Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Here’s a beautiful E30 M3 with a great color combo. The Lachssilber is a very nice, fresh repaint that really makes this look like the 80s streetfighter that it is. The cardinal red interior makes for a desirable combo. The nearly 10/10 exterior and a good interior hide the 148k miles, which seems like a lot for the asking price. All’s fair in love and E30 M3 selling though…
Let me go on record as stating that I personally have no problems with replica cars. Especially when you consider the price of exclusive originals or cars that are non-existent, tributes and replicas offer people the opportunity to see cars they would otherwise never get to experience. Several of the Auto Union Grand Prix cars, for example, have been built as exacting replicas of the originals that no longer exist; see them in the flesh, and they’ll make your spine tingle just as much as if Nuvolari or Rosemeyer had piloted them originally. But then there’s a secondary tier of making replica cars that are either just expensive or hard to come by; Sport Quattros, S2s, AMG and Ruf models as well as the exclusive RS have always been popular, and an increasing trend over the past few years has been replica M3s. Of course, when the real deal is only a few thousand dollars, making a replica isn’t economically viable. But prop the price up to near six figures, and suddenly the pain and expensive of creating a replica becomes not only popular, but perhaps even lucrative:
The E30 before it, the E36 chassis BMW quickly became a fan-favorite for affordable, practical, and sporting German motoring. From nearly its inception I can recall tuned and tweaked models showing up at the track. Relatively easy engine swaps, a plethora of aftermarket tuner and support and with a ton of them produced, it’s easy to see why the E36 is a popular choice for enthusiasts. That said, we’ve seen just about every conceivable swap completed and nearly every permutation of E36 cross these pages; but once in a while, one really stands out. Or, in this case, two:
Ah, the E30 M3. Already the stuff of legends before the recent price surge, the original small M that was a revolution on the race track has similarly revolutionized values of mid-1980s German cars. Not only has the E30 M3 increased monumentally in value, but in fact it has pulled up nearly the entire BMW lineup along with it. It’s not alone, though – other rare performance German cars have been ascending alongside it. From the Quattro to the 500E, once cheaply attainable and fun cars are suddenly the stuff of speculation. Is the trend sustainable? The early 911 would seem to indicate it is; after all, there are only so many E30 M3s left today and there are many more people that want them than good examples. Just the other day, I finally stopped with my wife at an example I had eyed for many years – 7, to be exact. In that entire time, it had never moved – it’s just sitting under some pine trees off the beaten path in the woods of Rhode Island. Why did I finally stop? Well, there’s a part of me that would love to have an E30 M3 – but there’s more of me that hoped I could flip it and get enough money to buy some cars that I could drive and enjoy off the proceeds. Needless to say, I didn’t walk away with it; as with many, the owner “knows what it’s worth” and is hoping to restore it to former glory once again.
When he does, there’s a fair chance it may hit the market just like this 1988 Europameister example. Originally a limited-production model of 148 examples built from October to December 1988 to celebrate the European Touring Car Championship of Roberto Ravaglia. Ironically, despite being named to commemorate a racing car, the Europameisters were mostly fully loaded luxury variants of the E30. Being one of the lowest production variants of the E30 M3 in great condition and with ridiculously low miles, you can bet it won’t be cheap – and it’s not.
When you have effectively the exact same car as many thousands of other enthusiasts, it’s hard to stand out. Countless Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Volkswagen enthusiasts try their best to personalize cars, but the reality is that even when you select numerous individual details your car is still one of many that are probably pretty similar. One solution is to buy a car that’s fairly obscure and modify it to your liking; but you’ll struggle to have a car that’s like new and probably won’t function well as a daily driver. If you want something new, reliable and with a warranty, your options are limited – that is, of course, until you select some of the special options offered by Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and BMW. All will paint your brand new car either one of their options outside of the normal color pallet for an additional fee; for a lot extra, they’ll even paint it any shade you can find anywhere. It’s an expensive option – but if I were thinking long term, it’s one I’d probably select. Chose wisely, and you’ll end up with a stunning package – one like this Java Green 2013 M3 Individual: