2000 BMW 323i

They say that a car can become an extension of its owner. That's certainly true for Navin Kumar and his twin-screw supercharged 2000 BMW 323i, but on a deeper, more personal level.

Navin was born with a congenital heart condition and has undergone five life-threatening open-heart surgeries throughout his 34 years. His last surgery was a scary time for Nav and his family. He was engaged at the time but doctors told him there was a chance he might not survive the surgery. With lots of prayer, Navin survived the procedure, married Kamini and has lived to see the birth of his daughter, Kareena.

During the heart surgery, mechanical components were implanted inside Navin's heart to keep it working. Those components were made of carbon-fiber.

During the months of recovery, Nav realized his car truly was an extension of himself. Back in 2000, he'd purchased a new BMW 323i with the intent of keeping the car for life for use as a daily driver. Always thinking ahead, the single man chose an auto transmission in case his future wife was unable to use a manual but needed to drive the car in the event of an emergency. However, Kamini knew how to drive stick so the precaution backfired on him.

Just as the car began life as a slow automatic that would be enhanced with technology (a twin-screw supercharger) to make it faster, so had Navin began life with a defective heart that made him physically slower. But the carbon-fiber heart components had made him both stronger and faster.

Inevitably, as Nav began to appreciate the important part carbon-fiber played in his life, the same material started appearing on his car. His first carbon mods included AC Schnitzer interior trim, pillars covers and license plate frames. Later, he added a carbon Schnitzer shift knob and airbag steering wheel.

He'd been introduced to the world of modding when he stumbled upon several websites. Chrome window trim, painting the exterior moldings silver and an Eisenmann quad exhaust followed those first mods.

In a constant state of upgrade over the past seven years, Nav's work paid off when he was invited to join the Eurowerkz show car team at the end of '06. Through the team, he got his first taste of the show car scene and he was able to establish good relationships with the team's sponsors.

He has since added to his carbon-fiber collection with such things as a Vorsteiner-edition Brembo big brake kit that includes six-piston silver front calipers and 14" rotors. He also has Vorsteiner's double-sided carbon hood with closed vents, plus carbon badges, Schnitzer front splitters on the OEM M-Tech front bumper, a Schnitzer trunk spoiler and some carbon kidney grilles.

Under the hood, the carbon infatuation continued with an ESS engine cover and fuel rail cover, oil cap cover, Quatro strut brace and, of course, a Gruppe M intake.

The interior wasn't forgotten either with carbon door sills, seat backs, e-brake handle, pedals and instrument cluster trim, while the boots for the shifter and e-brake were made from carbon-effect vinyl. "Even Kareena's child-seat has a simulated carbon pattern to match the overall theme!" he laughed.

For many years, the 323i lacked sufficient punch to get itself noticed until the ESS twin-screw supercharger came along recently. As you may know, ESS is a Norwegian company that's been supplying blower systems to the US since the mid '90s. In '05, it opened a center in San Diego, CA to fulfill US orders and continues to develop BMW systems.

Its TS1 system for the E46 323i uses a Lysholm twin-screw supercharger because it creates more boost at lower rpm to improve bottom and mid-range torque. The system also utilizes a throttle body-type butterfly air bypass valve to reduce parasitic drag. In fact, the blower consumes less than 2hp when cruising off-boost, so it helps with fuel economy.