My E30 M3 ongoing (long) story!
Discussion
In early 2005 I bought an E30 M3Cab unseen off eBay and little did I realise at the time that l it would make a huge impact on my life and lifestyle! After a month or so my son who had a Subaru invited me down to Elvington for a track day so I took the M3 thinking it would struggle being underpowered and being a soft top, how wrong I was it was lapping faster than most cars including to his/my amazement my son in his Scoobydo.
So that set me off with the track day bug I did a few more in the car then decided to get an out and out M3 track car which I bought around August 2005 for £9500. It was stripped out had a rear bolt in cage, bucket seats, coilovers etc when I got it and I had the Warsteiner decals added.
I then sold the cab to a guy in Portugal who like me never saw the car he just had a transporter come to pick it up and I didn't lose any money which at the time was a bonus. Then I went to the Nurburgring several times and Spa where the car was fantastic everyone used to come up in the paddocks and compliment it and how it had performed on the track, they really are something else in the handling department even today compared to the newer so called manufacturers track car specials. The car had a couple of magazine write ups at this time.
Then one day at Oulton Park disaster struck!
Gutted I then sourced a new all singing/dancing engine from a guy on the E30 m£ S14 forum called Adrian who was building an all singing dancing track car but I think had ran into some difficulties so I bought his new engine diff and exhaust off him that wasn't cheap. The engine was a 2.5 block not a bored out 2.3 the head was converted to group A spec with shim under buckets by Mufang Motorsport 302 and 308 cams rods by Arrow etc. It could rev to near 9k but I only used 8k and it was rolling road tested at 315BHP.
I took it to the Ring and it was a revelation the car was like chalk and cheese it now had the power to keep up with the Porsches etc and it sounded incredible and just revved off the scale the power just didn't drop off. I had it mapped by Wayne Schofield in the Uk and then on the road itself by Marcus in Germany whilst I was at the Ring. The engine had been worth every penny, I was made up with the car so after getting back from the Ring and being the end of the season I took the decision to take the car back to a shell. I had the sunroof taken out and a new roof skin put in, the car was seem welded on a spit and pleasingly the only spot of rust on the whole car was a small patch under the screen.
I then had the car painted white with the BMW motorsport stripes painted on and the cage in red. I bought fibreglass front and rear bumpers that weigh nothing compared to the originals and I bought a full carbon dash carbon door cards and carbon rear shelf.
The wiring loom was lightened by taking out what was not needed I had a fuel cell made to fit in the spare wheel well I bought a set of Stack digital instruments a quick shift gear linkage from the States some new expensive polished BBS alloys and some Porsche leather bucket seats expensive rear carbon spoiler from the states . So now this is where the story takes another twist as this was all done around 2006 and the guy who was rebuilding the car who was a pal of mine downed tools after a fallout over something else and I have had the car stored ever since. This is where it is now up to with all the running gear back in but the wiring, brakes, trim, Stack instruments etc are still to be done, these pics were taken last week...
As of this week I have sent the car to a place in Weston Super Mare that builds touring/race cars for them to get it back on the road and finished. And yes if I had known 10 years ago that the E30 M3 would take off value wise I might have kept it as it was so it could have been taken back to a standard car but I wasn't to know that but I can rest assured I have a car that has a fantastic engine and like new shell unlike most for sale out there be it road or track cars and as you can see I have spent a small fortune on the car! I am not decided in what to do with it once its finished I might keep it and start doing track days again as the car is registered but I am in two minds whether to sell it once it is ready, but trying to price it in todays market will not be easy. Once I have the car back on the road I am sure I will be on here and S14 asking for advice....
So that set me off with the track day bug I did a few more in the car then decided to get an out and out M3 track car which I bought around August 2005 for £9500. It was stripped out had a rear bolt in cage, bucket seats, coilovers etc when I got it and I had the Warsteiner decals added.
I then sold the cab to a guy in Portugal who like me never saw the car he just had a transporter come to pick it up and I didn't lose any money which at the time was a bonus. Then I went to the Nurburgring several times and Spa where the car was fantastic everyone used to come up in the paddocks and compliment it and how it had performed on the track, they really are something else in the handling department even today compared to the newer so called manufacturers track car specials. The car had a couple of magazine write ups at this time.
Then one day at Oulton Park disaster struck!
Gutted I then sourced a new all singing/dancing engine from a guy on the E30 m£ S14 forum called Adrian who was building an all singing dancing track car but I think had ran into some difficulties so I bought his new engine diff and exhaust off him that wasn't cheap. The engine was a 2.5 block not a bored out 2.3 the head was converted to group A spec with shim under buckets by Mufang Motorsport 302 and 308 cams rods by Arrow etc. It could rev to near 9k but I only used 8k and it was rolling road tested at 315BHP.
I took it to the Ring and it was a revelation the car was like chalk and cheese it now had the power to keep up with the Porsches etc and it sounded incredible and just revved off the scale the power just didn't drop off. I had it mapped by Wayne Schofield in the Uk and then on the road itself by Marcus in Germany whilst I was at the Ring. The engine had been worth every penny, I was made up with the car so after getting back from the Ring and being the end of the season I took the decision to take the car back to a shell. I had the sunroof taken out and a new roof skin put in, the car was seem welded on a spit and pleasingly the only spot of rust on the whole car was a small patch under the screen.
I then had the car painted white with the BMW motorsport stripes painted on and the cage in red. I bought fibreglass front and rear bumpers that weigh nothing compared to the originals and I bought a full carbon dash carbon door cards and carbon rear shelf.
The wiring loom was lightened by taking out what was not needed I had a fuel cell made to fit in the spare wheel well I bought a set of Stack digital instruments a quick shift gear linkage from the States some new expensive polished BBS alloys and some Porsche leather bucket seats expensive rear carbon spoiler from the states . So now this is where the story takes another twist as this was all done around 2006 and the guy who was rebuilding the car who was a pal of mine downed tools after a fallout over something else and I have had the car stored ever since. This is where it is now up to with all the running gear back in but the wiring, brakes, trim, Stack instruments etc are still to be done, these pics were taken last week...
As of this week I have sent the car to a place in Weston Super Mare that builds touring/race cars for them to get it back on the road and finished. And yes if I had known 10 years ago that the E30 M3 would take off value wise I might have kept it as it was so it could have been taken back to a standard car but I wasn't to know that but I can rest assured I have a car that has a fantastic engine and like new shell unlike most for sale out there be it road or track cars and as you can see I have spent a small fortune on the car! I am not decided in what to do with it once its finished I might keep it and start doing track days again as the car is registered but I am in two minds whether to sell it once it is ready, but trying to price it in todays market will not be easy. Once I have the car back on the road I am sure I will be on here and S14 asking for advice....
Edited by Kevin-sz0nv on Monday 25th April 12:30
You've done exactly what I would love to do to my own M3. Especially the 2.5 engine! Can you email me and give me an idea of the asking price, as I could potentially sell my own car, which could easily be returned to OE spec should someone wish.
Alternatively, you could just keep it as it's a lovely thing and I can't see the value decreasing anytime soon.
Alternatively, you could just keep it as it's a lovely thing and I can't see the value decreasing anytime soon.
Can you drop me an email please? I would have mailed you but PH won't allow. I was offered the same amount, for my own car, so have emailed them to see if said offer still stands. If so, would be happy to deal.
Just saw that Sim16v expressed an interest ahead of me, so happy to wait my turn.
Just saw that Sim16v expressed an interest ahead of me, so happy to wait my turn.
Edited by e21Mark on Saturday 21st May 09:36
Edited by e21Mark on Saturday 21st May 10:00
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