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The BMW 3 series is a darling of the tuner set, especially when it comes to the E30s. Perhaps it’s the car’s pure driving experience or it could be those looking to relive a part of their childhood, coming of age when these cars were in showrooms. The first 3 series, the E21, tends to get a bit of a cold shoulder when it comes to enthusiasts, perhaps because it was only offered here with the 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine. Competent a car as it might have been, we were deprived the tasty 2.3 liter inline-6 that we see here in this 323i for sale in California. Looking sharp in black, this car has just enough flair to give it that period 1980s Beverly Hills look without going too overboard.
The BMW E30 3 series could be considered the German equivalent of the mid fifties small block V8 powered Chevrolet. A lot of them were produced, they have a strong enthusiast following and a large aftermarket scene allows owners a variety of ways to customize their ride. Case in point this 1989 325is brought to us from our reader Mark with fifteen52. This E30 has 150,000 miles on the clock, but has been maintained to a high standard. The suspension has been warmed over, brakes have been upgraded and the signature fifteen52 Tarmac alloys are included in the package. This car is on offer in Colorado and is ready to go for its next owner.
Unless you’re going to do an engine swap, it seems like part of the charm of the E30 is that their power never outdid the chassis. Even with the range-topping M3, people call it underpowered (right after they sacrifice their first born to the car gods in hopes they might get one). So, if it’s a great chassis with too little power, why not accept it and get a little flingable toy? That’s exactly what the 318is was, a great looking sports sedan with less power than my 1988 Toyota pickup (which are not exactly known for their gusto). So, when I saw a red 318is for sale at $6k, I thought “ooh, great deal on a fun E30!” While not too long ago $6k would have bought a lot of E30, that is clearly no longer the case.
Tread carefully, dear readers, for this ad is full of fail. Happy Friday!
When BMW upped its game in the E36 chassis with the introduction of the M3, specialty tuner Alpina answered with the B3 3.0 and later 3.2 in step with BMW. The successor of the slightly less powerful B6 model, the B3 kept many of the same improvements to the E36 chassis – unique stabilizers, springs and shocks, and larger brakes. Inside the B3 received the normal Alpina-style shift knob, steering wheel and seats, and in their typical style Alpina provided unique front and rear spoilers along with their own badging. Of course, the package was rounded out by some of the best looking wheels ever fitted to a BMW. While the B3 was down on power to the European M3 3.2, it wasn’t really much slower – again in typical Alpina fashion, the car was tuned to make the most of the power that was available rather than just provide a shockingly high output number. A reported 1,000 of these ultra-exclusive B3s were produced, with about 2/3rds of those being the earlier 3.0 model. With only 342 of the 3.2 produced, the pool is already very exclusive on these. Add a manual transmission when most are automatic, special order Dakar Yellow paint and a cabriolet model, and this is among the most exclusive Alpinas ever made.
The E30 M3 mythology continues to grow unabated, with more articles and videos attesting to its perfection coming out each month. As this was the BMW that caught my eye and got me hooked almost 20 years ago, I can’t say that I’ve stopped believing either. The ludicrous prices have made it hard to have dreams seem like anything more than that these days, yet every time I see an M3 like this one, a little voice starts chirping in the back of my head, trying to calculate what it would take to come up with the cash and live the dream. It looks outstanding in Schwarz with Sport Evo bumpers and spoiler – those red stripes are a nice piece of flare to accompany the massive flares and wing. The history has a few holes as the block was replaced but there aren’t any details. If there were, however, it’d probably be for sale for even MORE money. Let’s see… if I sold the E28 and a kidney and drained my savings…
