Few cars have a cult following like the E30. It was simple, rear drive, light-weight and utterly beautiful.
All gearheads have at some point dreamed about owning one; I know I toyed with the idea of starting an E30 project before I settled on buying my NB Miata. Unlike most of us, r3vlimited forum user known as Tippey764 did exactly that and the story is incredible. Finding a clean, rust free E30 BMW is difficult to say the least. Finding a clean E30 M3 Coupe that isn’t a million dollars is downright impossible.
Believe it or not, this particular E30 M3 was essentially a barn find. After a local BMW meet, a few local kids discussed rumors that there was an E30 M3 rotting away nearby, so Tippey764 went to find the car. Sure enough, there lay an old E30 M3, complete with faded paint, flat tires and a blown engine. Supposedly the owner parked the car shortly after blowing the motor. He took it to a shop to get it repaired, but never followed through. After a significant amount of effort to track down the original owner, Tippey764 bought the car for just $2500, and the rest is history.
On went a fresh coat of paint, new brakes and other running gear, and a S52 straight-six from the E36 M3. The result is perfection. Sadly, the car will be up for sale once the car is 100% complete. One thing is for sure, someone is going to end up with an incredible E30 M3.
