Is a Supercharged Dinan S3-R BMW M3 the Best Sporty Car From 2004?

By Joe Kucinski - July 28, 2022

Is a Corvette or 911 circa 2004 a little too boring and predicable for you? A supercharged Dinan S3-R BMW M3 could be for you.

It is 2004 and you are feeling pretty good. You are headed home from seeing Shrek 2, you have some Usher blaring from the radio, and you just got a sizable bonus at work. You have decided that you want to spend that bonus on a sweet new ride. Something sporty for sure. But the Corvette and the 911 are a little too common for you. The BMW M3 has been the sport coupe/sedan gold standard for many years. Maybe that is what you want. But the M3 is not exactly rare either. Unless of course you are talking about the supercharged Dinan S3-R BMW M3. That is not only rare but has the power to embarrass the Corvette and 911.

A video was posted recently on TheSmokingTire YouTube channel. In this video Zack Klapman has a supercharged Dinan S3-R BMW M3 at his disposal. He drives it through the mountains and gives us the rundown on what makes the car so special. And what makes it special goes beyond just the 460 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque. Every major component of this car has been upgraded. The engine of course, but also the brakes, exhaust, and suspension. It is no doubt an impressive ride, but it is also an expensive package. Is the supercharged Dinan S3-R BMW M3 the best choice when it comes to sporty cars from 2004?

Supercharged Dinan S3-R BMW M3

We already talked about the power this car has. It is connected to the SMG automatic gearbox in this particular example. As mentioned, the suspension exhaust, and brakes have all been upgraded. The car turns in much sharper than stock. It stops better, and it accelerates harder. Yet this car has been driven over 60,000 miles so it has been reliable considering it is pushing about 50 percent more power than stock. It is an impressive package. But an expensive one. The S3-R kit cost about $40,000. The engine work alone was about $20,000. Back in 2004 if you bought the car new and added the full kit you were spending about $90,000 all in. That is about $141,000 in 2022 money. That is a lot of cash for an M3, even one as modified as this one is.

Other Options

If you are looking at cars from 2004, we already mentioned the Corvette and 911. A 2004 Corvette Z06 with 405 horsepower you could buy for less than $60,000. A bargain compared to the Dinan. On the Porsche side a 911 GT3 would sticker in the high $90K range. And as great as the modified BMW is, it would be a tough battle to go up against a GT3. The point is the supercharged Dinan S3-R BMW M3 has to be really exceptional to compete at that price point. But the BMW does have a sleeper aspect to it as no one would expect it to be as quick as it is.

Modified Right

No matter if you would ultimately choose the BMW over other cars you have to respect the build. The supercharged Dinan S3-R BMW M3 is a great car because every aspect of the car was addressed and upgraded accordingly. It was not a case of just bolting on a ton more power and not upgrading the brakes. This is a well thought out car that took a holistic approach towards upgrades. If you are looking to modify your car, we suggest the same type of approach to get the most out of it.