Choosing three cars to spotlight at BimmerFest Europe was never going to be an easy task. And as my time at Raceway Venray in the south of Holland went on and I saw more builds, the challenge only became harder. In the end, my choice simply came down to the number of photos I took of each car that stood out to me (there were a lot).

Let’s start with this BMW M3 CS Touring…

Like most BMW aficionados, I never understood why BMW didn’t produce an M3 Touring, especially when you consider the success that Audi has enjoyed with their RS4 and RS6 Avant models. Of course, this year it will all change, because BMW is finally releasing a Touring version of their M3.

Without an official M3 Touring in the BMW line up, enthusiasts have been taking on the mammoth job of building their own versions. Some are better than others, and I think that Sander Koelemij has gone above and beyond with his.

Not only has he created a BMW M3 Touring, but a more hardcore CS version. To achieve this, Sander mated a 316d Touring with a crashed BMW M3 CS, and the result is pretty spectacular. The entire chassis and drivetrain from the M3 CS was transferred into the Touring, so it’s pretty legit.

Adding to this, the engine breathes a little freer thanks to an Eventuri intake, and the wheels are 20×9.5-inch (front) and 20×11-inch (rear) forged Concaver CVR5s.

Another standout for me was this bright orange BMW 2002, and not just because of its fresh Colorado Orange paintwork, but because of what now lives under the hood.

The car was built by Mats van de Brand for a customer, and features an S14 engine from a BMW E30 M3.

Mats specializes in E30 M3 rally cars, so all the knowledge he’s acquired from working on the high performance four-cylinder S14 found its way into the 2002. The electronics were completely updated for reliability and a standalone engine management system now gives the firing orders. Power output is 259hp and a whopping 306Nm of torque.

I’m sure this would be a lot of fun on the road.

Trends come and go, but slamming your E30 on a set of BBS RS wheels will never go out of style. What’s even cooler is keeping as much as possible in your build period correct, and this E30’s owner, Pim Vinke, has done that through parts collected over many years. The only modern piece of equipment is the Air Lift Performance air ride system.

The base car is an E30 325i M-Technic II, which came from factory with the M20B25 engine. Pim’s car still has that power-plant up front, but it’s now stroked to 2.7-liters and features a Dbilas Dynamic intake setup with individual throttle bodies and a Hartge header running out to a custom exhaust system that ends in an Eisenmann muffler.

Once Pim has fully dialed everything in, I’ll be shooting a full feature on his E30. And yes, I will definitely record the sound.

Jeroen Willemsen
Instagram: jaccojeroen