Discussion
Well I can't deny that the past six months has been difficult and thrown up some very real challenges. Both physical and psychological, the latter of which has been the most difficult. Especially when it comes to acceptance around my ability (or the lack of) when it comes to work. I went from being quite comfortable in being able to ''play with cars'' and go to various track days and testing days, which would enable me to spend hours doing laps of Brands Hatch and the like. I wasn't what you'd call wealthy but I was certainly fortunate and much luckier than some. Everything changed when I was diagnosed with Cellulitis. A banging headache, a temperature of 40 degrees and confusion. I wasn't immediately aware of the confusion until I saw it in my partners face! I thought I was saying one thing, but she heard another and I found the whole situation really hard to cope with. A paramedic attended the house and an ambulance eventually took me to hospital. Bed rest and some pretty fierce antibiotics saw me get over the worst symptoms pretty quickly but once you've had Cellulitis once you become more susceptible to getting it again. My most recent bout of illness saw me go on to develop Sepsis and I was bedridden for a couple of months over Christmas and New Year. This meant the muscle in my legs pretty much wasted away and when I was discharged back in January I was unable to walk more than a few steps with a zimmer frame. I still have to attend my local surgery twice weekly to have my lower legs wrapped in compression bandages and that has been for well over 2 years now. I've been doing regular exercises and I can walk a fair bit further now and have just graduated from zimmer frame to crutches! It's slow going though! Mind you, it's good to be stood upright and I can still push a clutch pedal and drive and that's the important thing!
So being in hospital for two months afforded me time to peruse the internet looking at cars I couldn't afford. I have a thing for old BMW's but the prices have just got ridiculous. Even E21 3 series, which not many people even liked ten years ago, are fetching £10K plus and an 02 will be £15K plus! I couldn't even afford a project car, let alone something I had half a chance of getting back on the road. Basically I was searching for a car that would inspire me to keep pushing to recover! Something that didn't need lots of money, that I don't have, thrown at it and something that I might eventually be able to take to the Nurburgring! Well I think I found it...
So being in hospital for two months afforded me time to peruse the internet looking at cars I couldn't afford. I have a thing for old BMW's but the prices have just got ridiculous. Even E21 3 series, which not many people even liked ten years ago, are fetching £10K plus and an 02 will be £15K plus! I couldn't even afford a project car, let alone something I had half a chance of getting back on the road. Basically I was searching for a car that would inspire me to keep pushing to recover! Something that didn't need lots of money, that I don't have, thrown at it and something that I might eventually be able to take to the Nurburgring! Well I think I found it...
All the best with continued recovery.
I love e30s, it looks nice from that shot. Look forward to seeing a few more pics and what you do with it.
My neighbour has a lovely bog standard e30 316 in a rare and very fetching blue.
I would love another e21 but prices seem to have rocketed in recent years like you say.
I love e30s, it looks nice from that shot. Look forward to seeing a few more pics and what you do with it.
My neighbour has a lovely bog standard e30 316 in a rare and very fetching blue.
I would love another e21 but prices seem to have rocketed in recent years like you say.
Good to hear about your continued recovery!
Lovely engine in these and a great looking car. I had an E30 318is in red when about 5yrs old and I think I got a dodgy one that had loads of electrical issues and coolant leaks... I loved it as a car but hated the niggles. Hope yours treats you well!
Lovely engine in these and a great looking car. I had an E30 318is in red when about 5yrs old and I think I got a dodgy one that had loads of electrical issues and coolant leaks... I loved it as a car but hated the niggles. Hope yours treats you well!
Thank you for the kind wishes. I'm still in compression bandages on both legs and unfortunately I think it's likely I shall be for a while yet. It's a nuisance as it's another summer I'll miss where I cannot go swimming. I've got broken areas of skin on both ankles, so the risk of infection is just too great.
The ''baby M3'' name has been thrown around, in relation to the 318is, for years but other than both sharing four cylinder, sixteen valve engines there's no similarity really. That said, any E30 is a fun drive as they're a great chassis. I used to compete in both an E30 325i and an E30 M3 and both put big smiles on my face. Despite my love of BMW, a ''driving god'' I ain't, but do like a bit of oversteer! My 325i was lightened as much as possible, whilst still keeping it road legal and the M3 was more Club Sport specification. I was also lucky enough to have an Italian 320is but the s14/2,3 had been swapped out for an S50/3.0 from an E36 M3.
An E21 316 was my first dedicated track car and was originally built by Practical Classics magazine and taken to the Nurburgring. It was M42/1.9 powered and I added a dogleg gearbox, LSD etc.
I used it in sprint and hill climb events for a couple of years whilst I got some experience of track driving and competition.
After the E21 I bought an E30 325i which I lightened as much as I could. I added a six branch manifold and just serviced the M20/2.5 regularly, changing the oil after every outing. On Surrey Rolling Road's dyno it made a healthy 174bhp and it sounded glorious thanks to the Supersprint exhaust. Inside there was nothing but seat, harness, cage, extinguisher and a tiny digital display. I remember having to drive it down to Cornwall on a hot summers day and hitting traffic near Stone Henge. I had to open the door to waft cool air inside. Eventually I stopped and bought a 2 litre bottle that I cut up to fabricate something to direct cool air in through the tiny sliding window in the perspex window. It was a cracking car that I sold too cheaply but I felt ready for something with more power.
Before selling the 325i though, I used it to raise some donations to the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust who saved my life in December 2024.
The 320is had an S50/3.0 from an E36 M3 and looked great too! It felt properly quick on track and I had some good times at Brands Hatch and Llandow circuits. As I've said, I'm no driving god but this E30 flattered my driving. I only sold it because I wanted to buy my dream car.
In the early 90's I had a well thumbed AC Schnitzer catalogue and I would drool over the photos of their E30 M3. I'd seen them race at Brands Hatch and stood at Paddock Hill bend to watch them come barrelling towards me! Getting an E30 M3 of my own and driving it at Brands Hatch was about as good as it gets for me.
If you'd have told me I would eventually own four of them and compete in one of them, I'd have said you were mad! In fact I've owned five E30 M3's but the last one I only had for a few hours before it was sold to a Mr Harris, who had Rally Prep (here in Cornwall) build it into a Grp A rally car. So I have lots of memories related to E30 BMW's and hopefully 2025 will see me making a few more in my 318is.
The ''baby M3'' name has been thrown around, in relation to the 318is, for years but other than both sharing four cylinder, sixteen valve engines there's no similarity really. That said, any E30 is a fun drive as they're a great chassis. I used to compete in both an E30 325i and an E30 M3 and both put big smiles on my face. Despite my love of BMW, a ''driving god'' I ain't, but do like a bit of oversteer! My 325i was lightened as much as possible, whilst still keeping it road legal and the M3 was more Club Sport specification. I was also lucky enough to have an Italian 320is but the s14/2,3 had been swapped out for an S50/3.0 from an E36 M3.
An E21 316 was my first dedicated track car and was originally built by Practical Classics magazine and taken to the Nurburgring. It was M42/1.9 powered and I added a dogleg gearbox, LSD etc.
I used it in sprint and hill climb events for a couple of years whilst I got some experience of track driving and competition.
After the E21 I bought an E30 325i which I lightened as much as I could. I added a six branch manifold and just serviced the M20/2.5 regularly, changing the oil after every outing. On Surrey Rolling Road's dyno it made a healthy 174bhp and it sounded glorious thanks to the Supersprint exhaust. Inside there was nothing but seat, harness, cage, extinguisher and a tiny digital display. I remember having to drive it down to Cornwall on a hot summers day and hitting traffic near Stone Henge. I had to open the door to waft cool air inside. Eventually I stopped and bought a 2 litre bottle that I cut up to fabricate something to direct cool air in through the tiny sliding window in the perspex window. It was a cracking car that I sold too cheaply but I felt ready for something with more power.
Before selling the 325i though, I used it to raise some donations to the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust who saved my life in December 2024.
The 320is had an S50/3.0 from an E36 M3 and looked great too! It felt properly quick on track and I had some good times at Brands Hatch and Llandow circuits. As I've said, I'm no driving god but this E30 flattered my driving. I only sold it because I wanted to buy my dream car.
In the early 90's I had a well thumbed AC Schnitzer catalogue and I would drool over the photos of their E30 M3. I'd seen them race at Brands Hatch and stood at Paddock Hill bend to watch them come barrelling towards me! Getting an E30 M3 of my own and driving it at Brands Hatch was about as good as it gets for me.
If you'd have told me I would eventually own four of them and compete in one of them, I'd have said you were mad! In fact I've owned five E30 M3's but the last one I only had for a few hours before it was sold to a Mr Harris, who had Rally Prep (here in Cornwall) build it into a Grp A rally car. So I have lots of memories related to E30 BMW's and hopefully 2025 will see me making a few more in my 318is.
Thank you.
I've probably broken every rule of used car buying on more than one occasion and I certainly broke them with the incoming 318is. That said, I wasn't really spoilt for choice given that E30 prices have gone through the roof and my budget was tiny. In truth I would have struggled to buy an E30 at all were it not for the generosity of a few friends and forum members who very kindly ''chipped in''. Their kindness has made this car all the more special and I'm extremely grateful to them for helping me out. Another thing that makes this car a bit special to me is that it's the same model as we were able to buy Jim, who was my partners eldest son. Jim absolutely loved BMW's but he particularly loved the E30. He would chat to me about my M3's and always planned to replace his Peugeot 106 with an E30 once he'd saved enough funds. Unbeknown to Jim I did a deal on a white E30 318is that was high mileage, had a near perfect interior but was a little scabby around the edges. As soon as Jim saw it he was smitten and asked what I wanted for it?, but I tried putting him off and told him it needed bodywork repairs and an MOT. I basically suggested that he hold out for a better example and when it wasn't on the drive anymore I assume he just figured I'd sold it on? In actual fact his mum and I booked it in with Dave Jones at 'E21 Revival', a body shop near Potters Bar. I also ordered a pair of front wings, which were too scabby to be saved. Dave did a cracking job and we told Jim some story about needing him to do me a favour and help collect it when it was finished. I have no idea why he thought his mum was coming along but he definitely didn't guess what we were up to? The look on his face when he saw the freshly painted white E30 and we then handed him the keys was just fantastic. He was just like a kid at Christmas and he absolutely cherished that car, enjoying every mile that he put on it. He also resisted my urging him to modify it!
Sadly Jim died just a couple of years later, aged just 26, when an abscess on his brain led to SADS (Sudden Adult Death Syndrome). As you can imagine it was a terrible time for his whole family. Although part of me wanted to keep ''Jims' E30'' it was just too painful for his mum to see it sat on our drive whenever she turned into the street. A few years have passed (nearly 9 to be exact) but I still have fond memories of Jim and ''his E30''. We had a few E30's in his funeral procession and there are the times where he asked me to take him along some of the coast roads here in Cornwall. I don't think he'd been a passenger in a LHD car before and it wasn't long before he decided he'd had enough. Jim preferred a more sedate pace as a passenger. He loved how his E30 felt to drive though and I know he'd be chuffed to see that I had another. Jim was a lovely guy and is missed every day.
Jim's 318is remains in Cornwall and came up for sale recently. It still looks as good as ever.
I've probably broken every rule of used car buying on more than one occasion and I certainly broke them with the incoming 318is. That said, I wasn't really spoilt for choice given that E30 prices have gone through the roof and my budget was tiny. In truth I would have struggled to buy an E30 at all were it not for the generosity of a few friends and forum members who very kindly ''chipped in''. Their kindness has made this car all the more special and I'm extremely grateful to them for helping me out. Another thing that makes this car a bit special to me is that it's the same model as we were able to buy Jim, who was my partners eldest son. Jim absolutely loved BMW's but he particularly loved the E30. He would chat to me about my M3's and always planned to replace his Peugeot 106 with an E30 once he'd saved enough funds. Unbeknown to Jim I did a deal on a white E30 318is that was high mileage, had a near perfect interior but was a little scabby around the edges. As soon as Jim saw it he was smitten and asked what I wanted for it?, but I tried putting him off and told him it needed bodywork repairs and an MOT. I basically suggested that he hold out for a better example and when it wasn't on the drive anymore I assume he just figured I'd sold it on? In actual fact his mum and I booked it in with Dave Jones at 'E21 Revival', a body shop near Potters Bar. I also ordered a pair of front wings, which were too scabby to be saved. Dave did a cracking job and we told Jim some story about needing him to do me a favour and help collect it when it was finished. I have no idea why he thought his mum was coming along but he definitely didn't guess what we were up to? The look on his face when he saw the freshly painted white E30 and we then handed him the keys was just fantastic. He was just like a kid at Christmas and he absolutely cherished that car, enjoying every mile that he put on it. He also resisted my urging him to modify it!
Sadly Jim died just a couple of years later, aged just 26, when an abscess on his brain led to SADS (Sudden Adult Death Syndrome). As you can imagine it was a terrible time for his whole family. Although part of me wanted to keep ''Jims' E30'' it was just too painful for his mum to see it sat on our drive whenever she turned into the street. A few years have passed (nearly 9 to be exact) but I still have fond memories of Jim and ''his E30''. We had a few E30's in his funeral procession and there are the times where he asked me to take him along some of the coast roads here in Cornwall. I don't think he'd been a passenger in a LHD car before and it wasn't long before he decided he'd had enough. Jim preferred a more sedate pace as a passenger.
He loved how his E30 felt to drive though and I know he'd be chuffed to see that I had another. Jim was a lovely guy and is missed every day.Jim's 318is remains in Cornwall and came up for sale recently. It still looks as good as ever.
Edited by Mark-insert old BMW on Saturday 19th April 22:28
Whilst I wait to go collect the E30 I have been planning what I'd like to do with it and make it my own? Part of me wants to fit an M52/2.8 as it's not too hard to achieve a reliable 240bhp, much like we did with my old Laguna Seca blue E21. I say 'we' but all the hard work was done by Mick Rodgers of Pristine Bodyworks in Essex. All I did was say what I wanted, track down parts and foot the bill. What I would really like though, is a BMW S14/2.3 but they're now £8K+ just for the basic engine and getting it to make 240+ bhp would take a few thousand more! An alternative would be a Honda S2000 engine that would give nigh on 240bhp, rev to 9K and cost £5K+! A more realistic option though, is keep it old school and stick with either an M44 or an M20? An M44 would probably make more sense as it's most like the M42 the car came with from the factory. I could always fit ITB's and standalone later on and it would give me similar power as an M20 2.5 would and ITB induction noise! Mind you, an M20/2.5 on ITB's sounds pretty fruity! Decisions decisions! In the meantime, the car is fitted with a two litre M20 and I'll just stick to enjoying that whilst I save my pennies.
What I won't be sticking with though, is the aluminium chequer plate foot rests. I've never liked the look of chequer plate and I want to paint the floor pan anyway. I always intended to put carpet back in given that this will be mainly a road car but it would be nice to have a rust free and freshly painted floor underneath it. I bought this E30 on the word of the seller and some photographs (risky I know!) and he assures me that it's all solid. I intend stripping out what little interior remains and there's no chance that my lardy arse is fitting into those blue OMP bucket seats! I'll most likely go with a reclining bucket seat from Corbeau or Ridgard. I always liked Bob Ridgards seats from having them in my first ever track car. A 1974 BMW 2002tii that was put together by Eta Motorsport up in Kent. The owner, Geoff Weeks raced a pre production M535i E12 and was one of the people who got me into 02's. His then partner Alan Trindade put an M30/3.5 into an 02 touring which is still around today. Mind you, the current owner has developed it into a very different car.
This E30 was built for the MSV production championship by a previous owner but never used and has sat in dry storage ever since. There's some cosmetic rust on the front arches but the 'black art' of bodywork repairs isn't something I've ever mastered, so will need to be sorted by a local bodyshop. That said, I may have a go myself so long as I don't make matters worse! Hopefully I'm only 2 or 3 weeks away from making the journey up north so that I can trailer the car home. As I may have said previously, the good folk at Rally Prep have said that they'll help me recommission the E30 and get it MOT'd for the first time in a good few years. One of the first jobs will be replacing the tiny fuel cell that had been fitted with something that was custom made for an E30 and far more practical in terms of capacity.
I'm genuinely excited at the prospect of having another E30 and hopefully taking it to the Nurburgring eventually. I have a long way to go yet though, both with the E30 and with my health. I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to those of you that have helped me get here though. You know who you are. Thank you!
What I won't be sticking with though, is the aluminium chequer plate foot rests. I've never liked the look of chequer plate and I want to paint the floor pan anyway. I always intended to put carpet back in given that this will be mainly a road car but it would be nice to have a rust free and freshly painted floor underneath it. I bought this E30 on the word of the seller and some photographs (risky I know!) and he assures me that it's all solid. I intend stripping out what little interior remains and there's no chance that my lardy arse is fitting into those blue OMP bucket seats! I'll most likely go with a reclining bucket seat from Corbeau or Ridgard. I always liked Bob Ridgards seats from having them in my first ever track car. A 1974 BMW 2002tii that was put together by Eta Motorsport up in Kent. The owner, Geoff Weeks raced a pre production M535i E12 and was one of the people who got me into 02's. His then partner Alan Trindade put an M30/3.5 into an 02 touring which is still around today. Mind you, the current owner has developed it into a very different car.
This E30 was built for the MSV production championship by a previous owner but never used and has sat in dry storage ever since. There's some cosmetic rust on the front arches but the 'black art' of bodywork repairs isn't something I've ever mastered, so will need to be sorted by a local bodyshop. That said, I may have a go myself so long as I don't make matters worse! Hopefully I'm only 2 or 3 weeks away from making the journey up north so that I can trailer the car home. As I may have said previously, the good folk at Rally Prep have said that they'll help me recommission the E30 and get it MOT'd for the first time in a good few years. One of the first jobs will be replacing the tiny fuel cell that had been fitted with something that was custom made for an E30 and far more practical in terms of capacity.
I'm genuinely excited at the prospect of having another E30 and hopefully taking it to the Nurburgring eventually. I have a long way to go yet though, both with the E30 and with my health. I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to those of you that have helped me get here though. You know who you are. Thank you!
Firstly all the best with your health, sounds like you’ve been through the mill to say the least. You’ve had some amazing cars there, and I’m sure your latest E30 will help massively. I had the below car a few years ago which was very similar, built for the E30 championship using a 318is and putting an M20 engine and box in.
I look forward to following the story and seeing photos of the car at the ring one day!
I look forward to following the story and seeing photos of the car at the ring one day!
Falcuono said:
Liked the revy m42 more than the m44, not sure why.
Maybe the forged internals?
I never held either in particularly high-regard when they were new, however having had a blast in a BDS-tuned E36 318ti a couple of years ago it opened my eyes to what potential those engines have - totally changed the character of the car and the driving experience.Maybe the forged internals?
Falcuono said:
Liked the revy m42 more than the m44, not sure why.
Maybe the forged internals?
Nice project!
Agreed. They're a bit thin on the ground now though so I think I'll just have to go M44 unless anyone has an M42 laying around?Maybe the forged internals?
Nice project!
If I had the cash though, I'd go for this...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/387719905659?_skw=bmw+m...
@Macron - Thanks. Yes, I've picked up a bit of knowledge of these old BMW's over the years. My first ever BMW was a 1977 mint green 1502, that was a £200 shed from the px's on a car front in Maidstone. Actually it wasn't too bad but it wasn't exactly quick. I just loved the colour, the styling and the fact it was faster than my mates 1850 Dolomite!
205pat said:
Firstly all the best with your health, sounds like you’ve been through the mill to say the least. You’ve had some amazing cars there, and I’m sure your latest E30 will help massively. I had the below car a few years ago which was very similar, built for the E30 championship using a 318is and putting an M20 engine and box in.
I look forward to following the story and seeing photos of the car at the ring one day!
That looks like a pretty nice car you had there. Is it still around and on the road? I wonder how many of the old PBMW race cars are finding their way back onto the road now that E30 values are getting so strong? Especially 318is' which always attracted a premium. They always seemed to be either white, silver or red. I look forward to following the story and seeing photos of the car at the ring one day!
I think that I'm going to go with an M44 eventually, unless an M20/2.5 comes my way at a price I just cannot refuse. I know BDS achieve great gains when they tune them. Mind you, just fitting homemade ITB using S54 throttle bodies and a DTA standalone ECU had 160+bhp from the M44 we put in my old 1600-2 and it sounded lovely. Mind you, I do love the sound of an M20! There's a video of my old 325i track car taken from the pit wall at Brands Hatch on YouTube. I'll see if I can find it?
Some people say Brands Hatch is boring but I love the place.
https://youtu.be/13zaucC-2eU?si=CKQ3l3FKan-wTLMP&a...
Well around this time next week I should hopefully be arriving home with G716 VGD, my 318is race car. I have looked at having it collected and transported the 372 miles from near Bradford to my home here in Cornwall but the cost ranged from £450 to £760, so I'm going to borrow a trailer and go collect it myself. I must admit I'm not exactly looking forward to the 744 mile round trip but it was the only way I could get myself back into a 2 door E30 BMW. Or at least back into one that didn't need extensive restoration!
I spent an hour or two this morning giving my old VW Caddy some love. Because I have 3 dogs I've had a small van for a few years now as whatever car I had as a daily would be covered in dog hair no matter what precautions I took. When I took the rear seat bench out of my old 3 series it was absolutely full of old Labrador hair and sand from the beach. I've always liked VW vans and have had a couple of T5's over the years but they were out of budget. They fetch a premium down here because the surfers and yummy mummies love them! I actually spotted my Caddy on eBay and it was just within my meagre budget and only 10 miles away in St Austell. The seller had been swamped with calls but as I was local I got to view it first. Basically it had been used to go from Cornwall to London and back once a week. It had also had oil changes every 10k miles, recent tyres and was the longer wheelbase Maxi! Yes it had just over 300k miles on it but you'd never have known from the way it runs and drives. So it's now ready for the trip up north and I'm thinking that I'll most likely leave around 2am on Sunday. I've saved up a few of my favourite podcasts to keep me entertained and have a giant thermos flask to fill with coffee. I've even sorted some cushions to throw in the back for sleep breaks!
Hopefully the weather forecast is correct and I'll have good weather for the journey and a couple of days to get to know the car and go through it properly before I drop it to Rally Prep.
https://www.rallyprep.co.uk/
They know their E30's...
When I sold an old E30 M3...
It became something even more special.
I spent an hour or two this morning giving my old VW Caddy some love. Because I have 3 dogs I've had a small van for a few years now as whatever car I had as a daily would be covered in dog hair no matter what precautions I took. When I took the rear seat bench out of my old 3 series it was absolutely full of old Labrador hair and sand from the beach. I've always liked VW vans and have had a couple of T5's over the years but they were out of budget. They fetch a premium down here because the surfers and yummy mummies love them! I actually spotted my Caddy on eBay and it was just within my meagre budget and only 10 miles away in St Austell. The seller had been swamped with calls but as I was local I got to view it first. Basically it had been used to go from Cornwall to London and back once a week. It had also had oil changes every 10k miles, recent tyres and was the longer wheelbase Maxi! Yes it had just over 300k miles on it but you'd never have known from the way it runs and drives. So it's now ready for the trip up north and I'm thinking that I'll most likely leave around 2am on Sunday. I've saved up a few of my favourite podcasts to keep me entertained and have a giant thermos flask to fill with coffee. I've even sorted some cushions to throw in the back for sleep breaks!
Hopefully the weather forecast is correct and I'll have good weather for the journey and a couple of days to get to know the car and go through it properly before I drop it to Rally Prep.
https://www.rallyprep.co.uk/
They know their E30's...
When I sold an old E30 M3...
It became something even more special.
Edited by Mark-BMW-E30-318is on Monday 5th May 09:13
Well the Caddy is ready and tomorrow evening I’ll be heading up to Bradford to collect my E30. I figured that I’d drive up in the evening, crash out in the back and arrive for 8:30am Sunday so that I’ve got all day for a leisurely drive home. It’s around 700 miles door to door I think? 
So I left Truro around 5:30pm on Saturday and eventually reached my destination in Bradford some 12 hours later due to regular exercise breaks that my health issues dictate. I tried to get some sleep on route but without much success. In the end though, I was just keen to get the journey over with but managed to doze in the early morning sunshine whilst I waited for the seller to have his cornflakes and finally arrive at his garage at around 8am. Any haggling was done months ago from my hospital bed so it was just a case of firing the E30 up and getting it on the trailer to start the journey home. Happy days!
The journey back was what one might call eventful. Just as I approached what I think was junction 9 of the M5 I noticed a car attempting to join the motorway against the flow of traffic. If honest it took a moment for me to compute what it was I was actually seeing but I then flashed my headlights like a lunatic and sounded my horn, just in time to see the look of sheer panic on the drivers face as they skidded to a halt a few yards before actually joining the motorway! I passed them by but assume they must have done a hurried U turn and then stopped for new underwear? I stopped myself a little later and finally fell asleep in the back of the Caddy for about 4 hours. I'd opened both side doors so there was quite a pleasant breeze to keep things cool. I felt much better after some much needed sleep and pressed on for home. Eventually though, I kept seeing some very cool and unusual cars in the surrounding traffic and remembered it had been the Retro Rides Weekender. Next thing I hear is a T5 pulling alongside and it's being driven by a Cornwall dweller pal and fellow E30 owner. He has a very special LS powered M3 and he called, via Mark C. and offered to tow my car the rest of the way home. Happy days! I finally got to bed around 10pm and was absolutely shattered. I think my doctor would have called the whole trip ''ill advised'' but I finally have an E30 again.
Now I need to take a proper look at what exactly I've bought myself...
The S14 has been replaced with an LS V8.
The journey back was what one might call eventful. Just as I approached what I think was junction 9 of the M5 I noticed a car attempting to join the motorway against the flow of traffic. If honest it took a moment for me to compute what it was I was actually seeing but I then flashed my headlights like a lunatic and sounded my horn, just in time to see the look of sheer panic on the drivers face as they skidded to a halt a few yards before actually joining the motorway! I passed them by but assume they must have done a hurried U turn and then stopped for new underwear? I stopped myself a little later and finally fell asleep in the back of the Caddy for about 4 hours. I'd opened both side doors so there was quite a pleasant breeze to keep things cool. I felt much better after some much needed sleep and pressed on for home. Eventually though, I kept seeing some very cool and unusual cars in the surrounding traffic and remembered it had been the Retro Rides Weekender. Next thing I hear is a T5 pulling alongside and it's being driven by a Cornwall dweller pal and fellow E30 owner. He has a very special LS powered M3 and he called, via Mark C. and offered to tow my car the rest of the way home. Happy days! I finally got to bed around 10pm and was absolutely shattered. I think my doctor would have called the whole trip ''ill advised'' but I finally have an E30 again.
Now I need to take a proper look at what exactly I've bought myself...
The S14 has been replaced with an LS V8.
Edited by Mark-BMW-E30-318is on Wednesday 14th May 20:26
Saw this in the "BMW" thread and was going to demand a thread, but here we are 
A very fond place in my heart for E30's, I've not been fortunate enough as you to own an M3 let alone 4.5, but have had 2x iS' and loved them. Light, RWD and a revvy 16v what could go wrong!?
Looking forward to progress (car and you)!
A very fond place in my heart for E30's, I've not been fortunate enough as you to own an M3 let alone 4.5, but have had 2x iS' and loved them. Light, RWD and a revvy 16v what could go wrong!?
Looking forward to progress (car and you)!
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