Carbon Bling

There is a youthful one-upmanship burbling behind the scenes in the premium sedan segment.

At manufacturer level, Audi, BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo are always trying to outdo one another while at street level the competitiveness is focused on rims, specs and boot-lid decals. "Gosh the neighbour's have a 325i. Then we SHALL get a 335i."

And so it continues. It's another of the unspoken truths that if you'd like to shout out your BMW connoisseurship to your peers in the most politically correct manner, then dial-in on any BMW dealer out there.

Purely for visual enhancement BMW has a wide variety of carbon-fibre trim that's available to owners of both 3 Series and the stocky 1 Series coupé. To improve the aesthetics of your stock 3 Series, you can add front splitters covered in carbon fibre.

The same treatment can be extended to mirror caps, on the rear boot spoiler, as a rear diffuser and if you'd imagine beyond the exterior, the interior can also get an application in the form of inserts for the dash, central overhang and probably also for the door handles.

In fact I found a 320i derivative adorned with the full carbon treatment parked at JSN Motors out in Bryanston, rightfully the place you want to be if your taste is more hard-core.

For JSN Motors is the official importer of Schnitzer body kits and tuning in the country.

These light modifications will make your 3 Series stand out from the pack while the option to spec alloys of your choice is there via the brand's extensive options brochure. It's an honest job comparatively and really appeals if you want to maintain a professionally suited-up-but-excitable character. More will give hints of snake tattoos on your forearms.

This programme of carbon inserts will not affect the usual costs of ownership normally associated with running a 320i and the only likely extra costs to you will be in finding the appropriate threads to complete your new-found über-ness.

Pricing depends on the intensity of your yearning and the depth of your pockets but the full package will set you back R44100 including vat.

Ahem ... this figure excludes labour which, in fairness, is dictated by what you order.