Driving Thrills: An E30 Track Animal
If The Shoe Fits

People buy, build and own cars for all manner of reasons. But for the vast majority of the population they are a necessity – a means to an end. Cars, for the most part, are a highly effective way to get from A to B at your own convenience and leisure.

Within that general populous you have the automotive community; people who invest far more time, effort and money into the cars that they drive than most. There’s a high likelihood that, because you’re reading this, that’s where you come in.

DSC_5659

Drill down further and this subgenre splits off into countless branches. Some enjoy show cars, some get their kicks from driving on track, while others like to do all manner of odd things like slide around sideways, drive over rocks and mountains, bounce up and down on hydraulic suspension or fill their cars with more speakers and screens than your average cinema.

2016-03-02_0001

I’m getting to the point, don’t worry. The one thing that we all instinctively do when we see a new build is try and work out which category it fits into, and whether it might be relevant to our tastes. Quite simply, we like to be able to put things in boxes – that’s a show car, that’s a drift car, that’s a track car.

DSC_8037

Guy’s Higgs’ pristine S50-powered 1989 BMW E30 doesn’t belong in a box.

DSC_5690-Edit

If you’ve attended several of the major shows across the UK last year then there’s a chance that you’ve seen Guy’s E30 sitting pretty with its gloss black paint job, slammed over those retro-cool gold wheels.

DSC_8051

Or, if you’ve attended any one of the number of annual trackdays at Guy’s local circuit, Castle Combe in Wiltshire, then you might’ve seen the E30 screaming down the straights chasing down far more powerful machines.

DSC_8334

You might have even caught it being expertly slid around the corners during a drift session. This BMW can do it all. It’s a car that has been built by its owner with one purpose in mind: to enjoy the pure thrill of driving.

DSC_5711

When I mentioned to friends that I was shooting Guy’s E30, the standard response was ‘he’s handy behind the wheel’ or ‘he can properly drive that BMW’. When Guy tells me that he spent a couple of years racing competitively in an E36 M3 at Castle Combe, his reputation starts to make sense.

DSC_8064

The slick black E30 that sits in front of you originally belonged to one of his friends. It started out life as a humble 320i auto before it was taken off the road and work started on turning it into a fully fledged race car. It’s original purpose was to be used in the Production BMW Championship alongside a sister E30.

DSC_8062

The car was stripped back to a bare shell and a full T45 cage was TIG welded into position. It received a lick of paint and that’s where progress ground to a halt, for the time being. The car was left in its unfinished state for some time until Guy came along and decided to give the forgotten E30 a home.

DSC_8000

Even after Guy took ownership of the car, it wasn’t until around a year later that the project was revisited. Guy’s friend, Tom, was getting married, and decided to have his stag do at Santa Pod’s Retro Car Show. Guy saw it as a chance to crack on and build the E30 as he’d intended, to get it ready for the event. With the help of Guy’s neighbour, Scott, the car went from a bright orange bare shell to slick black track animal in just six months.

At The Heart Of It
DSC_8408

Guy’s history with racing E36 M3s is the sole reason behind his choice of engine for the E30. The 3.2-litre, straight-six S50 is a proven powerplant that he had plenty of experience with. It was a no-brainer.

DSC_5666

Notice how the engine sits upright like the original M20 rather than pitched over to one side as it does in most S50-swapped E30s? Rather than go the usual route of utilising an E34 sump and swapping out a load of other components that didn’t line up further down the line, Guy designed a modified S50 twin pick-up sump from cardboard which was converted to alloy by Forge Motorsport. Coupling this with an E36 anti-roll bar gave the engine the clearance it needed, meaning Guy could use the original E30 engine mounts, 325i Sport gearbox and propshaft.

DSC_5662

Sitting the engine upright also helped when it came to the exhaust manifold. As chance would have it, the stock E30 item had the same size runners as the S50 manifold, so Guy sourced an S50 flange and mated it to the stock E30 manifold – voila! There are plans to upgrade the S50’s cams in the future, which will call for a less restrictive outlet, but for now it does the job.

DSC_5688

The S50’s Vanos system has long since been evicted using a delete kit of Guy’s design. This further simplifies the powerplant and will make it easier to dial in more aggressive cams when the time comes, as well as eliminating any potential problems that could arise. The six 48mm polished trumpets protrude proudly from the E30’s engine bay.

Whilst the S50 burbles away nicely at idle, open the throttle and its bark is aggressive and raw. I don’t have to tell you how immense this thing sounds at full chat – and it pops, crackles and flames galore too.

DSC_8396

Elsewhere in the engine bay anything that isn’t completely necessary has been removed. The cage is tied to the suspension turrets and any brackets and remaining holes that aren’t needed have been removed and filled. An E36 radiator sits up front; Guy chose the non-M3 item as it has a built-in expansion tank to keep things tidy. A Setrab oil cooler is tucked away behind the grille.

DSC_5685

Given Guy’s current position as a technician at OMEX Technology, it doesn’t take a genius to work out why he chose the OMEX 710 to conduct the orchestra of trumpets under the bonnet. While I choose to scroll aimlessly through Instagram on my lunch hour, Guy tends to be more productive. He used the time to create a custom wiring harness based on an entry-level 1987 E30 loom. No electric windows and minimal frills means less unnecessary wires to remove and, therefore, less weight.

DSC_8205

There’s something about the sound of a German six-cylinder on throttle bodies screaming through the woods – it’s enough to give you goosebumps.

DSC_8359

The car was on the road and attacking Castle Combe on a regular basis using a base map that Guy had used before on an E36 M3 for around year before he found time to map it. A quick rolling road session later and Guy had talked the S50 into singing to the tune of a healthy 330bhp at the fly.

The Ultimate Driving Machine
2016-03-02_0002

Climb over the door bars and inside it’s strictly business. You won’t find a trace of sound deadening. There’s no radio, not even a heater for company. A Sparco Circuit Pro carbon fibre seat and TRS harness holds the driver in place while a Sparco Circuit fibreglass seat and Sabelt harness looks after the passenger. A dished suede Sparco wheel helps keep things pointing the right way.

DSC_8377

When the car rolls up shows, most people are initially drawn to it by its gloss black paintwork and gold OZ Racing wheels. Their retro design is pretty on-trend at present, but this isn’t 100 per cent intentional – Guy actually beat the scene to it.

DSC_8026

The wheels originally came off an Escort Cosworth Monte Carlo and were acquired around 16 years ago for the princely sum of £200. They’ve been converted from 4×108 to 4×100 and have found a home on three of Guy’s E30s.

DSC_8058

Refinished in custom gold and held in place by some rather posh forged titanium lug nuts, they perfectly compliment the E30’s aesthetics. Tucked away out of sight is a set of Forge Motorsport 306mm 6-pot front brakes and DS2500 pads.

DSC_8081

Handling is taken care of by Gaz Gold coilovers with adjustable top mounts. Guy admits that, at present, the E30 sits a bit too low for optimum handling, and plans are afoot for some custom front and rear subframes and arms for adjustable roll centre.

DSC_5651

The E30’s understated exterior belies the animal within. There’s no crazy overfenders, aero or even the slightest hint that this is anything more than a lovingly-restored classic. Guy has resisted the urge to fit a bigger front lip, which he has in his possession, simply because he wants the car to remain looking stock.

DSC_8187

Far more than the sum of its parts, the result is a car so raw and pure that it’s best utilised on the track, although blasting through the woods on a quiet Sunday morning it couldn’t look more at home. The on/off nature of the tiny 140mm twin-plate clutch and plated LSD means that even slow-paced exits from junctions turn into tyre-scrubbing, engine-barking affairs.

DSC_5678

Despite this car’s low-slung stance and clean exterior, this E30 was built to be driven hard. It’s a proper raw driver’s car through and through. It just so happens that it can stand its own amongst the show crowd too.

DSC_8261-Edit

My attraction to this build stems from its simplicity. There’s nothing unnecessary, and everything that isn’t deemed to improve the experience of driving has been improved, removed or stripped back. Through the right combination of parts and attention to detail, Guy has built, in my eyes, the perfect track-ready E30, and a car that gets you pretty damn close to a pure, unadulterated driving experience.

Jordan Butters
Instagram: jordanbutters
jordan@speedhunters.com

ADVERTISEMENT

Comments



Comments are closed.

44 comments

by Oldest
by Best by Newest by Oldest
1

"Notice how the engine sits upright like the original M20 rather than pitched over to one side as it does in the E36?"
That looks distinctively like it's pitched to the side, not sitting upright to me.

2

Take a look at how the engine sits in the E36 and compare it to how it sits in most S50-swapped E30s. The cam cover usually means right over near the suspension turret on E30s.

4

"My attraction to this build stems from its simplicity. There’s nothing unnecessary, and everything that isn’t deemed to improve the experience of driving has been improved, removed or stripped back. Through the right combination of parts and attention to detail, Guy has built, in my eyes, the perfect track-ready E30, and a car that gets you pretty damn close to a pure, unadulterated driving experience."
This.  More please!

5

That is exactly what I wanted to see and read on Speedhunters. Thank you!

6
turbo BEAMS ae86

Godlike

7

oh my goodness me

8

The value of those Monte wheels nowadays!!!!!!!!! When I finally find a decent 3 door Mk4 Escort I so want it to be featured on here!

9

Very tasteful photos with the Autumn leaves matching the wheels. ?;^D

10

I love this! I would do almost exactly the same in every area of the car if I was to build this myself, I can literally think of just 2 things I would change... Awesome car, well done Guy, and thanks for featuring Jordan!

11

Line of the day... "While I choose to scroll aimlessly through Instagram on my lunch hour, Guy tends to be more productive..."


Great read and photos to match an unbelievably awesome car. Cheers!

12

I sometimes play Angry Birds too…

13

Definitely a case of less is more. After seeing this thing in the flesh I kinda want one myself!

14

Speedhunters ❤

15

This is what I call perfection, look at that engine!

16

Well this will likely be my favourite feature of the year, for so many reasons! Love it! I'm just going to pretend that ride height is purely functional!

17

Speedhunters Love it! I love these old cars trackday projects! Really love them :) and this is a wonderful one!

18
Slappy_Pistons

I quite like BMW's four-eyed Skeletor period.

19
Dimitry Mochkin

Jordan_Butters Yeah, it confused me a bit too. I kept staring and staring until I came to realization that you probably meant a lesser angle than usual, which I was right to think look at picture right above.
Anyhow! Great feature! Amazing car! Kudos on great play with words, it's been a while since an SH article made me chuckle (quite a bit)

20

Those wheels tho. I guess it's time to search Craigslist for E30s again.

21

I've tweaked that sentence to hopefully make it clearer.

22

@LouisYio I'd say they're a pretty safe investment right now!

23

I'm hoping that the custom subframes will allow the ride height to remain whilst squaring up the geometry!

24

Way back when manufacturers designed cars to look different from their competitors. What a crazy concept.

25

Glad to see another BMW engine E30 get some love, tons of swaps but very few are BMW powered here lately.  Beautiful car and great feature.

26
Tiddlywinkywinkywinky

Lovely. Lovely. Lovely. Now imagine a touring built this way...

27

The car is no question a bad ass clean stripped down build.  It's awesome.  IMO aesthetically the wheels make the car, and white would have worked too, but gold they look bitchin.  Sweet car.

28

I like where your brain is at.

29

I am looking for a same year 4-door. Good looking build

30

One of the best Speedhunters articles in ages.  Well done Mr Butters.  Brilliantly written and presented.  The car's awesome too.

31
Slappy_Pistons

Jordan_Butters yes, like Citroen's melting-upside-boat-with-a-man-underneath-it-dragging-it-along-on-top-of-him period.  That was good.

32

Cant understand people why delete the vanos...its just redundant unless running race cams.

33

In this case, for a couple of reasons - simplification mostly. Also, Guy plans to fit race cams at some point. Finally, the OMEX ECU doesn't play nice with VANOS without lots of extra work. It's just easier to delete it now in this case.

34

The car and photos are certainly very sweet, but have anyone noticed this is a very fine piece of literature? It's very nicely written.

35

Saw this at Combe last year and it was HAULING! :) Properly fast car and well driven too from what I remember, looking forward to trying to keep up with it in the future.

36

Wow this is amazing. I love seeing this kind of detail being applied to something understated, and just... well... tasteful. It oozes that five letter word: 'taste'. A nice whisper as you see it coming towards you at a nice rolling stop, only until he sees you smiling at the thing. Then I bet all hell breaks loose as it just completely tears from a stoplight or sign, with ample volume to match any overstyled dyno queen. 


Absolutely love it.

37

Very nice! The looks caught me at first most definitely. I love the subtle OEM+ look. Now that I've soaked the whole car in....WOW... just WOW. Kudos to the owner!

38

Didn't think those rims would look good on anything but a Mercedes 190 Evo DTM car. I was wrong.

39

So fucking sexy!!!!!!!

40

with E30 M3 prices going nuts..... why even bother?...... build an E30 like this

41

Favourite car on Speedhunters in weeks.
Favourite BMW on Speedhunters in months? Years?

Favourite UK car on Speedhunters ever.



Plus puts the kibosh on all those hipster E30s on Stanceworks, eh? ;)

42

yo yo yo this is my dad and he rocks

43

with a driver that is very reliable car that can drive very wellhttp://633cash.com/

44

the car was very good 
really really like to see the car that shiny new car fits like made ​​for walking trailsthe car was very good http://utamadomino.com/app/img/peraturan.html" rel="dofollow" target="_blank">http://utamadomino.com/app/img/peraturan.html and very fast http://utamadomino.com/app/img/jadwal.html" rel="dofollow" target="_blank">http://utamadomino.com/app/img/jadwal.html mix of colors http://utamadomino.com/app/img/promo.html" rel="dofollow" target="_blank">http://utamadomino.com/app/img/promo.html from which to http://utamadomino.com/app/img/panduan.html" rel="dofollow" target="_blank">http://utamadomino.com/app/img/panduan.html make want pobud http://utamadomino.com/ see hatnya http://dokterpoker.org/app/img/peraturan.html" rel="dofollow" target="_blank">http://dokterpoker.org/app/img/peraturan.html kecepatanya http://dokterpoker.org/app/img/jadwal.html" rel="dofollow" target="_blank">http://dokterpoker.org/app/img/jadwal.html was very nice ,http://dokterpoker.org/app/img/promo.html" rel="dofollow" target="_blank">http://dokterpoker.org/app/img/promo.html  suitable for a "http://dokterpoker.org/app/img/panduan.html" rel="dofollow" target="_blank">http://dokterpoker.org/app/img/panduan.html sharp bend http://dokterpoker.org or not sharp I guess motorists http://633cash.com/Games like this is http://633cash.com/Pengaturan" very skilled in the speed I hope I can membilinya someday will whether http://633cash.com/Daftar http://633cash.com/Promo there are http://633cash.com/Berita new cars http://633cash.com/Livescore are better I http://raksasapoker.com/app/img/peraturan.html" rel="dofollow" target="_blank">http://raksasapoker.com/app/img/peraturan.html 'll wait for it , with a stylish car classic http://raksasapoker.com/app/img/jadwal.html" rel="dofollow" target="_blank">http://raksasapoker.com/app/img/jadwal.html style I http://raksasapoker.com/app/img/promo.html" rel="dofollow" target="_blank">http://raksasapoker.com/app/img/promo.html also like http://raksasapoker.com/app/img/panduan.html" rel="dofollow" target="_blank">http://raksasapoker.com/app/img/panduan.html to see would be http://raksasapoker.com/ whether there is a http://yakuza4d.com/peraturan" rel="dofollow" target="_blank">http://yakuza4d.com/peraturan car that is http://yakuza4d.com as fast and forius http://yakuza4d.com/home like in the "http://yakuza4d.com/daftar movie , the car very http://yakuza4d.com/cara_main good car http://yakuza4d.com/hasil designed a way apparently hopefully http://yakuza4d.com/buku_mimpi there will be new cars more good and the price is quite pantastis then chances are I can membilinya the same as you have at this time

OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS