Spring came early this year to the Midwest. Winter hit the time clock long before its shift had ended. Rains came along in early March to rinse away February’s salt.
One of the very first things I did was remove the front plate. Motorcycles don’t need them. Corvettes look horrible with them – and so does an e30..
Shots taken since coming out of storage a few weeks ago:
Work schedule opened up to allow for a quick trip to Iowa to visit my mother. A cannonball run from Madison via twisty SW Wisconsin roads ensued. I went by myself. It was just me, the car, and twisty roads for hours on end. I could have taken many more pictures – but honestly – I was busy rev-matching countless gear shifts while carving nice lines through hills and valleys as my ears popped from an onslaught of elevation changes.
You know those ideal road signs with a squiggly arrow and a “recommended” 35mph speed? I drove through hundreds of those while giggling and losing/catching my breath.
I couldn’t be happier. The car is amazing to drive. It is surreal to me how much fun it is.
The only downside with the car is that I’ve fallen so deeply in love with it.. like I worry when it’s out in the street and out in the cruel world. But when I’m behind the wheel – that all goes out the window..
Driving the car on 14x6 bottlecaps and skinny 65 series tires is leaving me with mixed emotions. I’m finding it more enjoyable than I thought I would. Highway ride and city streets are smoother. Theoretically, I’m benefiting from a fuel economy standpoint. (33 ave city/hiwy mpg? yep – I’m getting that) Throwing it into corners and through curves somehow becomes hilarious fun with tremendous amounts of allowable driver-error. It’s a great way to learn the car well – like beginning motorcycle riding on a small street bike before getting a sport bike. While I look forward to eventually going to a 15x7 wheel and 50 series tire combo someday – I am glad for the opportunity to drive the car this way. It makes me feel like it can only get better. In the meantime, I’m pretty sure my wheels aren’t going to get ganked..
The shift linkage?
Sheee-it.. the UUC hardware with DSSR and new linkage parts is simply fantastic to operate. The more I use it – the more I love it.
The maintenance-refreshed m42 engine with COP, 4pintle injectors, and MarkD chip?
Wow. Great fuckin motor.
They say it gets fun to drive in the upper rpm range.
They are totally fuckin right.
The rebuilt brake calipers with fresh ceramic pads and Brembo blanks all round?
High praises from me per street-only usage.
Great feel. Great bite. Low dust. Low squeal. What more could one ask for?
The fresh suspension?
(Tokico springs/Bili sports/M3 CABs/M3 or vert rear sway/IE green subframe bushings + OE rubber replaced everywhere else)
Best investment in joyous satisfaction I’ve ever made. Period. Wow. It’s magical how well this chassis and suspension work together.
While accelerating through a nice third-gear, 45+mph curve – angels start singing.
Ride height?
Note: I love the look of low-ass cars. Don’t get me wrong. Like OMG, low cars look f’ing sweet.
But as I drive this “stage one” lowered car – I can’t help but feel that this is where it’s at. Any lower – and I don’t think I’d be able to maintain current levels of daily-driver comfort. Per slimmer 5mm rear spring pads, a super minimal amount of forward “stance rake” was established – and I f’ing love a nice minimal forward rake. Only the occasional challenging driveway entrance causes the front is lip to scrape slightly. I am totally cool with this setup.
The interior?
A lovely place to spend quality time with your thoughts on an open highway. I’ve taken 8-10 hour drives – and felt refreshed upon exiting the vehicle. When I commute to places around town – I always get there too soon.
The exterior?
Well.. shit – I’m happy with it.. and it continues to grow on me. So, so very happy I went for the strong red/black contrast look. To me, it has a handsome, “good-fun-factor-yet-not-trying-too-hard” look. Something that might, indeed, come from a factory assembly line. Something that looks complete and congruous throughout its conglomeration of exterior sheet metal and trim.
I can smoke cartons of cigarettes and drink cases of beer just staring at the understated sculpture of this car’s exterior cosmetics. Much the same way I did with a Ducati I used to own..
Red paint?
Yeah – typically, I prefer a white or silver color. But there is something to be said about a gorgeous red vehicle – whether bike or car.. Looking at a nice one always sets my pulse up a notch or two..
When I look upon it in a darker light – I love the “blood” red.
When I look upon it in a morning light with polarized sunglasses on – I am smitten by a bright, vibrant “orange-ish” hue.
The steering?
(non-powered/e36 rack)
Kind of a drag for city driving/parking. Meh.
Nirvana for country road driving. Like “wow” nice. Razor’s edge-“Yamaha sportbike”-kind of road feel. It’s priceless.
That said though, I think power steering is more ideal/fun for everyday use.
I do celebrate non-PS in light of [negligible] fuel economy improvement and superior feel on the road. I love older cars in general – and for me – driving a non-PS car has a certain romantic way of making it feel like an old, classic vehicle.
All told - PS on an e30 is a real chin-scratcher for me.
Endnotes?
A well-sorted e30 is much more than a sum of parts. There is true magic to it.
The BMW e30 was an over-engineered car. Something lovely to behold and experience. Over the years, one can almost grow tired of how moto-journalists celebrate the BMW 3 series. The e30 was a golden example of what a 3 series represents. One of a caliber our world may never know of again. “They don’t make ‘em like this anymore..”
Of all the cars I could have chosen/ended up reconditioning – I am so very glad that an e30/m42 car landed in my hands at the right time.
The end result has surpassed my expectations.
One of the very first things I did was remove the front plate. Motorcycles don’t need them. Corvettes look horrible with them – and so does an e30..
Shots taken since coming out of storage a few weeks ago:
Work schedule opened up to allow for a quick trip to Iowa to visit my mother. A cannonball run from Madison via twisty SW Wisconsin roads ensued. I went by myself. It was just me, the car, and twisty roads for hours on end. I could have taken many more pictures – but honestly – I was busy rev-matching countless gear shifts while carving nice lines through hills and valleys as my ears popped from an onslaught of elevation changes.
You know those ideal road signs with a squiggly arrow and a “recommended” 35mph speed? I drove through hundreds of those while giggling and losing/catching my breath.
I couldn’t be happier. The car is amazing to drive. It is surreal to me how much fun it is.
The only downside with the car is that I’ve fallen so deeply in love with it.. like I worry when it’s out in the street and out in the cruel world. But when I’m behind the wheel – that all goes out the window..
Driving the car on 14x6 bottlecaps and skinny 65 series tires is leaving me with mixed emotions. I’m finding it more enjoyable than I thought I would. Highway ride and city streets are smoother. Theoretically, I’m benefiting from a fuel economy standpoint. (33 ave city/hiwy mpg? yep – I’m getting that) Throwing it into corners and through curves somehow becomes hilarious fun with tremendous amounts of allowable driver-error. It’s a great way to learn the car well – like beginning motorcycle riding on a small street bike before getting a sport bike. While I look forward to eventually going to a 15x7 wheel and 50 series tire combo someday – I am glad for the opportunity to drive the car this way. It makes me feel like it can only get better. In the meantime, I’m pretty sure my wheels aren’t going to get ganked..
The shift linkage?
Sheee-it.. the UUC hardware with DSSR and new linkage parts is simply fantastic to operate. The more I use it – the more I love it.
The maintenance-refreshed m42 engine with COP, 4pintle injectors, and MarkD chip?
Wow. Great fuckin motor.
They say it gets fun to drive in the upper rpm range.
They are totally fuckin right.
The rebuilt brake calipers with fresh ceramic pads and Brembo blanks all round?
High praises from me per street-only usage.
Great feel. Great bite. Low dust. Low squeal. What more could one ask for?
The fresh suspension?
(Tokico springs/Bili sports/M3 CABs/M3 or vert rear sway/IE green subframe bushings + OE rubber replaced everywhere else)
Best investment in joyous satisfaction I’ve ever made. Period. Wow. It’s magical how well this chassis and suspension work together.
While accelerating through a nice third-gear, 45+mph curve – angels start singing.
Ride height?
Note: I love the look of low-ass cars. Don’t get me wrong. Like OMG, low cars look f’ing sweet.
But as I drive this “stage one” lowered car – I can’t help but feel that this is where it’s at. Any lower – and I don’t think I’d be able to maintain current levels of daily-driver comfort. Per slimmer 5mm rear spring pads, a super minimal amount of forward “stance rake” was established – and I f’ing love a nice minimal forward rake. Only the occasional challenging driveway entrance causes the front is lip to scrape slightly. I am totally cool with this setup.
The interior?
A lovely place to spend quality time with your thoughts on an open highway. I’ve taken 8-10 hour drives – and felt refreshed upon exiting the vehicle. When I commute to places around town – I always get there too soon.
The exterior?
Well.. shit – I’m happy with it.. and it continues to grow on me. So, so very happy I went for the strong red/black contrast look. To me, it has a handsome, “good-fun-factor-yet-not-trying-too-hard” look. Something that might, indeed, come from a factory assembly line. Something that looks complete and congruous throughout its conglomeration of exterior sheet metal and trim.
I can smoke cartons of cigarettes and drink cases of beer just staring at the understated sculpture of this car’s exterior cosmetics. Much the same way I did with a Ducati I used to own..
Red paint?
Yeah – typically, I prefer a white or silver color. But there is something to be said about a gorgeous red vehicle – whether bike or car.. Looking at a nice one always sets my pulse up a notch or two..
When I look upon it in a darker light – I love the “blood” red.
When I look upon it in a morning light with polarized sunglasses on – I am smitten by a bright, vibrant “orange-ish” hue.
The steering?
(non-powered/e36 rack)
Kind of a drag for city driving/parking. Meh.
Nirvana for country road driving. Like “wow” nice. Razor’s edge-“Yamaha sportbike”-kind of road feel. It’s priceless.
That said though, I think power steering is more ideal/fun for everyday use.
I do celebrate non-PS in light of [negligible] fuel economy improvement and superior feel on the road. I love older cars in general – and for me – driving a non-PS car has a certain romantic way of making it feel like an old, classic vehicle.
All told - PS on an e30 is a real chin-scratcher for me.
Endnotes?
A well-sorted e30 is much more than a sum of parts. There is true magic to it.
The BMW e30 was an over-engineered car. Something lovely to behold and experience. Over the years, one can almost grow tired of how moto-journalists celebrate the BMW 3 series. The e30 was a golden example of what a 3 series represents. One of a caliber our world may never know of again. “They don’t make ‘em like this anymore..”
Of all the cars I could have chosen/ended up reconditioning – I am so very glad that an e30/m42 car landed in my hands at the right time.
The end result has surpassed my expectations.
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