My World, My Rules: BMW E38 VIP (canibeat.com)

We all had a starting point; a reason for getting into the scene.

For many, it started at a young age with a passion for cars having been passed down from a father or grandpa who tinkered around in the garage or took them to car shows.

A larger percentage found their roots through friends who had “sick” cars when they were in high school or college (depending on your age, it could’ve been the body-kit/underglow inspiring “Fast and Furious” Era) and wanted to turn their vehicle into an extension of themselves and their style, not just something to get you from A to B.

For as many of us who have wandered from the first scene we became a part of (Euro, JDM, Domestic, etc), there are just as many who have stuck with the same make for years. Matt Waln is one of those who stayed true to his roots: BMW.

The car you see before you as the subject of our feature is actually his fourth Bavarian creation, so he knows them like the back of his hand.

A year and a half ago, Matt had his E36 M3 torn down in his garage (a car he still has) and decided he wanted a daily driver. Not just any daily, either. He wanted to do the car up VIP style so naturally, he started looking at companies such as Lexus and Infiniti, traditionally known for their VIP potential. After searching for a while, he decided to stick with something a lot more familiar and began his search for big body BMW. He had always been a fan of the simple and elegant body of the E38 7-series, knew how to work on them, and since the price was in his budget, he started searching locally and purchased this beauty in October of 2010.

Like so many of us in the car scene, he had an idea of how he wanted to modify the car to his own personal liking before he even signed the title. Matt knew he wanted to keep it simple and reliable since it was a daily driver but still wanted to make his mark and turn some heads. The car he bought ironically had the wheels (19×9 Type 95’s) he was planning on rolling so the next step was clear: lower it. Just a week after parking it in his driveway for the first time, he had a set of FK Highstreet Coilovers delivered to his front door from Germany, smaller tires (215/35’s) and wheel spacers for both front and rear to achieve the stance he was looking for. Needless to say, Matt was quite pleased with the results after adjusting his coils “all the way down”. Next came some tasteful, aesthetic touches in the form of ‘01 tail lights, M-Sport side skirts, full polish on the wheel faces, and Alpina style lip painted to match the car.

Fast-forward to September 2011 and the week before H2O International in Ocean City, Maryland. Like many of us, Matt was cruising the intrawebz late one night and saw a set of wheels that caught his eye: OZ Futuras in 19×9.5 and 19×10. He got in contact with the owner of the wheels IMMEDIATELY to make sure he could get them by the time he left for H2O on Friday. He received them on Wednesday with no idea of how they would fit except for some hasty calculations done in his head before pushing the “Buy It Now” button.

Much to his relief, they fit perfectly; tucked snugly within a couple millimeters of the fenders. Friday morning, he made the trek to Ocean City to show off his creation (and if you didn’t see it in person rolling around the strip or at the Convention Center, you’re missing out).