I don’t ordinarily gravitate toward e30s, but this one is quite special, and I would certainly make an exception. If money were no object.
An e30 M3 in Hennarot, with a European S50B32 motor in place of the original 4-cylinder. Don’t get me wrong, a car like this with the original 4-cylinder is no slouch, with 192 hp behind a ~2,800 car. But that S50 engine puts out in the neighborhood of 320 hp, which would make this car a rocket. The purists might will most definitely freak out about the departure from the original configuration, but even the most diehard purist would have a tough time finding fault with the quality of this swap.
88′ Hennarot M3 with a S50B32 Euro motor.
191,0xx miles on the chassis, approx 79k miles on the motor/transmission.I purchased this car in the spring of 2013 from a gentleman in CA who had done most of the mechanical work on the car, and really made it into the wonderful driving car that it currently is. From my understanding the car was largely stock when he bought it several years before my ownership, from that point he focused on maintenance that the car needed. I have a binder containing some of the documentation from the previous owner.
The motor swap is obviously the biggest change over stock. I’ve been told by two separate and independent shops, that the swap was very well done. The engine is very strong, and runs extremely well, I had a compression/leak down done on the car before my purchase and all cylinders checked out perfectly. In fact, the company that sold him the motor wrote ‘superb engine’ on the valve cover while they were testing it. I’d estimate that engine has been in the car for about 6000 miles. When I took delivery of the car I drove it home 1300 miles, it was a great drive, and the car didn’t miss a beat. About half of the miles that I’ve put on the car since I’ve owned it where driving it home, I just don’t get a chance to drive it much. I never had any intention of selling this car this quickly, but I’ve started a E28/LS1 project, and have an E30 touring project lined up behind that. I’m in no hurry to sell it, but I need it needs to be driven and an enjoyed more than I am able to do.
$26,500
Exterior Modifications:
– OEM Evo2 front splitter with replica Evo3 splitter
– Evo3 rear spoiler and carbon fiber flap
– BMW Motorsport door handles
– Euro smiliesDrivetrain/Engine Modifications:
– Genuine carbon fiber airbox with OETuning tune
– AKG S50/S52 E30 motor mounts (less than 2000 miles old)
– Z3 steering rack
– E28 M5 coding plug (so the stock RPM gauge is accurate)
– Sparco strut bar
– E36 Euro M3 radiator
– ZF 5sp transmission (less than 2500 miles old)
– Autosolution SSK
– Treehouse control arm bushing
– E36 M3 Eisenmann muffler with catless custom exhaust
– Massive Rally BBK (6 pistons front, 4 pistons rear)
– Ground Control S/A coilovers
– Ground Control camber plates
– Ground Control rear shock mounts
– Ground Control 650#/400# springs (less than 1000 miles old)
– E28 3.25 LSD (rebuilt by Diffs Online about 2500 miles ago)
– 17” OZ Superleggera wheels (no curb rash)
– Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 215/40/17 (less than 5000 miles old)Recent Maintenance (oil changed every 3000 miles):
– Brake fluid flush (less than 7000 miles old)
– New spark plugs (less than 5000 miles old)
– E36 ’96+ offset front control arm (less than 4000 miles old)
– New front wheel bearings (less than 4000 miles old)
– Various belts and gaskets replaced (less than 4000 miles old)
– New battery (less than 4000 miles old)
– New fuel tank and fuel pump (less than 2000 miles old)
– New thermostat (less than 500 miles old)
– New sway bar end links (less than 500 miles old)Interior Modifications:
– NRG quick release hub – thin version
– Momo Champion steering wheel
– Recaro SR3 seats (new less than 1000 miles old)
– VDO cluster gauges (oil temp, oil pressure, water temp)
– BMP instrument console (for the VDO gauges)
– Custom ///M floor mats (less than 500 miles old)
– Alpine head unit (note: there are no cracks in the dash)
– ZHP weighted shift knobConsiderations:
– Dot-r front left fender…..parking lot mishap with a previous owner
– The rear bumper was painted at one time
– There is a small amount of rust repaired below the windshield on the driver side (see photo)
– The driver side E-brake shoe assembly is missing (e-brake still works fine)
– No a/c, heater core (note: the lines are still intact)
– Corners of the bumpers stick out slightly (common)
– The spare tire well is riveted shut
– I personally like the patina on the front bumper, others may think it needs a repaint.
– The exhaust is slightly crooked, and if desired could be rehungThere isn’t much to nit pick on this car, you can get in and drive it across the country, or to work everyday. It has major and expensive upgrades that arguably make it a better car. Better in the sense that it has a power train that is more reliable than the S14, it creates more power, brakes harder, and turns faster.
As you can see from the pictures the paint is in fantastic condition for a 25+ year old car. If you have never seen hennarot in person, it’s a gorgeous color, and also quite rare, I believe only about 300 M3’s were produced in this color. I am happy to answer any questions serious buyers have, I’ve tried to be as thorough and forthright with the condition as possible.
The following photos were taken by Brian Lewis of SpeedFreak Detailing after he did a complete paint correction to the car in November. The car has primarily been stored away since.