud of if they had moved the E46 M3 Touring Concept into production." Choi has been a wagon fan for years, too, he says. "Seeing the Audi RS6 on the road triggers my love of wagons-and wishing that BMW actually had produced an E46 M3 Wagon. So I had to build the dream M3 myself. The main goal for this build was to create something unique while still being OEM-plus, turning the concept into reality and providing more positive encouragement to BMW that the market here deserves performance wagons." Entering the car in the Tuner Class, then, seems to have been a perfect choice. The Tuner Class is intended for owners to show their enthusiasm for the marque through customization and personalization. It acknowledges an owner's creativity, execution, and fabrication quality. The class rewards cars that have been built with the owner's personal touch, not just purchased completely. Choi might have enlisted the support of some excellent performance companies to help realize his vision, but this E46 M3 Touring definitely checks those Tuner Class boxes, so much so that he claimed the second-place award in the class. He started with two 2001 E46 cars: one 325i and one M3. Choi takes credit for the vision but knew how to create the best example possible: by being a great director. "I can change things like the steering wheel, interior trim, and seats, and can perform an oil change, but I did not do the handiwork on the wagon myself," he says. "2M Autowerks in Vista did the wide body and powertrain transfer. DTM Autobody in El Monte did the full-body color change. I like to say the wagon is M3-converted as much as possible because we brought in everything from the donor M3. This included the front and rear subframe, all the arms, the ECU, engine, and transmission-we even swapped the spare tire floor with the M3 to fit the OEM M3 exhaust. As with many modified tuner cars, steps were taken to update the car for better or more modern conditions. "The build also includes some necessary updates for it to drive better, like having a Bilstein PSS10 coil. overs and adding front and rear brakes from a Porsche 996 with CSL rotors, an OEM BMW short-shift kit, and more," says Choi A peek inside at the steering wheel gives a hint of what Choi does for work. "| am the founder and owner of Carbontastic," he says."We are a brand focused on building custom carbon-fiber steering wheels for any vehicle.” Choi's highlights from CarWeek and Legends certainly included claiming an award during Legends of the Autobahn, but like so many others there, he enjoyed more than that. "I am lucky and honored to take second place home in the Tuner Class, especially with all the beautifully modified BMWs there," he says. "I drove up to Car Week with the Fuel Run, and that was amazing. There were a lot of supercars on the drive, and many owners approached and asked where I had imported the car from. They were surprised and impressed that it was built here, and never offered even in Europe. "Legends was exciting, as usual. You get to see the coolest, rarest German machines and meet the most enthusiastic group of people sharing stories and experiences about their vehicles. It was amazing to see vehicles I didn't know even existed, like Robert Tran's BMW E36 Alpina B8 wagon with a V8 engine. He imported it, and everything is period-correct and original, with book documentation. He won first place in the Clean Class and was very deserving. ———Kyle van Hoften