***Editors Note: I had already planned on featuring Felipes car, but after meeting him and having a wonderful bromance day and learning of the plans coming in the near future I had to kickstart the COTM feature. I think you'll agree with me that this is a well deserved feature with an even brighter future. Congrats pipeuy! - Simon ***
Factory options:
316I (EUR)
Engine M40
Transmission Manual
Upholstery (0274) (Black cloth)
S401A Lift up and slide back Sunroof Electric
S410A Window Lifts Electric Front
S682A Rear Bench Seat In Fabric
S687A Radio Preparation
S690A Cassette Holder
S510A Headlight Aim Control
S320A Deleted Model Lettering
S350A Therm Insulat Glass Green
L804A National Version Switzerland
S958 Interne Kabelbaumauswertung
Color:
AlpineWeiss 2 (218)
Interior color:
Redone in black vinyl by previous owner.
(Recaro LS-C upholstered in 0304 0379 (Plaid Anthrazit) going in soon with Massive adapters)
Engine modifications:
300K Km stock M40
TRE 255 LPH fuel pump
(Hopefully M54B30 swap coming sooner than later)
Exhaust:
Stock manifold with custom exhaust done by previous owner
Transmission:
Stock
Motul Motyl Gear 75w80
Differential:
Stock
Suspension:
KW V1 coilovers (complete strut solution)
New front wheel bearings
New front and back top mounts
(Complete suspension refresh coming soon)
(Have rear brake discs trailing arm waiting to go in)
Wheels:
15x7 et 24 Euroweaves refinished in BMW 144 FelgenSilber
Toyo TM1 205/55-R15 tires
Exterior modifications:
Front OEM IS lip painted in satin black
OEM IS trunk spoiler
Shadowline trim
New front and rear bumper trim
Restored side moldings
New Hella headlights (driver side new high beam coming from Latvia)
New OEM tail lights
New glass on ZKW fog lights
AMMO Reflex and Skin
(Shadowline OEM manual antenna waiting to go in)
Interior modifications:
Italvolanti Indianapolis Formel in 350mm
ZHP 5 speed gear knob
Carpet was deep cleaned out of the car
Black headliner
Sunroof converted to manual
Story behind the car:
One summer night, six years ago, walking towards a dance club in Punta del Este a random “old” BMW was doing some donuts and pulls in a deserted car park. I was immediately struck by how that car looked and sounded, of course that car was a 325i E30. By that time I was only 16, we can’t drive until we are 18, but that didn’t stop me obsessing over E30s and of course by the time I was 18 I knew I wanted to own one. Luckily at that time we lived pretty far away from where I was going to class and public transport sucks over here, so thanks to my mom I was able to buy my first late model 2 door 316i E30. Of course it wasn’t 325i but at that time it was the coolest car I could have ever hoped for.
Of course after a while I wanted more power so I managed to get a late model 2 door 325i (assembled in Uruguay, more on that on my build thread). It wasn’t in as good as shape as the first 316i but it was good enough, everything I needed was the M20 and of course a new exhaust. Daily driving an E30 in Uruguay is quite hard because they get stolen all the time since a lot of people tend to buy shady parts. Because of that and moving to a new apartment with parking space for one car, the 325i got sold and I thought I wasn’t going to have an E30 for a long time (oh boy was I wrong).
Fast forward a year and while traveling Europe with a friend he told me was going to accept an offer, I was willing to match, for his late model 2 door 325i. Once again I ended up with another E30.. About a year later another friend asks me if I’m willing to sell him my car and after a couple months of insistence I ended selling him that car. At the time I thought it was the last E30 I was going to own in a very long time but of course once again I was wrong, guess the E30 bug is real.
Like many enthusiasts I tend to search for E30s daily on MercadoLibre (our eBay or craigslist) and one afternoon I saw a post that caught my eye. E30s assembled in Germany are quite rare over here and they’re generally in better shape (less rust) and the car listed was a 316i so I knew it wasn’t assembled over here. That same afternoon I met up with the seller and we agreed upon a price and the rest is history.
My friends and I call him Walter, because of Walter White. It’s a car that came from Switzerland imported by a diplomatic and being a 316i even if you get on it all the time you won’t hurt the car so it was in very good shape. Not even after a month I got I took it apart so the body shop could respray it and fix every last bit of rust. I recently finished assembling it using as many new parts as my wallet could afford and I think it turned out better than expected. I’ve been working on cars only for a couple of years and everything I know was self taught or following a DIY guide, so it was quite an achievement to do this kind of work.
Plans for the future are swapping a M54B30 with ideally a 6 speed gearbox, LSD, power steering and possibly A/C. I want to keep it looking clean and stock but with a lot more go than the mighty M40.
Build thread is
here
Factory options:
316I (EUR)
Engine M40
Transmission Manual
Upholstery (0274) (Black cloth)
S401A Lift up and slide back Sunroof Electric
S410A Window Lifts Electric Front
S682A Rear Bench Seat In Fabric
S687A Radio Preparation
S690A Cassette Holder
S510A Headlight Aim Control
S320A Deleted Model Lettering
S350A Therm Insulat Glass Green
L804A National Version Switzerland
S958 Interne Kabelbaumauswertung
Color:
AlpineWeiss 2 (218)
Interior color:
Redone in black vinyl by previous owner.
(Recaro LS-C upholstered in 0304 0379 (Plaid Anthrazit) going in soon with Massive adapters)
Engine modifications:
300K Km stock M40
TRE 255 LPH fuel pump
(Hopefully M54B30 swap coming sooner than later)
Exhaust:
Stock manifold with custom exhaust done by previous owner
Transmission:
Stock
Motul Motyl Gear 75w80
Differential:
Stock
Suspension:
KW V1 coilovers (complete strut solution)
New front wheel bearings
New front and back top mounts
(Complete suspension refresh coming soon)
(Have rear brake discs trailing arm waiting to go in)
Wheels:
15x7 et 24 Euroweaves refinished in BMW 144 FelgenSilber
Toyo TM1 205/55-R15 tires
Exterior modifications:
Front OEM IS lip painted in satin black
OEM IS trunk spoiler
Shadowline trim
New front and rear bumper trim
Restored side moldings
New Hella headlights (driver side new high beam coming from Latvia)
New OEM tail lights
New glass on ZKW fog lights
AMMO Reflex and Skin
(Shadowline OEM manual antenna waiting to go in)
Interior modifications:
Italvolanti Indianapolis Formel in 350mm
ZHP 5 speed gear knob
Carpet was deep cleaned out of the car
Black headliner
Sunroof converted to manual
Story behind the car:
One summer night, six years ago, walking towards a dance club in Punta del Este a random “old” BMW was doing some donuts and pulls in a deserted car park. I was immediately struck by how that car looked and sounded, of course that car was a 325i E30. By that time I was only 16, we can’t drive until we are 18, but that didn’t stop me obsessing over E30s and of course by the time I was 18 I knew I wanted to own one. Luckily at that time we lived pretty far away from where I was going to class and public transport sucks over here, so thanks to my mom I was able to buy my first late model 2 door 316i E30. Of course it wasn’t 325i but at that time it was the coolest car I could have ever hoped for.
Of course after a while I wanted more power so I managed to get a late model 2 door 325i (assembled in Uruguay, more on that on my build thread). It wasn’t in as good as shape as the first 316i but it was good enough, everything I needed was the M20 and of course a new exhaust. Daily driving an E30 in Uruguay is quite hard because they get stolen all the time since a lot of people tend to buy shady parts. Because of that and moving to a new apartment with parking space for one car, the 325i got sold and I thought I wasn’t going to have an E30 for a long time (oh boy was I wrong).
Fast forward a year and while traveling Europe with a friend he told me was going to accept an offer, I was willing to match, for his late model 2 door 325i. Once again I ended up with another E30.. About a year later another friend asks me if I’m willing to sell him my car and after a couple months of insistence I ended selling him that car. At the time I thought it was the last E30 I was going to own in a very long time but of course once again I was wrong, guess the E30 bug is real.
Like many enthusiasts I tend to search for E30s daily on MercadoLibre (our eBay or craigslist) and one afternoon I saw a post that caught my eye. E30s assembled in Germany are quite rare over here and they’re generally in better shape (less rust) and the car listed was a 316i so I knew it wasn’t assembled over here. That same afternoon I met up with the seller and we agreed upon a price and the rest is history.
My friends and I call him Walter, because of Walter White. It’s a car that came from Switzerland imported by a diplomatic and being a 316i even if you get on it all the time you won’t hurt the car so it was in very good shape. Not even after a month I got I took it apart so the body shop could respray it and fix every last bit of rust. I recently finished assembling it using as many new parts as my wallet could afford and I think it turned out better than expected. I’ve been working on cars only for a couple of years and everything I know was self taught or following a DIY guide, so it was quite an achievement to do this kind of work.
Plans for the future are swapping a M54B30 with ideally a 6 speed gearbox, LSD, power steering and possibly A/C. I want to keep it looking clean and stock but with a lot more go than the mighty M40.
Build thread is
here
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