first off, really respect you for making a life changing choice in terms of career, hope you are happy enjoy life more now. btw, were you in oil & gas before this?

secondly, i think it would be wise to stick to the NA route for reliability sake.
150hp should be attainable. the R3 mods are at a premium price perhaps you can source parts from other brands. as far as i know, there is a shop called dori-dori autoworks in shah alam that is pretty famous for campro mods.
or, you can try searching for a forum member named maddrive on lowyat. he owns a workshop and would be able to advise you in detail on what mods are needed, and also quote a figure for your consideration.

and finally, yes the r3 rims are really good looking. based on the r3 website, they claim it is lightweight.