E30 Sleeper: 1988 Bmw 325is
Prices for the E30 generation M3 may have skyrocketed to preposterous figures in the past few years (particularly this past year) but that doesn’t mean you can’t buy a simple E30 sedan and boost it up with a supercharger, lower it…whoa, whoa…this is getting pricey. What not just buy someone elses project and save your money. Like this 1988 Bmw 325is E30 here on eBay
bidding for $7,600 with 1 day to go, located in Salem, OR.
The E30 generation 3-series was released in 1982 with a sleek Claus Luthe penned design, simple rear-wheel-drive and independent front/rear suspension. The early E30s look very similar to the E21 they replaced, but after a minor update in 1985 and major re-skin in 1987, the later cars (like this one) look much more modern.
Under the hood is an S52 inline-6 from an E36 M3 that has been boosted with a “stage 1” Rotrex centrifugal supercharger to an undisclosed level of power above the stock 240 hp spec. Power goes to a ZF 5-speed manual gearbox and then to a 3.25:1 rear end with limited slip differential.
From a cosmetic perspective this car looks in decent condition, but given the sellers description of the California sun eating the Ferrari grey “clear coat somewhat” it is probably more of a 5-footer than the pictures would suggest. Fortunately, it is probably fast/fun enough to ignore the cosmetic defects.
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Looks fun, maybe some less conspicuous wheels and you could 'sleep' to and from work every day. How common was the 2-door, I don't recall seeing lots of them? On second thought, those wheels are pretty snazzy. Inop heater might be a problem (for me) w/ Colorado winter – nah, just keep the revs up and wear some driving gloves! Nice little pkg all told – bet it goes closer to $9k.