The definition of 'sleeper'...
This unassuming white E30 BMW might look like a humble 3-series, albeit one that's had a bit of track tweaking, but underneath the bonnet lurks a bit of a surprise - because beneath that nose-hinged bonnet lurks a rather special motor.
You see, this car has been converted into a V8 3-series by Banbury-based outfit Gama Cars, who are in the process of building 50 E30 3-series cars with chunky V8s shoehorned in.
"The idea behind the E30 V8s came from a love for E30s but a slight disappointment that they struggled to keep up with more modern cars," says Gama's technical director, Gregg Alvarez. "So we decided to build the E30 V8-S you see in the pictures and then produce 50 more as either complete cars or as an engine conversion if you already have an E30 you love."
...because this is a 4.0-litre V8
Gama will drop in a 4.0-litre or 4.4-litre V8, the 400bhp 5.0-litre V8 from the E39 BMW M5 or even a GM LS-series V8 - and there is the option of a supercharger too. "We are in the middle of building a 4.4 supercharged touring for a customer at the moment with a target of 440bhp," says Gregg.
The car in these pictures has a 4.0 M60 V8 and a six-speed manual gearbox. It has, says Gama, recorded a 0-60mph sprint of 4.7secs and a 0-100mph time of 10.2secs, while power is estimated at about 315bhp and 310lbft of torque.
If you want to add a few more cylinders to your E30, a conversion starts at around £7000, but is 'fully customisable to customer spec' - so the sky is the limit in spec and price terms. Every part (engine-wise) that goes in is genuine BMW, while all the other parts to link the engine and drivetrain are fabricated in-house.