Why Everyone Should Build a Hotrod E30
The E30 BMW is one of the most coveted platforms that motorsport enthusiasts have. If Miata wasn’t the answer, the answer would be the E30. It’s a lightweight, compact sportscar that’s nimble when you want it to be, but stocky enough to take a punch, just in case the Acura next to you in the Lemons race wants to get feisty. However, for as many enthusiasts that race the E30 every weekend, there’s an equal number of them running around and modifying the hell out of them for street use. That’s the case with this specific 1990 E30 325 iX.
According to the seller, who put the car up for auction on Bring a Trailer, this car is what happens when you take nine months, a stupid thought, and combine them with enough money to buy yourself a new M3. What you see before you is essentially a hotrod E30. It still retains its all-wheel drive platform, but the engine has been swapped out for the engine of the E46 M3. That means, thanks to a light tune and stock horsepower, it’s putting down 333 horsepower to all four wheels.
In addition to the new engine, the car received a new transmission, new wheels, new interior, and a whole lot of custom fabrication to make the swap fit with the all-wheel drive system. Supposedly, the car has been tuned to be a reliable daily driver, with no immediate needs. You can check out the build gallery from the entire process here. The car recently sold for only $17,250, a bargain for what the new owner is getting.
So what do you all think, is this the perfect E30 M3?
