"These build journal entries are part of a Special Series covering BMW M's most popular wing designs.

Written in collaboration with Silvano at CarbonProduction GmbH, I take you into the historical development of these wings all the way to my unboxing impressions of the GTS, GT4 and M235/240i Racing wings. 

In this journal entry, I discuss why I initially skipped on the MK2 GT4, and why I'm revisiting this: a discontinued carbon trunk."
- Matt

My initial choke-job. 

As with most products I curate, it's important for me to see them first-hand. 

In the Spring of 2021, I got my hands on Silvano’s MK2 GT4 wing. It was the first product I ever received from CarbonProduction GmbH. 

The boxed GT4 Mk2 wing. 

 

I still managed to test fit to my E92 M3. Back then, I was rocking the M Performance spoiler. 

 

Not his fault!

My Stripper build wasn't yet to the point where I felt it could sport a wing. 

Sure it's always been Fire Orange, but it was still running on stock ZCP wheels, suspension and brakes. 

I was jumping the gun. 

Before EuroConnex was a thing. Circa Spring 2020. 

I wanted a new trunk. 

Candidly, I was reluctant to drill into my OEM Fire Orange trunk. 

I thus got to work on importing CSL trunks from Germany in hoping of fitting the wing to it. 

Unfortunately it never materialized.  

Logistics being what they were during covid, it made importation too expensive.

I sold the wing to @joshquan who fitted it to his tuned E92 M3. 

Inspiration from a friend. 

Josh happens to have friends with taste. He sent me pictures of his friend’s E92 M3 painted in Santorini Blue. 

Woa. 

What caught my eye most was the CSL trunk and GT4 wing with GTS mounts. 

This is perfection. 

Why that trunk?

In the Summer of 2022, I finally got my hands on a used Vorsteiner CSL trunk for my E92 from a EuroConnex member. 

Thanks Ben!

Fitment & Aesthetics.

Back in the early 2000s, quality pre-preg & autoclave was somewhat a rare sight in the aftermarket automotive world.

Vorsteiner is a US company that designed products in the US and had pre-preg carbon products manufactured in Taiwan. Their initial E46 M3 products had iffy fitment, but they noticeably improved with the E9x M3 generation. 

I had the trunk fitted and color matched by Exclusiv in the Fall of 2022. 

They were most known for their signature aesthetics. These guys knew BMW M design, and visibly have an eye for it. Today, they run Guntherworks and recreate Porsche 993s in complete carbon. 

These trunks are unfortunately discontinued, but I am working on something.

Notes on period correct aesthetics.

This E36, E46, E60 and E92 M cars have some design lineage.  

The E9x M3 will go down as a classic design even though it had its body lines softened over the late 90s styled E46. 

In the Summer of 2022, I opted for Touring aesthetics on the E92. 

Gone was the wing, and in were Hypersilver M359 19x10 & 19x11 wheels. 

The Touring emphasized my design critiques of the rear trunk. It's a style that I would have kept if wasn't for my plans to go towards a Clubsport build for the E92 M3

[...] and the E60 M5.

For all the panties in a bunch over the Bangle design, the E60 blends modern and classic aesthetics exceptionally well.

The 4 door chassis and M5 philosophy lends itself to a wingless Touring style. That trunk spoiler is getting deleted!

That's lineage, somehow. Look at that wing!

Comparatively, I found the E46 & E92's rear end to be lacklustre. 

The E92 has a better looking lower section to its rear bumper than the E46 M3, and is more aggressive than the E60 M5, yet the M3s' rear trunk remained a similar flat design.

The coupes deserve a more distinctive style. 

Fortunately for us, BMW M laid out the blueprint with the CSL. 

In the Spring of 2022, I received the Karbonius E46 M3 CSL carbon trunk. I test fitted it the following Summer. 

I fell in love with the body lines. 

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

I've always been adamant for period correct aesthetics: the E9x M3 signature LED-less headlight design, its yellow angel eyes, the clean Euro style front bumper, etc 

[...] but this is where I make an exception. 

Up next, it’s time to revisit this.

I cover my unboxing impressions of my final wing selection for my build.

The GTS style carbon wing by Silvano.

The next entry will cover the design differences with the original wing. 
- Matt