BMW E30 Sideways Tales
Discussion
On a damp/drying err track; Out of the roundabout and downhill slightly through 3rd, 4th and in to 5th at 125. Road climbs and curves right and is quite steep (it is a good bench mark, seeing what you can achieve over the top). Over a surface change and the back end moves out far enough to require and 1/8th of oppo and I small confidence lift (s
t may self). Binning my new Sport Evo 2 weeks after buying it would have been painful.
t may self). Binning my new Sport Evo 2 weeks after buying it would have been painful.Downhill in snow in a 320i, (snow only started to settle on the road as I was descending off the moors), found out that the ABS wouldn't allow me to stop and as I was approaching three hairpin bends I bottled it and put it sideways into a farmer's driveway, the verge stopped the car pdq as I was only going at walking pace.
Mines only from two weeks ago!. Down a hill into a nice 90 degree bend with good visibility so I thought I'd get the back end out a bit. Half way through it got some traction and nearly shot me down a banking on the side of the road. Much rather getting sideways in the wet, it's a lot easier and more predictable imo.
Back before the British Drifting Championship there was a UK version of the D1 championship at Silverstone. I was spectating, but I knew a few of the drivers. One chap was doing amazingly well in a non-turbo MR2 with an open diff, then the engine packed up. He knew I had a MR2 so asked if I could help.
I'm terrible with electrical problems, but I did offer him my car, the one I drove the 150 miles to the track and needed to drive home again. It was an E30 320i four door - completely standard except for the front grill being missing, matte black paint and one of the rear tyres having "ADVAN" poorly painted on it. He accepted the car, but we (I shared ownership of the car with another chap) insisted on paying him 50p or something so we could claim to be employing a driver for our team.
So, as team owners we settled in to a nice spot on the pit wall to watch our ride home get lobbed sideways in to the gravel at Priory corner. Having been towed out he charged down towards Brooklands and flicked the car sideways well before the corner, before sliding in to the gravel again.
Once again we waited while our ride home was towed out, and again he ended up in the gravel at Luffield. Not a great first lap, and we were already organising a lift to the nearest train station on the assumption that the E30 wasn't going to take us home.
The second lap the chap did was perfect. Sideways before Priory, sideways down the straight to Brooklands and sideways from the exit of Brooklands all the way through to the end of the judged zone after Luffield. It was an amazing performance, especially for a mechanically standard car - with no LSD it wasn't being held sideways by power, but by skill and commitment.
The E30 survived the drifting competiton and not only got us home again but carried on taking that sort of abuse for another 18 months without even a hint of mechanical sympathy before I sold it to an idiot for double what we'd paid for it.
My second E30 was a 325i, bought as a corporate entertainment gift for the nice people at Camouflaged Learning who sponsored my EuroDrift and later BDC car. I bought the 325, painted it in corporate colours, had the diff welded up, then arranged a day at Norfolk Arena for the CL chaps. Then it snowed. It was almost impossible not to be sideways, sometimes with 4 people in the car having a snowball fight.
The second day it was dry and sunny, and all the drivers managed to link up the entire track sideways, after learning how to avoid spinning while swapping from left to right hand corners. Then the radiator exploded.
E30s are briliant.
I'm terrible with electrical problems, but I did offer him my car, the one I drove the 150 miles to the track and needed to drive home again. It was an E30 320i four door - completely standard except for the front grill being missing, matte black paint and one of the rear tyres having "ADVAN" poorly painted on it. He accepted the car, but we (I shared ownership of the car with another chap) insisted on paying him 50p or something so we could claim to be employing a driver for our team.
So, as team owners we settled in to a nice spot on the pit wall to watch our ride home get lobbed sideways in to the gravel at Priory corner. Having been towed out he charged down towards Brooklands and flicked the car sideways well before the corner, before sliding in to the gravel again.
Once again we waited while our ride home was towed out, and again he ended up in the gravel at Luffield. Not a great first lap, and we were already organising a lift to the nearest train station on the assumption that the E30 wasn't going to take us home.
The second lap the chap did was perfect. Sideways before Priory, sideways down the straight to Brooklands and sideways from the exit of Brooklands all the way through to the end of the judged zone after Luffield. It was an amazing performance, especially for a mechanically standard car - with no LSD it wasn't being held sideways by power, but by skill and commitment.
The E30 survived the drifting competiton and not only got us home again but carried on taking that sort of abuse for another 18 months without even a hint of mechanical sympathy before I sold it to an idiot for double what we'd paid for it.
My second E30 was a 325i, bought as a corporate entertainment gift for the nice people at Camouflaged Learning who sponsored my EuroDrift and later BDC car. I bought the 325, painted it in corporate colours, had the diff welded up, then arranged a day at Norfolk Arena for the CL chaps. Then it snowed. It was almost impossible not to be sideways, sometimes with 4 people in the car having a snowball fight.
The second day it was dry and sunny, and all the drivers managed to link up the entire track sideways, after learning how to avoid spinning while swapping from left to right hand corners. Then the radiator exploded.
E30s are briliant.
derin100 said:
Before there were E30s going sideways there were E21s going sideways...and before that there were 2002s.
I spun my first ever car (a 2002tii) through 270 degrees on the southern most roundabout of the Elephant & Castle. Would have been about 1982.
Knowing that roundabout pretty well, I've got to ask - How!?I spun my first ever car (a 2002tii) through 270 degrees on the southern most roundabout of the Elephant & Castle. Would have been about 1982.
My father had a M535I in the early 90's. Not sure what 'E' number this would be.
It would go sideways at the hint of an accelerator, at random intervals. It was not very comforting.
It was eventually found to be due to a broken collar on the LSD, which occasionally meant drive only gong to one wheel....
It would go sideways at the hint of an accelerator, at random intervals. It was not very comforting.
It was eventually found to be due to a broken collar on the LSD, which occasionally meant drive only gong to one wheel....
JoshyS said:
derin100 said:
Before there were E30s going sideways there were E21s going sideways...and before that there were 2002s.
I spun my first ever car (a 2002tii) through 270 degrees on the southern most roundabout of the Elephant & Castle. Would have been about 1982.
Knowing that roundabout pretty well, I've got to ask - How!?I spun my first ever car (a 2002tii) through 270 degrees on the southern most roundabout of the Elephant & Castle. Would have been about 1982.
2) Too fast
2) Wet
3) 19 years old, thought I could drive...but couldn't really!
Test drove a 325i Sport a good few years ago, to my astonishment the salesman threw me the keys & told me not to be too long!
I made it to the last roundabout, within a few hundred yards of the dealership and the back stepped out on me! Thankfully I caught it & got it back in one piece, never bought it as couldn't agree a deal.
Mate of mine had a 320i touring (6cyl) & while en route MTBing on Dartmoor he hit some standing water on a lovely S bend which brought the back out, ass clenching from the passengers seat!
I made it to the last roundabout, within a few hundred yards of the dealership and the back stepped out on me! Thankfully I caught it & got it back in one piece, never bought it as couldn't agree a deal.
Mate of mine had a 320i touring (6cyl) & while en route MTBing on Dartmoor he hit some standing water on a lovely S bend which brought the back out, ass clenching from the passengers seat!
Back in '84 my dad bought a new 323i in black with full Alpina kit - wheels, bodykit, gold stickers - the works. Just for a laugh my grandfather (who knew the dealer and had been told his son had ordered said car) went in and ordered a genuine 2.7 C2 in the exact same spec except for cream leather. B911JNN and B912JNN were born.
Anyway, the story is simple. One sunny Sunday afternoon I was in my father's car with my grandfather in front. As we entered a roundabout my grandfather decided to show off and leave a huge (from memory) pair of black lines along the road in front which my dad attempted to replicate (his was auto so my mum could drive it too). Exiting the roundabout my grandfather got so massively sideways I thought it was going to end in tears until my dad managed to almost exactly match the angle himself. After much revving, fishtailing and straight 6 howling, they both caught and leapt up the road.
From that moment on I knew cars were frigging awesome
Anyway, the story is simple. One sunny Sunday afternoon I was in my father's car with my grandfather in front. As we entered a roundabout my grandfather decided to show off and leave a huge (from memory) pair of black lines along the road in front which my dad attempted to replicate (his was auto so my mum could drive it too). Exiting the roundabout my grandfather got so massively sideways I thought it was going to end in tears until my dad managed to almost exactly match the angle himself. After much revving, fishtailing and straight 6 howling, they both caught and leapt up the road.
From that moment on I knew cars were frigging awesome
My first BMW was a kermit green 1502 in about 1988/89 and the moment it wasted my pals 1850 Dolomite I was hooked. A couple of weeks later I blagged a go in an e21 323i and being your typical dumbass 20 something, I revved the nuts out of it and dropped the clutch in an effort to wheel spin away. What I didn't know was it had an LSD, so cue 50 yards of fish tailing and panic stricken face! Luckily I didn't hit anything! I've not been without an 02, e21 or e30 since.
Current e30 awaits my return from holiday so please excuse a gratuitous pic or two.
Current e30 awaits my return from holiday so please excuse a gratuitous pic or two.
More of a witness than a driver this one!
A few years back me and my dad went to Oulton park for abit of spectating on a trackday, there was a few tasty cars and a handful of e30s.
We were at Lodge and a grey e30 comes around the corner very sideways, the driver manages to get it straight before the car sways the other way and spins wildly into the pits where it hits a barrier and comes to an untimely end
A few years back me and my dad went to Oulton park for abit of spectating on a trackday, there was a few tasty cars and a handful of e30s.
We were at Lodge and a grey e30 comes around the corner very sideways, the driver manages to get it straight before the car sways the other way and spins wildly into the pits where it hits a barrier and comes to an untimely end
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