So long e30 M3s...

[M-technik-3]

Parts are far too expensive for racing one these days. Far cheaper to race an E36 M and build a faster car for roughly half the cost. E36's are at the bottom of depreciation scale at this point.

Our team just acquired a nice clean 318Ti that we plan on making a nice m52/5spd as a chump/lemon car.

My red E30 M could have been made into a track car when I purchased it but still gets more use as a street car. Had it been a track car it would not see nearly as much use.

[reelizmpro]

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.

True but today it is a historic race car and as such should be preserved. It doesn't have to be bone stock but should be "all there." There's a reason why race cars get retired. Even the original DTM car's do more sitting than track racing these days as it's just too risky.

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.

Well said. They had their time and now those days are gone...never to return. Owner's have a piece of BMW motorsport history in these cars whether they care or not. It's cool if they do, a shame if they don't.

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.

I said the same thing 20 years ago in the Roundel. Boy, was I naive. It's an expensive 4 cylinder...OK but it was also making 100HP per liter back in the mid 80's! It was absolutely the right engine for the car...that's not even a question lol. I've said this many times...318i guys will make the transition to the M3 with ease while the 325 guys will need a while to adjust to the M3. It looks familiar but it's a different car. It's interesting how a group of people dislike the S14 (despite BMW designing and winning with it) yet there's another group of people who realize it's significance. I guess it's a win-win for both parties. If you guys pick up an original S14 powered M3 ...which is getting harder everyday. I'll take those worthless S14's off your hands. By then, I may even trade you S54's for them.

To the OP: There are a few M3's floating around out there and many have had rough lives. Of the 5 on ebay recently, 4 of them were swapped. I don't think you'll have trouble finding them if you search but finding them "all there" with original S14's is becoming a challenge.

[B Randon]

I will trade any one my 2.3 m20 for a s14. Who is ready for that trade?

[Northern]

If my M3 came with its motor, it would not get swapped. Sadly, it is just a damaged shell, so it will get something else.

If I ever had the money/space/time for a "real" m3, I would probably be too scared to drive it.

[mrcheezle19]

Buy two m3's

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

[/QUOTE]

this right here.

the first one gets a s54 swap and the second becomes an oem+ masterpiece.

[blunttech]

Life is short. Do what makes you happy. If an LSX in an m3 is what you want then stuff it in there. I dont think twice about modifying anything I own. I want to build as many cool cars and drive the shit out of them while I still can and I want to do them the way I want them. If a bone stock e30m3 is what turns you on , I totally get and respect that too. but in 20 years a well built modified e30m3 will be desirable as well.

[J.Rizo]

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

opposite of a shame to me.
if you buy a car love it, drive it, maintain it.

[E30 Wagen]

in 20 years a well built modified e30m3 will be desirable as well.

Going to have to disagree with you on this.

[blunttech]

Going to have to disagree with you on this.

I didnt say MORE desirable than a bone stock car,.. A bone stock car will always be worth more. But there is a buyer for everything. in 20 years guys will still have boners for(enter your choice of motor here)powered e30m3s .

[GillesBigCowboy]

Race is the best use.

[rturbo 930]

opposite of a shame to me.
if you buy a car love it, drive it, maintain it.

I would normally agree with you, but road salt will destroy that car.

[spdracrm3]

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

thats why i have two....and a source for 2 spare motors and about 10 gearboxes

[Roysneon]

Life is short. Do what makes you happy. If an LSX in an m3 is what you want then stuff it in there. I dont think twice about modifying anything I own. I want to build as many cool cars and drive the shit out of them while I still can and I want to do them the way I want them. If a bone stock e30m3 is what turns you on , I totally get and respect that too. but in 20 years a well built modified e30m3 will be desirable as well.

This. Why does what someone else like factor into how you want to do things? Lots of people here are butthurt fags over stretched tires and lowered cars, but what do I give a fuck? I might goof on someone's car if it's real dumb (GL-E30) but why should anyone care what I say about their car?

[word is bond]

This. Why does what someone else like factor into how you want to do things? Lots of people here are butthurt fags over stretched tires and lowered cars, but what do I give a fuck? I might goof on someone's car if it's real dumb (GL-E30) but why should anyone care what I say about their car?

Everyone has every right to do what they want to their car, but don't I also have the right to voice my opinion on those choices? They don't have to, and probably shouldn't care what I think, but I can still think it.

[uberpanzer]

I understand people wanting to get more power out of a car by swapping motors, but why do that to a car where part of what makes the car special in the first place is THE MOTOR?!?!?!!?! M20 powered cars aren't special, technically M42 powered cars aren't that 'special' either, but S14 powered cars are. You want to swap in a LSx? Go spend less money on a non-M and have more money to spend on the rest of the upgrades to keep up with the V8. The brakes on the M3 aren't up to snuff for that amount of power and speed, so you'll need to upgrade them. The suspension will be wrong, so that will need to be upgraded to something adjustable. For the wider wheels/tires needed to accommodate the grip needed for this set-up, just get the wider fiberglass or CF fenders that are out on the market, since they'll be evven wider than the factory M ones and easier to deal with adding (assuming you'll need the extra width BEYOND that of the M3's). Again, I can understand someone wanting to accomplish what they have envisioned as their 'dream car', but financially it makes more sense to use a non-M for the base of a swap (LSx, S38 or S5x), as well as making a run-of-the-mill non-M car that much more special by having done something like that to it. Doing that swap to a M3 just makes it less special.

But what do I know, I'm just one of those 'M Purists' that may have been spotted yesterday blasting down the highway behind the wheel of a S14 powered Alpine White car with a big wing and flares....trying to sort out why I changed out to heavier wheels.