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.
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.Edited by Mark-insert old BMW on Friday 18th April 13:39
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