E30 325i Rag-Top

Probably yes, I am running F20 rims on the wife’s E87 and they are a very nice fit imho. From the reading I did the sizing and offsets between the two 1 Series generations was very similar, although I don’t think I checked style 385 specifically.

There’s already a seperate thread on this one in the TradeMe section, “E30 320is” surprisingly. Worthy of it’s own thread tbh.

In spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to… getting the ‘vert ready for summer. A few little jobs to do for the warrant, plus a bit of a tidy up underneath and a refresh where needed. First up, exhaust off to fix the two spots where it’s blowing..

That link (if you get it to work) won’t show you how many 4.6is were built for NZ, it will only show how many 4.6is are still registered in NZ and the owners have their information details set to public.

Yup, that’s him. He bought it off the guy who imported it, and owned it up until fairly recently. I believe this is the only one in NZ, as another one has never shown up in the rego information and I have never seen or heard of one - if there is another it’s a very well kept secret. My race car is entered as a 320iS but I’ve only got the drivetrain, not the whole thing unfortunately.

Yes, produced in much lower numbers, under 4,000 units total, than the M3, with over 17,000, as they were only sold in Portugal and Italy as the seller says due to the tax laws for new cars in those countries. These were a real secret for a while, due to their limited numbers, but gradually became more wider known and as the E30 M3s went into inflation mode these became more popular and the prices have correspondingly gone into orbit. Were made in 2-door and 4-door and personally I would say the 2 door would be the one to own, with the M-Tech 2 kit. Whilst it is 300cc smaller than the M3 engine the S14B20 is only a couple of bhp down due to higher compression ratio, but is a bit further down on torque, but then you have to rev an S14 to get the best out of it anyway (well that's my excuse...) The person who originally imported this car into NZ is a good friend of mine, and a few of my spare and surplus parts have been fitted onto this car, not that it was in need of much! Really is a stunning example in the flesh, and the next owner was also a BMW nut who has kept it in tip top condition. Pricing is well up there, as it should be for this car, hopefully someone who recognises what this is will snap it up (outside my current budget unfortunately or I would be all over it). That rocker cover does need a clean up an re-paint with a new oill filler cap though, as that is such a stand out point in the engine bay with the "M Power" lettering. Would cost a few $$$s but well worth it I would suggest.

Photo credit listed at top, from Insta.

Which production numbers, the totals produced for the whole world, or numbers built specifically for NZ?

Check your vehicle details on RealOEM and find the part numbers then see which vehicles those parts fit on, just to be safe. They might all bolt in, but not work exactly the same which is not ideal when it comes to brakes. Due to the variety of brake options and sizes across the E46 range I would be quite surprised if they were all the same.

The listing for the Angle-box says it’s an auto but it looks to have a manual shifter, it would be a rocket ship if it’s manual AND red!

I think they have used an arty photographer to do their shots, the other listings are very similar. They have a nice Anglia and MKII Escort for sale as well.

Oohh, that’s nice! Hard to justify for a ‘vert that doesn’t get driven in the dark though. How does it wire up to the interior lights, does that need to be added in as well?

P&S Automotive in East Tamaki know E30s inside out, but not sure if they can give the report part - give ‘‘em a ring and they’ll let you know

Wasn’t sure it was the same car, different wheels and plate now but looks to be same car. A lot has happened in the 18 months since they bought it, especially in the Classic car market. I remember the Rose City guys from when I lived in Palmy, always had some interesting performance metal in amongst the usual Jap imports. IIRC the owner was a well known national rally driver, he would often keep the nicer stuff to drive himself before. Putting it back on the yard.

There's a red one on TradeMe, private sale, same kms, no hard-top for $49,900 (already had an offer of $40k on it).. so that does look to be in the right ball park for a dealer vehicle with the hardtop included.

@Sammo Depending on where it is located there is most likely a bimmersporter that would go have a look at it for you. If it stacks up with records and receipts and isn’t going for top $$ then it wouldn’t be much of a risk I reckon.

More E30 goodness from BMW Classic

Not deleted, moved to another thread, to keep this on topic 😇

Another variation of the BMW drivers don’t signal joke that’s been around forever, haha, lol, etc. Ps I split this out from the other thread so it didn’t go off topic.

@FIAT 131R you got anything at the moment..?

To me this thread shows the risk with making this kind of build and then trying to sell, the build is very specific in it's details, and everyone has their own personal taste. The sweet-spot of people that have got the cash, want a highly modified E30, and want that particular style of modified E30, I would think, is a very, very small sample size. Personally I couldn't live with that fuel flap.. every time I saw it I would shudder, let alone trying to use it. E30 fuel filler can be a real pain at some fuel pumps as it is, let alone when it's set deep inside the bodykit like that.

The leak in the video does look like condensation, it should be easy to tell if that’s the source of the petrol fumes from the smell of the liquid dripping. If that leak isn’t petrol, then I wouldn’t be too worried about that, but as Brent says you should get someone to look for what is causing the petrol smell as that is a much bigger problem.

If you’re after an E70 X5 then the 30d Performance Edition is worth looking out for, it was a local NZ developed offering including increased options and 20” rims, added Performance Bodykit and Edition badging. Was a very good seller as new vehicles, and have very good re-sale values.

Clearly shows how much the 3 Series (like most cars) has grown in size over the years. Cool colours though!

The M50d X5 is a very capable all-rounder, ok it sounds different but is still pretty rapid. On the upside it can also run along very frugally if you can keep off the loud pedal, especially when towing. Unless you really want the sound of the big V8 and that little extra bit of acceleration the M50d is a very good alternative.