The E30 BMW M3 was never sold in South Africa, however BMW AG and BMW South Africa came to an agreement, the product of which was the legendary BMW 333i. A cult car that due to its rarity and period impressive performance, 333i’s are fetching big money at auctions around the world. There’s no arguing, however, that BMW Motorsport’s own homologation special, the E30 BMW M3, is one fine, balanced and exceptionally desirable motorcar, and Bring A Trailer have one up for auction.
And what they have is a 1989 E30 BMW M3 finished in Zinnoberrot, an iconic hue for any 1980’s BMW fans. It’s 2,3-litre S14 inline-four motor still sings like a charm and is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.
Offering a modest 141 kW and 231 N.m when new, it certainly won’t blow your socks off, but eaking out each of those 141 kW as you rush towards the 7 250 r/min redline is said to be a spine-tingling sensation somewhat akin to that of a modern day 911 GT3…
Showing just 143 000 km on the clock from new, this well looked after example could be considered to a be time-warp car, that is a car that has been so well looked after that it just transports you back to sitting in one for the first time when it was brand-new…
The interior is trimmed in black leather with a matching black dashboard, door panels and carpets. Air conditioning, M Sport pedals, cruise control, an onboard computer, electric windows and mirrors and central locking are some of the options which this example is fitted with.
The Silver 15-inch basketweave wheels with BMW centre caps are mounted with 205/60 Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S tyres and the selling dealer, who originally bought the car from Bring A Trailer, reportedly overhauled the brake system with rebuilt callipers and cross-drilled and slotted rotors. Bilstein shock absorbers were installed, too.
The iconic M3-specific bodywork, includes boxed fenders, front lip, side skirts, and a rear wing which make the M3 easily distinguishable from its lesser contemporaries.
With bidding ending in 5 days, the E30 BMW M3, lot #57277, is currently sitting at a bid of $60 000 (R898 000) however considering the fact that less tidy examples have been fetching over R1 million at other auctions with EVO’s fetching even more than that, one can expect a bit of a bidding war to take place in the last few hours of the online auction. Head over to Bring A Trailer if you’d like to see all 300 images of this iconic car.
