In my view, one of the coolest things you can with an automobile is building it into something that could have been done from the factory but wasn’t. Fitting with this theme we have an incredible BMW that’s currently up for auction over on Ebay Motors.
What you are looking at is essentially an E30 BMW M3 Wagon, or M3 Touring in BMWspeak. BMW never produced a car like this of course, but that didn’t stop a BMW specialty shop out of Maplewood, New Jersey from creating their own “what if” version of the car.
The project began with a standard E30 Touring that needed a bit of restoration, but that was just part of the equation. Building your own E30 M3 Wagon is a bit more complicated than just ordering some afternarket parts and throwing them on.
In this case, a wrecked E30 M3 race car was sourced with its body parts to be given a second life as part of the wagon build.
The parts that couldn’t be used from the donor car were a mix of new BMW OEM parts and others that were custom fabricated.
Here’s a view of the M3’s signature wide fenders being worked on to the Touring body.
Getting the coupe’s fenders to fit properly with the rear doors doesn’t look like an easy task, but these guys pulled it off very well. You can see that the door handles have been relocated higher to make them functional.
As the bodywork continues, the car begins to look more and more like the E30 M3 Touring that never was.
With the paint and bodywork complete the car really comes to life. According to the ad, the only real stock parts remaining are the side windows.
Once the car had been made to look like an M3, the powertrain had to be updated to match. The engine is an S50B30 from a European-spec E36 M3 mated to a 5-speed transmission with a 3:46 LSD in the rear.
The engine bay has also been tucked and shaved for an extra clean look.
Naturally, the suspension and brakes were upgraded as well – and the set of 17″ BBS Style 5 wheels are pretty much the perfect match for this build.
Among the custom work done in the interior are seats done in cork leather, custom instruments and a fully upgraded audio system.
The end result is a car that is literally one of a kind. It looks great, it performs well, and is as unique as it gets.
-Mike
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
I have no respect for the owner of these cars... A fraud at best!
Proof- http://www.s14.net/forums/showthread.php?54320-Vlad-s-Horrible-Job-on-Yan-s-M3
This is truly awesomely awesometastic.
Wow! This is really good work! It looks as if it came tat way from the factory!
I love the creativity of this build. I'm normally not a fan of builds that are finished with a badge slapped on because the end result is usually a bootleg M. The fact that this is so cleanly done and looks like it could literally be a factory car is really impressive, I can't wait to see what this goes for at auction.
Too bad Vlad, the owner of this car, is a total douchebag who is well-known to have ripped off many many customers, cut corners, charged for sloppy work, etc.
I suggest ANYONE who is even considering this car read this thread:
http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=231135
This is what he did to a kid who was deployed: took his car to a show (without permission), did an absolutely high-school caliber job on the painting, took about $6K of this kid's cash, and then had the balls to claim it was the delivery people who repainted the car after he did.
Mike Garrett raves so much about this BMW. Maybe HE should bid on it.
Or better yet, for all his SH followers, he should shed some light on the owner's past issues.
Yeah Vlad is a real piece of work. Don't give the guy a cent. To be honest though, Yan copped out hard when he decided it would not be 'biblical' to take Vlad to court over his wrongdoings.
everything that is right in the world, E30 M3 wagon for the win
This feature should be removed from Speedhunters as soon as possible. The owner of this car is a fraud, a liar, and an outright thief.
We have already banned him from R3VLimited.com for what he did to another member's car (you will find details in the thread above), and everyone in the BMW world needs to know who he is, and what kind of person he is.
Come on Mike Garrett - get this piece of filth's car off Speedhunters. You're tarnishing the site by posting it here.
wow, i just read that hack job m3 thread, wagon is cool as hell, but the dude that built it is a total fucktard
Since this unfortunate event took place, a donation fund has been set up to raise enough money to have Yan Voskanov's M3 properly repainted by a reputable shop. If you would like to donate, ANY amount is welcome. We have had donations from $5 up to $500. The E30 community has already rallied behind this individual, and I would love to see the automotive scene as a whole come together for this cause.
http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=231441&highlight=Yan-3+fund
Owner of this car is a scam artist A low life individual who took advantage of a deployed soldier.
you guys are too emotional! I may be heartless, but I don't care about the shop ripping someone off - I'd forget all about it as soon as I tore corners in this beautiful build. I don't purport to say what he did was okay (at all), but who cares? the work here speaks for itself, this feature wasn't about morality
also, choosing not to go to court based on a bible verse: I LOL'd
Beautiful? Yeah, you can make a lot of things look beautiful from 10-20 feet away. Yan's car doesn't look bad from 10-20 feet away, either.
And you don't care about the shop ripping someone off? I'm curious to see how fast that statement would hold if it were your car.
You're a sad, sad person.
Here's hoping no one takes you for a huge chunk of cash.
You're a sad, sad person.
Here's hoping no one takes you for a huge chunk of cash.
@desjrlee Slurps
Not the first time I came across this car but it's the first time I across the story behind the owner(Vlad). As nice as this build is, no respect whatsoever...
I was unaware of any issues with the builder, but we are not here to make judgements (positive or negative) about business practices.
We are simply posting an interesting car build.
Potential customers or buyers should obviously do their research before deciding to do business with ANY shop, and make their decision from there.
@Mike Garrett Then perhaps you should remove the link to the auction then, if you're only interested in the build.
By advertising for him, you're tacitly approving his behavior.
Your fans are watching. The enthusiast world online is a small place; word travels very fast. Vlad is as shady as they come.
And potential buyers: I suggest you take a good hard look at the VIN he's posted on the auction and the VIN of the actual car:
http://willz.ca/ED74525.htm
Isn't VIN-swapping a felony? I guess that's one way to get around the proper federalization process.
@RichardH @Mike Garrett
I don't know Vlad personally, but I completely agree with you. If he's an ass like many others describe, advertising his car will only improve his business (which people should boycott if he's a shady person).
In the end, Mike's excuse to post "another" BMW is a bit lame.
@RichardH The link was posted not as an advertisement but as the source for the photos/info about the car as we do with all of our build stories.
With the same token, we aren't removing any of the discussion or links posted here in the comments section.
Like I said, I surely hope any potential buyer would do their research before making any purchase..
@Mike Garrett I respectfully disagree with your position on this; posting the link gives him more avenues to potential buyers.
That being said, it is what it is: an illegal car that the DOT would likely crush if they got wind of it, sold by a 'gentleman' (and I use that term *very* loosely) whose reputation in the BMW scene is crystal clear.
Cheers.
I see a fan boy piece of shit. Nice website
My what a fiasco! I've spent 20 minutes looking into every available information regarding this Vlad vs. Yan thing and boy that sucks! Unfortunately shops like that and people like Vlad and his crew are not uncommon in this world... Too bad since we are supposed to enjoy our cars and passion and not take advantage of each-other and rip each other off like that. So sad, so dirty. Mike I'm sorry but you've gotten some dirt on you due to this Vlad fiasco. Otherwise the BMW M3 wagon is a great idea and as far as this post shows, it's an awesome thing to behold! On that aspect, I'd say great find Mike!
Maybe the builder is a jerk? An M3 wagon though, cool. This would be a fantastic daily driver! (don't like the black wheels though).
Hey Vlad don't pay no attention to the haters, they jus jealous coz you got mad skills, keep hustlin homie! HU5TLA F LYFE!!!!!!
BMW Looks dope man
@Aldy_SAS ngikutin di built threadnya di bimmerforum lbh seru bro, sama kayak ngikutin bikin e46m3 sedan yg di e46fanatic. ☺
@RichardH @Mike Garrett I've removed the link to the auction.
@Sam fag