So long e30 M3s...

[cwatt]

Has anyone else noticed how many e30 M3s there are that have been gutted and hacked into track cars? I know there are some haters out there on the rising prices of e30 M3s, but it seems to be with good reason. I don't know production numbers, but I can't help but wonder...


thoughts?


side bar - I've seen an M3 lately (in my area) being winter driven. Such a shame.

[LSM3]

Um.. They are race cars. That's kind of the point. Someone who "guts and hacks" a m3 to track it is using the vehicle for the purpose it was created. It was not created to drive around to car shows and be pampered.

[swingard]

Don't forget that up until the last five to eight years you could buy a decent one for around 7k... racers were the only ones buying them!

[kingston]

Fewer and fewer of these will be getting gutted anymore, with the prices climbing the way they are.

Personally I'd LOVE to own a track-prepped E30 M3. I wouldn't be able to bring myself to gut one that was in good shape, but I found one that was ALREADY gutted? That'd be perfect!

[cwatt]

Don't forget that up until the last five to eight years you could buy a decent one for around 7k... racers were the only ones buying them!

7k? Ugh. I wish I were around before this big inflation. I suppose I'm a bit of a cleché. Ah well...

[E30 Wagen]

Um.. They are race cars. That's kind of the point. Someone who "guts and hacks" a m3 to track it is using the vehicle for the purpose it was created. It was not created to drive around to car shows and be pampered.

They were race cars 20 years ago, purpose built with fresh shells for a professional career on racetracks; they had their time of dominance, and now those days are long gone. The legacy of those days are the beautiful homologations that graced the showroom floors. Ignoring what it took to make these cars what they were and throwing away such craftsmanship for the sake of returning it to its "roots" kind of vitiates what these cars represent to BMW enthusiasts in general, especially with a chevy pushrod under the hood.

5 to 8 years ago, decent ones were going for at least $10k, closer to $15k, but everytime a roll cage is welded in one, that's basically another one to scratch off.

[eur04lif3]

They were race cars 20 years ago. They were purpose built with fresh shells for a professional career on racetracks; they had their time of dominance, and now those days are long gone. The legacy of those days are the beautiful homologations that graced the showroom floors. Ignoring what it took to make these cars what they were and throwing away such craftsmanship for the sake of returning it to its "roots" kind of vitiates what these cars represent to BMW enthusiasts in general, especially with a chevy pushrod under the hood.

5 to 8 years ago, decent ones were going for at least $10k, closer to $15k, but everytime a roll cage is welded in one, that's basically another one to scratch off.

I agree with your statement. I think the true way to enjoy these cars is in the way they were sold to the public.
Putting cages in, and swapping v8 motors should be done to the non-M cars. By that point your so highly modified, that all you have is a non-M car with wider flares..etc.

[oliver.r]

Just FYI only 4500 were imported to the us

[einhander]

I really dislike mine since it was a trackish car when I bought it.

I hate driving it and over the past few years I've been OEM buying parts so that one day when I have the time and inclination I can return it to a stockish configuration.

It's like a girlfriend you can't get rid of. I'd love to ditch it, but I'd want another one, and couldn't be assed to pay for it.

[kingston]

You want to cage the non-M cars...instead of the cars that M Division..."M' standing for MOTORSPORT...built.

I'm sorry, but that doesn't compute to me. I think the true way to enjoy M3s is to drive them, maybe not exclusively, but at least partially on the track. I'd kill for an Alpine M3 that was caged & set up for the track

[F34R]

If I ever get my hands on one, trust it will be hacked and swapped with something amazing. s14 will be parted or sold to some honda kid ;D

[word is bond]

I dunno - I can see it both ways. Personally - I wouldn't gut any M3 that's in decent original form. Part of the beauty of these cars, is that they were a racecar you could drive on the street everyday. That's one of the reasons they are special. Should that car enjoy track days? Absolutely, but I wouldn't convert one to a racecar, if I had one.
Now - if the car has a racing history, then I'm with you. Embrace its racing heritage. Let that S14 sing.
The hard thing to decide is what to do with an original M3 whose interior is in tatters. Restore it or turn into a track car? Hard to say...
The only thing I know for sure, is that I wouldn't swap an S14 out. Save the stuff that came special straight from the factory, and put your swaps in the regular E30s.

[e30austin]

If I ever get my hands on one, trust it will be hacked and swapped with something amazing. s14 will be parted or sold to some honda kid ;D

This x100000. The S14 will make its way into a 2002, and an S38B38 (the motor that fucking car should have come with originally) will magically shoe horn itself in there while I sleep.

[BlackbirdM3]

I dunno - I can see it both ways. Personally - I wouldn't gut any M3 that's in decent original form. Part of the beauty of these cars, is that they were a racecar you could drive on the street everyday. That's one of the reasons they are special. Should that car enjoy track days? Absolutely, but I wouldn't convert one to a racecar, if I had one.
Now - if the car has a racing history, then I'm with you. Embrace its racing heritage. Let that S14 sing.
The hard thing to decide is what to do with an original M3 whose interior is in tatters. Restore it or turn into a track car? Hard to say...
The only thing I know for sure, is that I wouldn't swap an S14 out. Save the stuff that came special straight from the factory, and put your swaps in the regular E30s.

I love the fact that my M3 was built as a race car and got an interior put in it. That is the biggest reason I bought it. I thought long and hard about finding a car that drives like a race car and can be driven on the street, because I like race cars. You know what? I can't come up with a single thing against the M3 as a daily driver. Its comfortable, gets reasonably good mileage, and its fun to drive. What can I say. Its a brilliant car. Do I race it? I autoX it a few times a year (more if it happens to rain or if I break the race car.)

That said, would I like a stripped out track prepared one? Hell yeah, but I wouldn't take a good one and gut it. (I might be tempted to gut a MB 190E Cossie for track use though) I even thought about buying one with a 2.5L and bolt in cage, but thought a cage might scare people off (not that anyone rides in it anyway.)

Will

[the imitator]

My opinion is, "there are 2 sides of the coin."

THIS: The only reason the M3 was made was to race; It was only put out to public because in MOST race leagues you must use a "production vehicle", not to mention a certain amount being sold in order to participate, I believe the Lemans was 1,000 units in order for any given Race car to qualify as a "production based race car"

Shelby had to do the same thing when he brought the Cobra over seas to face Ferrari, Thats why there are only so many Real Cobra units left, Ford only had to sell so many in order to meet requirements for the lemans series.

For this reason I consider the e30 m3 in most cases a thoroughbred race car, which deserves to be where race cars belong.

AND


THAT: Just like the Cobra, now that they're gone everyone is freaked out like we started off with 100,000 units and now we have xxx units left. The M3 will reach that point, and everyone is going to bummed. That is why preserving the history as we have been doing for thousands of years is important.

Buy two m3's

1. Race e30 m3 #1
2. Preserve e30 m3 #2
3.
4. Profit