Bring a Trailer Auctions, E30 edition

[e30austin]

the blue M3, used to belong to "travis816", and "Dem3n" on here - formerly the S52 powered, nissan (?) green colored car.

[varg]

There’s quite a bit of questionable things... take a close look at the camber plates.

Eh it's a salvage title car that kind of thing I expected. I'm talking about mod choices made not things that were outside of the owner's control.

[MrBurgundy]

I wouldn't pay the M3 tax on a swapped car.. especially one done up like that

[AWDBOB]

There’s quite a bit of questionable things... take a close look at the camber plates.

If you look at the wheel side profile photos the l/r front alignment is jacked up, at least to my eyes it is.

There appears to be a lack of caster as well, which is odd considering offset lollipops.

1988_bmw_m3_159317624072516f636A7948-scaled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
1988_bmw_m3_15931762566fe16e4bd1636A7954-scaled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[e30austin]

If you look at the wheel side profile photos the l/r front alignment is jacked up, at least to my eyes it is.

There appears to be a lack of caster as well, which is odd considering offset lollipops.

1988_bmw_m3_159317624072516f636A7948-scaled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
1988_bmw_m3_15931762566fe16e4bd1636A7954-scaled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

well, considering the car has had the entire front clip splice and diced (a couple different times, at that), i am 100000% not surprised, at all - lol

[gazellebeigem3]

^ Was this car Red at some point? I think I bought stuff from a 'part out'' that occurred after one of the times it was hit.

[2mAn]

1987 325i Racecar

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-bmw-325is-70/

[ForcedFirebird]

1987 325i Racecar

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-bmw-325is-70/

That car has been in my shop for a repair when one of the TLM partners was down for a kidney transplant

Raced door to door with it many many times.

Simon, saw your comment about the log book. TLM primarily raced in Chumpcar (which is no Champcar), so not sure the new owner would be willing to let people know it was campained with chump (they had a bad name for wrecks and damage in the early years).

https://www.instagram.com/p/2rrSHZv-hr/

EDIT: Simon, saw your comment about the log book. TLM primarily raced in Chumpcar (which is no Champcar), so not sure the new owner would be willing to let people know it was campained with chump (they had a bad name for wrecks and damage in the early years).

[carlb]

(Its back for a second try!)

1986 S52 Swapped 325e

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1986-bmw-325e-24/

I bought this. It's my partner's birthday present. ...to make up for the pile of parts in the garage that would some day become an s54 e30 if I... wasn't going to school, didn't just get promoted, didn't have three other car project, other girlfriends etc. etc. So... this will do. It will definitely suit.

I felt so bad for the seller being ripped to shreds in the facebook group. He was honest and open with the build, and respectful in the comments.
$70k is not that much money when you're paying a shop to do everything, but the chorus of people that don't make that much in a year can't be silenced.

Audibly chuckled at the eBay taillights when I was browsing the photos, though.

Yeah, interior is coming out. We have re-upholstered stock seats (in both e30 M3 and 325is form... I think she prefers the 325is seats). Tail lights getting freshened up stock units. The under dash panel is just stupid. I actually think he broke that flimsy piece after getting the vehicle back. Given what he already put in, he didn't want to pay for it to be done. But, he's not the type to do it himself. And, he'd have to cut the hole for the OBDII port. Just not him. So... that's an easy fix. Got one in the garage.

Wheels? Hideous. Those will be for sale, quick fast and in a hurry. We have APEX ARC-8's to go in their place. I'm debating about the pumpkin. I have a rebuilt 3.73 LSD in the garage (rebuilt by agent here on R3v). I'll see what she says about the gearing. I'm inclined to change it.

Why would you pay $70k for modifications and sell it immediately?
Is the final product undrivable?

It is common. And, yes, it is indeed drivable. It's fast. It's fun. The tune needs a bit of work though because the intake was installed after RK Tunes remote tune. Having just tuned my LS2 RX-7 after adding a FAST 92 Intake and bigger injectors, I understand how much time it takes to get it right (if street tuning yourself or remotely). We'll get it dyno tuned locally.

That was unexpectedly wholesome and a reminder that our priorities change as we get older.

$25k was the selling price. A $45k bath sounds a bit cold for my blood.

It has more than $25k in parts. Heck, I have nearly that in parts in my garage right now to build exactly this... So, seriously a no brainer for me.

The real question is... should I sell the s54 or put it in the e28?

[e30austin]

^ Was this car Red at some point? I think I bought stuff from a 'part out'' that occurred after one of the times it was hit.

yup, started out as cinnabar red, and remained that way, until Travis painted it in 2011, or so.

[varg]

Looks much better in this blue.

I wouldn't pay the M3 tax on a swapped car.. especially one done up like that

Agreed. I wouldn't pay the M3 tax on an M3 period if I hypothetically wasn't priced out of that market though so I'm biased. This car; salvage title with clear reason, identity crisis build that is neither a good street car nor a good track car, nothing original on it, shouldn't be worth anything to any of the big-money-for-M3s guys (collectors) since it lacks everything they look for. It'll be interesting to see what it sells for since that market is going to be absent, it is already well past being worth the sum of its parts and the current bid of $40,000 is significantly higher than I expected it to sell for. I was assuming that, lacking collectible value and clearly damaged, it would be a much more reasonable price indicative of enthusiasts who want to bring it to completion as either a track or street car by rectifying the issues I pointed out above. Then they could just enjoy having an M3 without all of the sweating originality and resale value so M3 owners do. The car that just got brought up again above is a much better street car despite its flaws that were previously discussed in this thread, and it sold for half the price of what this M3 will reach this weekend if the bidding continues at the present rate.

[JimmyP]

I think that the swapped blue M3 is a BAT wet dream, not in the "collector" guys who were after the 8K mile one, but the Singer lovers / Porsche "Outlaw" lovers.
Max's car hits that target market right on the bullseye.
The car is well done as a custom M3, its not a track car but has enough "sporty" mods. The mods are all pretty high end, the interior, the wheels, big brakes, an S54 in a shaved engine bay,,, it has great curb (Car Show / C&C) appeal. Checks all the boxes for the "Outlaw" guys.
I think you guys are missing that one.
I predict that car goes pretty big.
Its just done up enough that the hard parkers will eat that thing up at Cars and Coffee and if the new owner wanted it to could easily make the next step into the few DE a year track car.
I wouldnt hesitate to take it to a DE just as it is, mechanically its got everything you would need to go have a fun DE in it.
The saddest part is at the price it will likely sell for the poor thing will never get near a race track unless someone is going there for a car show.

[Javier h]

possibly but all I see is a salvage car.

[JimmyP]

possibly but all I see is a salvage car.

See for me, with it being a hot rod, that doesnt matter at all (or it wouldnt if I were a player).
That car is never gonna be put back to stock, or have any value beyond what it is right now sitting there in front of you as a custom, so in my mind, the title is a non-issue.

I came to this BMW hobby from 'merican muscle cars many years ago, and even then there were the cars that had original "restorable" value and cars that were hot rodded, no one ever seemed to care what the title was about on the hot rods because they were never going back to being a original "restorable" 1st gen Z28, or GTO, or 396SS Chevelle, etc.
So for me thats where me not caring about the state of the title comes from.
That car is a hot rod in an E30M3 shell.

[2mAn]

1991 325i Convertible
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...-cabriolet-27/