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Good friend's cool E30 M3 track car

2K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  bmwdirtracer 
#1 ·
Hi guys,

A little diversion....Tony, I'm thinking of your post about being underwhelmed by the E30 M3.

Once again, I'm doing a yearly service on a magnificent E30 M3 full race track car, owned, and driven magnificently by one of the Head Instructors of Tarheel BMWCCA chapter. This car is absolutely lovely -- yes, I've driven it with great brio, on track.

Note that it's super light, all racetrack, and, um, the modified M52TU gives it serious torque, at about the same weight as the iron S14.

By the way, I'll be using an E39 M5 at our April 1-3 HPDE at VIR. Friday is instructor's day. I am likely to buy this car, if my boss doesn't miss a downshift and blow it up that weekend....he's a student at this event, first time on track.

I'm hoping Friday brings rain......I love the wet!
 

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#10 ·
Having a great driving experience isn't all about high top speed...

(I've no idea what the engine is under the hood BTW, but the car looks like a load of fun to me)
 
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#11 ·
The engine is a modified 1998 M52, 2.8. M3 S52 valvetrain. Lovely stainless headers, underdrive pulleys, baffled sump, big oil cooler, Zionsville aluminum rad, M50 manifold, very custom tune. Suspension by Koni/ Ground Control, Treetop, you name it. It's lovely, fast and a ball to drive. That carbon fiber adjustable rear wing flap allows this car to go flat out through the uphill esses at VIR.
 
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#14 ·
EXCUSE ME?

This is a good friend's track car, did I mention that? He's been teaching people the fine driving arts, all his life, and he built a car, just for that. It's a VERY FINE DAMNED CAR, and you're going to demean it, because he swapped the damned tach, or chose to put an aluminum M52 in it, rather than spend fifteen thousand dollars rebuilding or replacing UNOBTANIUM?

Very nice, thanks guys.
 
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#21 ·
either way the 2.8 is a beauty of an engine, in my old e36 328i wagon it had the M50 inlet fitted, a lightened M20 flywheel/clutch with an Alpina exhaust system it did 230bhp no messing and was great on fuel. It flew, my friend has it in his E30 track car now..............

S52 stock cams are fairly tame also in spec from what i've read, schrick do some more spikey ones that might be better suited to track work
 
#22 ·
Okay, sorry, my friends, I should not have bitten anyone's head off for being purist. I sincerely apologize. I am a 40% purist, 100% racer. Of course, I bow -- from the waist -- to the S14 -- 2/3 of the S38. But yes, this M52 is Z3 origin, aluminum block. And properly modded......

My very best friend, on Maui, owns a 40k mile S14 E30M3,,,,and a Euro-motored S50B32 6 speed E36 M3, 3.9 diff,, major mods.....all of which I installed. And he owns a no sunroof E46 M3 too, major suspension type mods.

No one throws away an S14, or disregards its magnificence. Yet, if the lovely thing is needing a $14,000 rebuild, and there's an aluminum M52 which can provide the same power and more torque, for 1/4 of the price....why not pass along the S14 to someone who can afford to be a purist, resurrect his PURE E30 M3, and leave the track car to go really damned fast, using a very fine BMW motor?

I have nothing but admiration for this track car.....I have driven it full tilt, on track, it is lovely.
 
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