E30 M3 + Bugatti Wheels + S54 Engine = Perfect 3-Series
E30 M3 is far from a purist, ‘OEM-only’ example and we love every bit of it.
The BMW E30 M3 is one of those cars that immediately catches our attention when we see one on the road. This is for several reasons. Firstly, even in place like Los Angeles, one sees this particular iconic German sports car very rarely. They are limited-production cars and with a doubt seeing one in the wild is a experience not often had. Secondly, they are just beautiful pieces of work to look at: wide arches, unique front and rear fascia, the rudimentary aero, it does it all. When compared to a modern 3-series or even M3, they are literally night and day different. It might just be the nostalgia, but man do those cars make us dream about those classic times.
How do you take a car that is already so good and attempt to make it better? Well, there are definitely a few things that can be done. Although the S14 inline-4 race engine that powered the E30 M3 was a great example of its time, it hasn’t exactly aged well. It is a bit dated, low on both torque and power, and parts are ridiculously expensive for it. What is an obvious replacement? The smooth and silky S54 out of the E46 M3. Take that and some period correct Bugatti wheels and well, you have a hell of an E30. Thanks to Hoonigan on YouTube, we get to see what actually got this M3 to where it is today and a little bit about its story.
The owner of this car is Nick Sahota, an avid car collector and BMW enthusiast. He calls it “PUR35T” because it is far off from what a purist M3 would be and we love that. Sahota says that his inspiration for the car was the DTM race cars of old, maybe of which featured an orange livery. In addition to that, he has a variety of M3 EVO 2 parts to complete the race look, including the mirrors and front lip. Not to mention the DTM up-turned exhaust and rear wing/duckbill combo.
However, the real center piece of this car is without a doubt the Bugatti EB110 wheels, which he found one day while browsing Ebay. They actually retain the full centerlock mounting style and have not been refinished at all. These are 4 front wheels from the EB110, as the rear wheels would be much to wide and aggressive to fit on stock-body M3. That in combination with the extremely rare Startec rear taillights really gives the three quarters profile of this car so much character.
We think this M3 ticks all the right buttons. What do you guys think?
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