PH Visits The Le Mans Classic

RacingPete and Garlick head to France in a 1989 E30 M3

Thursday, 7.00 AM, London.

With memories of the Goodwood Festival of Speed fresh in our minds, PH colleague RacingPete and I prepared to leave home again last Thursday for another weekend of car-related fun. We were heading over to Le Mans for the Classic to see how the biennial event compares to the yearly 24 hour race. As 'Classic virgins' we had no idea what to expect, but friends had told us that it was well worth the trip - all the excuse we needed.

We had already asked the good people at BMW UK if we could borrow a classic car to really get into the spirit of the event, and to our amazement they first agreed to lend us a 1976 3.0 CSL. Rather selfishly, it decided to have a 'malfunction' a day or two before we were due to leave but a 1989 E30 M3 was offered as a more than capable replacement. As courtesy cars go, it wasn't bad at all.

Remember that awful Will Smith song?

The E30 is a legend to most of us here on PH, with the four-cylinder M3 being the champion of them all. Arriving to collect 'MIB', the compact exterior dimensions were immediately striking, despite the wide blistered arches.

Glancing over the spec (or lack of it) highlighted just how overweight, over-equipped and bloated modern performance cars have become. No air con, no radio, lightweight rear body panels (on this Ravaglia special edition), reduced sized fuel tank, dual rear spoiler, bespoke seat cloth and dog-leg gearbox ensure that you know this is a car with intent. Left hand drive makes it feel even more exotic, as BMW made so few it wasn't worth their while making a right hand drive version, another detail that seems lost today.

Waiting for the Dover- Calais ferry.

If we're honest, neither Pete nor I were impressed with the car after our first steers behind the wheel. 215bhp is not a lot these days, and I guess that we have been spoilt with the power offered by cars we drive on a regular basis. A modern family diesel hatch could keep pace with the E30 in terms of acceleration and cruising speed, the four cylinder engine is far from smooth and to get the most out of it you need to keep the revs high, and the gear changes frequent. However, the longer you spend with the car the more it makes sense. Work the gear box, exploit the handling, accelerate to the redline and revel in the braking capabilities to get the most from this M car.

Lack of air-con and 90 degree heat...

If you don't treat it like a fragile museum piece, but drive it hard, the M3 wakes up and responds. Forget using torque as it doesn't have any, tune your ears to ignore the harsh noise from the high-revving engine and wrestle the notchy gearshift to take it to 7,000 rpm. Only then will you realise why this car has such legendary status as all of a sudden it starts to make sense. Each shift brings more 'on-cam' power and the fantastic chassis means that traction is there in abundance. You learn to appreciate the heritage associated with the car, and judging by the amount of people who came to take a look at it on the Maison Blanch campsite, it is a car that is admired by many.

As for Le Mans itself? The Classic is a serene and rather gentlemanly event. You don't get the 'party' atmosphere of the 24, you don't get the traffic around the circuit, there are no fun fairs and the campsites are quiet by midnight with no blasting music or fireworks. Everyone is there for the cars, and as such you find yourself sharing a cup of coffee with your camp site neighbour as you admire the cars parked alongside the other tents just as much as those on the track, discussing the finer points of vehicle styling rather than nursing the hangover from hell.

Access to the cars is plentiful

At the circuit you mingle amongst the cars as the mechanics get them ready for the racing, you watch as vintage racers lap for an hour or two only to be replaced by voilent sounding BMW M1 and AC Cobra racers shortly after. You try to mentally calculate the value of the pitlane as priceless cars are prepared to be used as they were intended to be, and you are taken back to a better time as you watch period support vehicles and drivers dressed in the correct attire mooching around the paddock. Forget whisper quiet diesels, the classic is about ear-bleedingly loud petrol powered monsters that command respect. Feeling them vibrate your tent as they pass is exciting enough, what it must be like to drive them around the dark circuit is beyond comprehension.

The campsite contains some amazing metal

The E30 BMW M3 harks back to a better time. A time where driving mattered more than the trim level or pedestrian safety. It didn't care for MPG figures, BMW just wanted you to drive it like you stole it as anything less was doing it a disservice. It was built for those that understood, and who were prepared to pay more for the ultimate experience. These are attributes it shares with the Le Mans Classic. If you truly undertstand great cars, if you appreciate seeing the best machinery being used as intended and if you are happy with the bare minimum of extras and can live without the unneccesary additions of fun fairs, burger vans, lager swilling men and pounding music then you'll enjoy the classic, and we think that you would enjoy the E30 too.

Pete driving, me waving......	Me driving, Pete grinning
Passing traffic as good as watching the race	I think we overdid the bread order
Amazing campsite. Spot the M3.....	Eclectic car selection on the campsite
Where else can you see this?	Beautiful Ultima was one of the Maison Blanche stars
This is what it's all about	Serene view at odds with violent noise from the paddock below
Diablo on a 10-plate. Real or rep?	This will deliver only when worked hard
Stunning. That is all.	An evocative sight
Fuel stop number one. Keeping good company	Pleasant lunch stop on the way home
Maison Blanch sunset	The journey itself was awash with Brit registered classics
Road car into racer, paddock action on Friday night	These guys got it on the track in the end
Thud......	To think that this is driven in anger...in the dark
HM Director Fuller joined us in the Autocar Aston Vantage	The cars you meet along the way are simply stunning
Team PH at Brian from 1st-Tickets amazing set up	Amazing Vette spotted on the campsite