THE M3BARU IS WHAT BMW'S AWD RALLY COMPETITOR COULD HAVE BEEN...

All-wheel drive cars rock, I mean they have power going to every corner of the car, and that can never be a bad thing! There’s a plethora of all-wheel drive vehicles out there that the rally fan can choose from to mess around with. The usual suspects are the ones seen shooting out long and high rooster tails of dust and snow from the likes of Mitsubishi’s Evo, Audi’s Quattro or Nissan’s GT-R, but the one that always springs to mind first when the subject changes to rally cars is Subaru. It’s guaranteed, you can actually use it to show off to people at get-togethers to make people think you’re slightly psychic. But what if you're keen on a project like this and you're not a fan of any of the above?

There's something really cool about creating something for off-road driving, at mad speed, that makes the SXdrv crew want to follow suit. The crew from Capturing the Machine had their own ideas about what would make the best version of an all-wheel drive rally-inspired toy and they went the way of Bavaria's best. The base for the project is 2001 BMW 325xi Touring, which is, as you can see is the wagon version of the E46. The main reason for this choice is that little 'x' in the nomenclature - it denotes an all-wheel drive model and as we all know that is what makes a car fast on the stuff where traction is an issue - power to all four wheels is a must. But anyone can rip an estate / wagon with all-wheel power around on the dust and have some serious fun, but fast and fun beats plain fun.

It is with that in mind that the build required fitment of a the revered S54. To those who don't talk cars 24/7, when someone mentions the S54 just know they like power and an amazing soundtrack, because it's the famed 3.2-litre lump sourced from an E46 M3. From the exterior you can tell something is different with the Orient Blue wagon. Visuals include fitment of 17-inch BMW Style 12 steel wheels for that raw look, there's Euro-spec tail lights and front indicators, an E46 M3 front bumper with requisite splitter, a set of HARD Motorsport E46 M3 fender flares to accommodate the aftermarket wheel choice, a custom bash plate, deleted roof rails, Rally Armor urethane mud flaps and also Hella 500 fog lights.