Serial SEMA Builder Creates Unrivaled Pandem BMW Wagon and Coupe Duo
The very first Pandem E31 and the M3-powered E36 wagon that BMW wouldn't build.
Ever wonder what happens to those dazzling display cars that pepper the miles of carpet at the annual SEMA show once the event ends and everyone heads back home? If social media is any sort of indicator, the general consensus is that they're either sold outright or stripped down and parted out. For Marvin Fonacier, debuting a build under the hot lights of Las Vegas is just the beginning.
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E31 Coupe Dreamin'
Having put together a handful of builds that have appeared in the Toyo Treadpass section of the big show, Marvin is a SEMA veteran at this point and he's got a thing for BMWs. You might recall seeing his widebody E24 back in 2019, but in the back of his head, it was the E31 chassis always on his radar. "I just couldn't find a clean one that was in good running condition," he says. "But, around the height of Covid, the used car market was hot and I was actively looking for one."
A few months into an extensive search finally revealed this 1995 850Ci in black located on the east coast. "It used to be a California car and the owner retained the California plates and registration, so I didn't have to deal with the whole title transfer debacle," Marvin recalls. "Like any used car, there were some minor imperfections due to it being older but for the most part it was straight and ran, which mattered most to me!"
Sleek Coupe Bulks Up
Wasting no time, he reached out to Pandem of Japan to order their recently revealed widebody aero kit for the coupe and they informed him that his would be the very first complete E31 conversion. He adds, "I was nervous but also grateful to Kei Miura for the opportunity. I called it 'project one of none' and decided to debut the build at SEMA 2021 with Toyo again." Having just received the car during summer of that year, the project turned into a quick, 90-day build.
Pandem's familiar flared arches are bolted to the svelte coupe's body and extend its corners considerably. Additionally, its front air dam and stepped side skirts help bring the body much closer to the ground. Instead of an oversized rear wing, Miura chose a more subtle approach to the rear decklid with a stout, upturned spoiler that further emphasizes the car's newfound width, rather than pulling attention away from it.
This E31 Has The Meats
M3-style mirrors were added before the coupe moved away from its original black look and moved on to its current Midnight Metallic Blue, borrowed from Volkswagen. Bronze wheels offset the color and being that there's so much more space under the Japanese tuner's arches, wheel size was stepped up with BC Forged MLE10 in 19x11 up front with 12-inch-wide rears that carry 325/30 R888R rubber. The body-to-tire gap can now be closed completely at the flip of a switch thanks to a Grinds air suspension set up.
With no intentions of building a faux racecar, Marvin kept the seats original BMW but gave them fresh leather skins in bright red with Alcantara backs, that same red used on the door cards, elbow rest, and rear seats. A flat-bottom steering wheel with Alcantara and red stitching is a modern touch, but if you poke around a bit, you'll find a very '90s BMW car phone between the front seats. Engine-wise, the V12 remains untouched internally, but received a boost in power with SuperSprint headers and exhaust, and a Wokke chip upgrade.
A few years after its showing in Vegas and Marvin still owns his one-off, pillar-less coupe, adding, "I've been enjoying it. I get more thumbs up from this car than any of my other cars or past builds. This is version 3.0 already since its debut and I plan to keep it for my kids, grandkids, and beyond."
Now Touring
Marvin always admired the E36 Touring wagon but being that it was never sold in the U.S., he wasn't on the hunt for one. His friend, however, spotted one up for grabs on Bring A Trailer in 2022 and immediately tagged Marvin who realized that having eclipsed the 25-year rule, the German import was eligible to register stateside.
On a whim, he tossed out a bid on the auction site and before he knew it, he was notified that he'd won. By the end of 2022, the car was delivered and became his daily driver for the next three months, before a slew of ideas began flooding his imagination. "Internet images and Photoshop are tempting sometimes—you tend to visualize many ideas and develop something special," he adds. "I decided to pull the trigger and showcase it at SEMA 2023 and the concept was to create the M3 wagon that BMW never made."
HarnessingPower
The M3 sentiment called for proper M-power which was satisfied with an S54 engine swap and Getrag 420g manual transmission. The rebuilt long block was given a few aftermarket additions, including a SuperSprint header and exhaust combo like his 850, and also included a Turner CSL airbox and intake in shining carbon fiber, matched to a carbon engine cover.
Fueling is handled by Radium Engineering components and the finished product is a turnkey upgrade that looks right at home under the wagon's hood. Being a European market car, the swap did require reworking some of its lines. With help from his friend Gio of Tier1 Euro, the process was completed, and everything works as it should, including the air conditioning system.
Making It All Work
You haven't seen a Pandem-equipped E36 Touring before because the kit simply doesn't exist. That fact wasn't going to stop Marvin who leaned on his friend and builder, Smoke Dogg Customs to adapt what was intended for a two-door coupe, to fit the four-door wagon's body. There was quite a bit of massaging and body work that went into meshing the two before a fresh coat of Avus Blue was applied.
Custom three-piece Hartge wheels were sized specifically for the application and measure 18x9 in the front and 19x10 in the rear. Prazis air suspension was installed, and Smoke Dogg Customs provided custom anti-roll bars and the biggest change to the interior in an eight-point roll cage coated in the same fluorescent finish applied to the Brembo calipers.
Last Minute Stitches
Beyond the cage, Marvin set out to install a pair of Recaro seats but also wanted to keep the rare Boa Boa fabric. "I had a long story of chasing this fabric and it was nowhere to be found," he recalls. "Two weeks before SEMA, I decided to just cut up my OEM seats and transfer the material to my SR3 seats and door cards to match the rears. This was hard to take but the results were well worth it!"
An Mtechnic2 Alcantara steering wheel was installed along with a Z3M S54 gauge cluster so that the engine swap would display info correctly. An RTD short shifter is surrounded by a custom aluminum cover plate and various factory M3 pieces are used to round out the interior.
A few months removed from the 2023 SEMA show, the once daily driver turned show piece is still being enjoyed on the street and, most notably, in Marvin's local canyons. He adds, "The next plan for the car is to take it to the dyno for final tuning and then hopefully take it to the track to just have some fun with it." No for sale signs and no part out posts for these two SEMA stars.
1995 BMW 850Ci
OwnerMarvin Fonacier
Instagram @marv_gts
EngineV12 Throttle fuel pump; Febi fuel filter; SuperSprint headers, exhaust; high flow cats; Wokke chip set
DrivetrainM Tech shifter
SuspensionGrinds air suspension
BrakingBrembo GT cross-drilled 2-piece rotors, pads
Wheels & TiresBC Forged MLE10 19x11 front, 19x12 rear; Toyo Proxes R888R 275/35 front, 325/30 rear
ExteriorVW Midnight Metallic Blue; Pandem E31 widebody kit; M3 mirrors; Bosch headlights; BMW Motorsport handles, Exoshield windshield
Interiorcustom BMW Red OEM seats; BMW MTechnic2 alcantara-wrapped steering wheel; MSport pedals; MTech shift knob; custom trunk set up; complete audio system; OEM style BMW radio with Bluetooth; volt meter dimmer panel; USB quick charge port
1997 BMW E36 Touring
EngineS54 engine swap; Turner Motorsports CSL airbox, CSL intake; SuperSprint headers, exhaust; high-flow cats; CSF radiator; Radium Engineering fuel pump, filter, rail, pressure gauge, raeiator cap; Turner Motorsports CSL airbox, intake
Power400hp/280tq
Drivetrain420-G 6-speed transmission; RTD aluminum short shifter
SuspensionPrazis air suspension; Smokedogg Customs anti-roll bars, 8-point roll cag
BrakingBrembo GT cross-drilled 2-piece rotors, pads
Wheels & TiresHartge custom 3-piece wheels 18x9 front, 19x10 rear; Toyo Proxes R888R 225/40 front, 265/35 rear
ExteriorAvus Blue 276 paint; Pandem E36 M3 widebody kit custom fitted; M3 side mirrors; Bosch headlights; BMW Motosport door handles; BMW roof rack; AC Schnitzer rear roof spoiler; Exoshield
InteriorRecaro SR3 seats w/Boa Boa fabric; H3 Performance fire extinguisher; BMW Mtechnic2 custom Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel; MSport pedals; BMW Motorsports glove box trim; BMW M3 door sills; custom Alcantara headliner, arm rest, e-brake cover, Boa Boa and Alcantara door cards; dimple die shifter surround; Z3M S54 gauge cluster; custom BMW radio with Bluetooth, voltmeter dimmer panel, E36 gauge panel, USB quick charge port; complete audio system
Thank YouMy Family (Juvi, Minelli and Jaevin), Team GarageLife (Daniel, Allen, Jovi, Tommy, Josh, Patrick, Paulo, Dana, Jay, Jay2tatts, Ray, Chris, Leo, Jollie, Ho, Jollie, Ariel, JD, Jonathan, Ely, Teddyjon, Smokedogg, Vern), All my E31 Sponsors - Toyo Tires, Stan Chen, Pandem, Tuan H Pigment, ModBargains, BC Forged, Brembo, Race Technologies, LiquiMoly, Grinds Air, SSA Autohaus, SuperSprint, TireStickers, Motorsport Hardware, Blackvue, Ikon Auto Collision, Ceej Customs, Vaia Design, Leen Customs.
