Sylvain's BMW E36/5
Photography & Words By Wynn
1997 BMW 318ti
When it comes to the BMW brand, many are familiar with the iconic 3 Series. Whether you're an enthusiast or not, you'll know one when you see one. Although...this may be the one exception to the rule. Although in Europe the Hatch is a much more common sight, here in North America it's a rarity amongst our roads. Which is what makes this beauty so special. Sylvain is no stranger to the E36 chassis, having previously owned a sedan, coupe and still in possession of a convertible "..I just need to import a wagon and I've had the whole series.." he jokingly states. "My girlfriend was originally the one that bought it.." he states, although the car slowly became his project over the months. With the experience and a few parts from his previous ventures with E36's, this project quickly got started. Sourcing a fresh interior from a coupe, he then proceeded to acquire a set of M Roadstar wheels. In addition to coilovers, that have this Hatch laying low. The staggered M wheels add a good amount to aggression to this Hatch's stance.
Sylvain recently picked up one more of the wider rear Roadstar wheels which he proudly displays in the back of the Hatch. He is currently looking for another one to run the 17x9's all around. Another plans have this Hatch getting some bodywork done and maybe even a full respray. Sylvain is also flirting with the idea of swapping out the M44 for a M52 he has laying around. Even though I wasn't a huge fan of the Hatch, I have to admit this car left me feeling some sorta way. Sylvain has done such a good job by keeping it simple and OEM with a very nice stance. As I stated before these cars don't come along too often and to have gotten a chance to see this beauty in person; scraping up and down the entrances of the shoot locations and daily driven like that. I have been influenced to lower my own E36 quite a lot more. Therefore thank you Sir for the inspiration and well done on this little ti.
