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Motorsports Monday: E30-off – 1989 v. 1990 BMW 325i

A funny thing happens when you go to the track often. People arrive with generally a slower car in stock form. The immediate experience most have, once hooked on heading to the track, is that their driving is not the limiting factor, but the speed of their car. So the story goes, with searches of the internet resulting in stiffer suspension, chips and exhaust, engine mapping and dyno runs, camber plates and coil-overs, sticky rubber and the lightest wheels possible – even if they’re ugly. Why? All in the quest of speed. However, once those drivers get towards the top, a few strange realizations occurs: first, there will always be someone with more money (often, a lot more) who will turn up at the track with a weapon capable of making your turned up and tuned up ride look positively slow. The second is more profound – the guys in the slow cars are coming off track with bigger smiles. It’s simply very satisfying to drive a slow car fast, and it turns out that those drivers get closer to the edge and experience a more pure driving experience. Anyone can plunk down $110,000 at your Nissan dealership and go and let the car set fast lap times. But it takes panache to take a step back and enjoy an older, slower car – to hone your skills and make yourself a better driver. While there are several cars from the 1980s that will afford you that opportunity, arguably the most popular in the German car realm is the venerable E30:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 BMW 325i on eBay


Year: 1989
Model: 325i
Engine: 2.5 liter inline-6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: Not Listed
Price: $7,999 Buy It Now

Up for auction is a nice example of a 1989 BMW 325i. This car has been prepped for the street or track. It mostly conforms to Spec E30 class but please consult the official class rules as this car could have certain items that are not allowed for that particularly racing class! 🙂
This car was built by air cooled classics in Knoxville, Tn.

This car is still filly street legal. I am not certain if it will pass emissions because I do not live in an area that requires emissions testing.

It has a full cage. It still has factory oem dash and door panels.

This car has a fresh engine by Markert Motorsports in Atlanta Ga. The car has one autocross on it and about 25 miles of testing at Roebling Road in Savannah Ga. ( Our home track). We noticed that at full operating temperature the oil pressure sags and the engine taps at full throttle and full load. It has good oil pressure cold and all the way up to max temperature and load. The engine does not tap when cold or at part throttle or low rpm. This could be a minor problem or a major problem. Worst case scenario is that you buy a used engine from Craig’s list and swap the engine out. These E30 engines range from $350 – 850 in [priced for a good running used. I honestly have not had time to sort the car or look at it since our short test session at Roebling. The car has many hours of work and lots of nice tasteful mods. This car would make a killer chump car or Lemons racer. Its perfect for the street legal weekend track days and DE track day events.

Check out the list of mods below and the large photos below the mod list!

call or text 404-590-7828 with any questions!

Video link to start up. ( copy and paste this into a browser!!)

Basic parts list breakdown:

Omp rspt2 seat with halo in drivers seat
Kirky in passenger
G-force harnesses…
Race steering column with adj mount and removable wheel.
Turner short shifter
Turner clutch+flywheel
4.10 lsd and spare stock open diff
2.5 M20B25 motor fresh rebuild by Markert motorsports (paid $2k, ran one track day) – More details above
se30 airbox
se30 exhaust
Battery kill switch
Push start button panel with 5 misc switches
Radio removed to install gauges. oil temp, oil pressure, coolant temp.
Front brake ducting
Hawk hps pads
Eibach springs with GC coilovers
Bilstein shocks
Sway bars with adj end links
Shock towers notched and front caster/camber plates
Rear strut tower bar
Longer Heavy duty wheel studs
HID’s
Fresh tune up ( plugs wires cap rotor etc)
K&N air filter
K&N oil filter
Fresh fuel tank
Fresh fuel pump
Fresh fuel filter
Rolled inner fender lips
15×7 Kosei K1 with new Dunlop tires ( about 75 miles on them) ( mounted in Feb 2015 so they are fresh)

Not installed:

Fire suppression system is new.
Aftermarket long tube header 6-2-1 exhaust 2.5″ ( good sound )
1 – spare open diff
2 front used extra rotors

This red 1989 example has been built mostly to conform to the popular Spec E30 class, but nicely it retains the ability to drive to the track on the street. I built my Audi GT similarly, though truth told I retained a bit more of the interior than this builder did for a touch more civility. Dual seats and harnesses mean that it’s ideal for driver’s education; heavy duty suspension and upgraded brakes mean the money was spent in the right areas. The cage looks stout and overall, and while $8,000 may seem like a lot for a slightly tired 1989 BMW, it’s relatively cheap when you’re talking about track cars – and to put it into perspective, it’s about the same amount as some sets of wheels for Porsche GT3s.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1990 BMW 325i on eBay


Year: 1990
Model: 325i
Engine: 2.5 liter inline-6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: “11,111” mi
Price: No Reserve Auction

Up for sale my E30 BMW. I have owned this car for over 3 years and has been used for local track days and instruction. A North Carolina car and rust free.

Body is coupe and shows some external dings but nothing major. Engine is a Munich crate engine which had approximately 6 hours on it when purchased and now probably 12 hours. You could eat your breakfast of it, it is spotless, nay a work of art. Car pulls well though all gears and stops as it should. Lowered suspension at front adjustable for how you like to drive. Car on Panasports and Toyo Proxyes with plenty of tread left. Seats/belts are now out of date so are fine for track days but not if you intend to race at sanctioned events.

With values of these cars rising I will answer the question of what is needed to make it street legal? At present it would need window mechanisms as currently has perspex door windows.

Car is part of a race school as you can see from other pictures but selling as 3 year old daughter takes most of my time.

On Apr-19-15 at 12:31:54 PDT, seller added the following information:

A little more purpose-built than the 1989 example, this 1990 has gone a step closer to racing; however, that also means it’s a step farther away from the street. Depending on where you live, that may not matter; some states will flat out refuse to inspect a car with a cage, while others require no inspection on older cars at all. In Rhode Island, for example, you could now register this 1990 325i as a “Antique”, meaning no inspection and cheaper insurance as long as it wasn’t your primary vehicle to get to work. Well, if you don’t work at the track, than that would certainly be true – though in its current state I’m not sure how comfortable the ride to the track would be. Details of the suspension would be nice but it’s obviously lowered and likely quite stiffer than stock. The engine bay is much better turned out than the ’89 and it looks slightly nicer inside as well; the Panasports are an interesting look but not quite as purposeful as the Kosei wheels on the other hand. However, if you’re a betting man this car might be the solution for you – the seller has listed it at no reserve, meaning it might go quite inexpensively.

Either of these 325s are affordable track options with plenty of life left and would offer the next owner an entertaining education at the track whilst keeping your road car much more comfortable!

-Carter