Tuesday 2nd November 2010

Gama E30 V8-S: An Old 3-Series, Only Faster

For those who like the E30 BMW 3-series, but don't think it has quite enough bite...

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The definition of 'sleeper'...

This unassuming white E30 BMW might look like a humble 3-series, albeit one that's had a bit of track tweaking, but underneath the bonnet lurks a bit of a surprise - because beneath that nose-hinged bonnet lurks a rather special motor.

You see, this car has been converted into a V8 3-series by Banbury-based outfit Gama Cars, who are in the process of building 50 E30 3-series cars with chunky V8s shoehorned in.

"The idea behind the E30 V8s came from a love for E30s but a slight disappointment that they struggled to keep up with more modern cars," says Gama's technical director, Gregg Alvarez. "So we decided to build the E30 V8-S you see in the pictures and then produce 50 more as either complete cars or as an engine conversion if you already have an E30 you love."

...because this is a 4.0-litre V8

Gama will drop in a 4.0-litre or 4.4-litre V8, the 400bhp 5.0-litre V8 from the E39 BMW M5 or even a GM LS-series V8 - and there is the option of a supercharger too. "We are in the middle of building a 4.4 supercharged touring for a customer at the moment with a target of 440bhp," says Gregg.

The car in these pictures has a 4.0 M60 V8 and a six-speed manual gearbox. It has, says Gama, recorded a 0-60mph sprint of 4.7secs and a 0-100mph time of 10.2secs, while power is estimated at about 315bhp and 310lbft of torque.

If you want to add a few more cylinders to your E30, a conversion starts at around £7000, but is 'fully customisable to customer spec' - so the sky is the limit in spec and price terms. Every part (engine-wise) that goes in is genuine BMW, while all the other parts to link the engine and drivetrain are fabricated in-house.

 

[vdubbin]

Brilliant, the yanks have been dropping in SBCs for a while now, nice to see BMW V8s used here.

Are those ATS Cups painted black I see?

[E36GUY]

Want. That is all.

[cliffie]

So a £7,000 conversion on a £500 car? Makes the £5k supercharger conversion on an £8k VX220 look plausible.

[DannyVTS]

vdubbin said:

Brilliant, the yanks have been dropping in SBCs for a while now, nice to see BMW V8s used here.

Are those ATS Cups painted black I see?

I was trying to work that out aswell, i think they are cups

[whiteonyx]

what is the point! buy a v8 and tune that. why such a slow 0-60 time?

[Chicane-UK]

Fan-tastic. I bet it's an absolute riot!

[powerhungry]

love it great idea e30s are so cool

[sneijder]

That's got 'Bank Job' written all over it.

Very nice vehicle.

[TheEnd]

They are going to make 50?

[MarJay]

Plus points, power, weight.

minus points, handling, safety.

Still... Want.

[JonRB]

whiteonyx said:

what is the point!

The point is "a love for E30s but a slight disappointment that they struggled to keep up with more modern cars," according Gama's technical director, Gregg Alvarez.

[daveco]

For some reason sticking a V8 (particularly a yank V8) in an E30 strikes me as wrong.

[MrPickle]

I once bumped into a young lad many years ago who'd dropped a landy V8 in his E30. I always hankered after a V8 e30 since.
It'd have to be badged as a 316 though

[daveco]

JonRB said:

whiteonyx said:

what is the point!

The point is "a love for E30s but a slight disappointment that they struggled to keep up with more modern cars," according Gama's technical director, Gregg Alvarez.

Maybe the point of the E30 is that it doesn't keep up with modern cars and offers a completely different driving experience that's possibly more rewarding?

[c0ldpl4ya]

i cant really see this working, as big as fan base as the e30 has i cant see many people with a £500 car willing to spend £7k to make it faster??

[bob1179]

I love it, though I'm not keen on the wheels.

I'd want mine to look totally standard.

[jas xjr]

c0ldpl4ya said:

i cant really see this working, as big as fan base as the e30 has i cant see many people with a £500 car willing to spend £7k to make it faster??

would you get a nice solid one for £500 though?

[E36GUY]

MarJay said:

minus points, handling....

Eh? E30s handle beautifully. Admittedly a V8 may upset the balance forward a touch but I wouldn't say handling would be a minus.

Having said that, if you're dropping a V8 into a 316 there will be issues. Does the Gama converstion include suspension and braking upgrades which will be required?

[TEKNOPUG]

c0ldpl4ya said:

i cant really see this working, as big as fan base as the e30 has i cant see many people with a £500 car willing to spend £7k to make it faster??

Does the £7k include all the work required to the chassis, drivetrain and brakes in order to safely exploit the extra power and torque? If so, that's not a bad price.

If it's just to source and install the engine, then I can't imagine they'll have many takers @ £7k.

[seefarr]

Bah. V8s are for wimps. You need at least a V10:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4515333