"In this Special Series, I document my experiences with a Vorsteiner trunk, and why it prompted the development of a new E92 CSL Carbon Trunk made in Germany.

In this entry, I chat period "correctness", unbox the used Vorsteiner trunk and Exclusiv gets to work on paint & body."
- Matt

The original wing dilemma. 

I have been toying with the idea fitting a wing to my E92 for years. I covered my procrastination in a Special Series on BMW M wings: where I sourced the GTS, GT4 Mk1, GT4 MK2 and the F8x M235i and 240i Racing wings. 

I ended up being inspired to create a new threshold for my procrastination: I needed a new trunk for the GTS wing. 

Lineage and period correctness. 

The E92 M3 will go down as a classic design with its uniquely softened body lines over its predecessors and successors yet I've always felt the Coupe deserved a more distinctive rear end. 

In the Summer of 2022, I rocked the Touring mode: I sold the M Performance trunk spoiler. I like the look, it was sleek. 

The E36, E46, E60, E92 and later F80 M cars all have some design lineage with clearly defined, generation specific styling. 

The E36 had the massive LTW wing, the E46 had the ducktail trunk, the E92 got an underwhelming GTS wing and the F8x M cars were back to the ducktail with a more aggressive styling.  

In the Spring of 2022, I received the Karbonius E46 M3 CSL carbon trunk. I fell in love with the ducktail aesthetics. 

A singular, discontinued aftermarket design. 

Unfortunately for us, BMW M didn't give us any period-correct blueprint for the E92's trunk. 

Pre-preg & autoclave was a rare sight in the aftermarket automotive world. BMW M had just started using it on the CSL, yet their CSL trunk was Plastic Sheet Molding. 

Back in the early 2000s, a company named Vorsteiner came to market with a re-imagination of the classic E46 looks made from pre-preg carbon fiber.

The products were designed in the US and were manufactured in Taiwan. They visibly had an eye for it. Today, they run Guntherworks and recreate Porsche 993s in complete carbon. The trunk is unfortunately discontinued. 

Many companies tried making fiberglass based, cheaper alternatives, but they could never get the design down right, nor the fitment. 

Sourcing a used classic. 

In the Winter of 2022, I sourced a used trunk from Ben, a fellow EuroConnex member that also works in the industry. 

The trunk had previously been painted Alpine White and had a carbon section that was left exposed. It was a common look when these came out. 

Paint & Body. 

The car went in for fitment and paint by the beginning of Fall. It had been delayed as I ended up daily driving the M3 V8 over the Summer because of delays in parts for the V10. 

The trunk was first primer'ed inside & out. 

Gone was the exposed carbon fiber edge of the ducktail. It's a bygone style. 

The primer'ed trunk shell was sanded down to level it out before final fitment & paint work.

The color match was nailed to perfection. The clear coat hasn't moved or shrunk into the carbon since: it has stayed flat with no visible orange peel. 

The ducktail is ever more impactful when fully painted. 

Up next: we review the final aesthetics, and zoom in to evaluate fitment.

It wasn't all that.