I was wondering if it is possible to model a car with only the front, back and side reference images in 3DS Max?
Yes it is possible and this method is how I typically do my models if someone hands me a sketch and they want it rendered in 3D. If i recall, since it has been awhile, its referenced as creating a plane. A word of advise, just do half the car and then duplicate the model as seen below. I would separate the views and lock them accordingly similar to this pictures found from a Google Search:
A few searches on Youtube will generate many tutorials: