BMW 323 E46 Track Car?
Discussion
I don't know anyone who's done the proper track route on a non M e46.
(tho getting more popular for vln)
36 wise there is much more knowledge on what works & doesn't & parts about, I've 2 e36 trackers now & have had another 4, so have fair experience of them.
The 46 may well take over the 36 as time goes on, I'm not sure on the weights tho a 36 is easy to get to 1200kg caged, bit more involved to get to get sub 1100.
(tho getting more popular for vln)
36 wise there is much more knowledge on what works & doesn't & parts about, I've 2 e36 trackers now & have had another 4, so have fair experience of them.
The 46 may well take over the 36 as time goes on, I'm not sure on the weights tho a 36 is easy to get to 1200kg caged, bit more involved to get to get sub 1100.
Would make a pretty good track day car, once stripped etc. You will have a few options for other bits to do too seeing as the market for E46 BMW's (and aftermarket / performance parts) is quite large, like suspension, brakes, exhaust, induction, cage, etc (whatever takes your fancy).
It is never going to be the fastest car on track, but would undoubtedly be a lot of fun... And 'building / preparing' a DIY track car project can be a lot of fun... as well as a lot of frustration, swearing, bruises and bleeding knuckles! (I have an MR2 which I took from standard road spec to track day spec over several years... and I am still working on it!!).
£1,300 is a good price to pay for a car that could give you some on-track fun... That particular example however, looks like it has got some tin rot, so just be careful to check over any potential purchase for that, along with the usual stuff (badly repaired crash damage, poor engine running, etc). Things like leaking dampers or worn brake discs may or may not be an issue, depending upon whether you are planning to replace them, but can still be used to negotiate the price down (the seller doesn't need to know you will be stripping it for track use!!).
It is never going to be the fastest car on track, but would undoubtedly be a lot of fun... And 'building / preparing' a DIY track car project can be a lot of fun... as well as a lot of frustration, swearing, bruises and bleeding knuckles! (I have an MR2 which I took from standard road spec to track day spec over several years... and I am still working on it!!).
£1,300 is a good price to pay for a car that could give you some on-track fun... That particular example however, looks like it has got some tin rot, so just be careful to check over any potential purchase for that, along with the usual stuff (badly repaired crash damage, poor engine running, etc). Things like leaking dampers or worn brake discs may or may not be an issue, depending upon whether you are planning to replace them, but can still be used to negotiate the price down (the seller doesn't need to know you will be stripping it for track use!!).
I did something similar with an E46 330ci - if you can go for the 3 litre I would do as it has quite a bit more punch (231bhp).
They are quite a heavy car to start with so remove as much as you can. Mine was primarily for drifting and ended up as it is in the pictures below. But other than the hydro and the welded diff everything else is track focused - suspension, seat, harnesses etc. The rear was also strengthened to stop any potential for sub frame cracking.
In the end I sold it and replaced it with an E36 328i (with an M3 rear end) - stripped, caged etc. In my opinion if you're not going for an M3 the E36 is a far better car to take on track - and upgrade parts are in greater abundance and cheaper!
Hope that helps.
They are quite a heavy car to start with so remove as much as you can. Mine was primarily for drifting and ended up as it is in the pictures below. But other than the hydro and the welded diff everything else is track focused - suspension, seat, harnesses etc. The rear was also strengthened to stop any potential for sub frame cracking.
In the end I sold it and replaced it with an E36 328i (with an M3 rear end) - stripped, caged etc. In my opinion if you're not going for an M3 the E36 is a far better car to take on track - and upgrade parts are in greater abundance and cheaper!
Hope that helps.
My experence:-
I stripped and tracked a hot hatch, it was fun doing it like you say but you do end up getting dragged into spending lots. The big difference items, decent seat, harness, tyres, brakes, suspension,etc. Then once that's all done a Fabia overtakes you on the straights!
So next purchase was a £10k E46 M3 that someone else had spent loads on. Ran that for a while, tinkered with it and sold it for the same money.
After doing loads of trackdays my fun comes from staying with or chasing down someone. If you get left on the straights it gets a bit boring. I think my problem is I do too many Goldtrack days where the average car is a GT3.
I stripped and tracked a hot hatch, it was fun doing it like you say but you do end up getting dragged into spending lots. The big difference items, decent seat, harness, tyres, brakes, suspension,etc. Then once that's all done a Fabia overtakes you on the straights!
So next purchase was a £10k E46 M3 that someone else had spent loads on. Ran that for a while, tinkered with it and sold it for the same money.
After doing loads of trackdays my fun comes from staying with or chasing down someone. If you get left on the straights it gets a bit boring. I think my problem is I do too many Goldtrack days where the average car is a GT3.
smiles1 said:
I did something similar with an E46 330ci - if you can go for the 3 litre I would do as it has quite a bit more punch (231bhp).
They are quite a heavy car to start with so remove as much as you can. Mine was primarily for drifting and ended up as it is in the pictures below. But other than the hydro and the welded diff everything else is track focused - suspension, seat, harnesses etc. The rear was also strengthened to stop any potential for sub frame cracking.
In the end I sold it and replaced it with an E36 328i (with an M3 rear end) - stripped, caged etc. In my opinion if you're not going for an M3 the E36 is a far better car to take on track - and upgrade parts are in greater abundance and cheaper!
Hope that helps.
What wheels are those?They are quite a heavy car to start with so remove as much as you can. Mine was primarily for drifting and ended up as it is in the pictures below. But other than the hydro and the welded diff everything else is track focused - suspension, seat, harnesses etc. The rear was also strengthened to stop any potential for sub frame cracking.
In the end I sold it and replaced it with an E36 328i (with an M3 rear end) - stripped, caged etc. In my opinion if you're not going for an M3 the E36 is a far better car to take on track - and upgrade parts are in greater abundance and cheaper!
Hope that helps.
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