Words: Todd Wylie and Photos: Danny Wood
Sometimes in life, some combinations just work to create something so special that the result is far more than just a simple sum of their parts. Think bourbon and Coke, mince and cheese in a pie, peanut butter, and jam on toast. An E30 BMW on BBS RS wheels fits in with those, as by themselves, they’re both good, but add them together, and they’re suddenly so much more. This specific E30, belonging to Wellingtonian Dennis Kumar, is precisely that: seemingly simple on paper, but the right mix of well-thought-out parts means it doesn’t need to be over the top to be perfect.
Dennis says he wasn’t always a BMW guy. He has a history of owning various turbocharged Nissans and never really understood what people saw in the Euro machines. That was until his mate Bogdan Jovanovic bought a 1991 E30 that had been repowered with a M52B28TU, 2800cc six-cylinder usually found in an E46 328i.
The pair would be everywhere together in their cars, Bogdan in the E30 and Dennis in his ever-changing Nissans, but eventually, the E30 dropped a valve after a hard weekend at Powercruise, and while the car was mid-repair, Bogdan moved to the lands of snakes and koalas, leaving the car behind.
Dennis recalls, “One Saturday, I called him up randomly, asking if it was all good to borrow some tyres for a warrant. I also asked what his plans were for the E30. He said he was planning to take it to a mechanic to fix and then sell it.” Clearly, that sparked something in Dennis, as he made a cheeky throwaway offer, which, much to his surprise, was accepted.
Between the original owner, Bogdan, and now Dennis, the car has evolved from what was reportedly the first E30 in the country with an M50 motor back in 2008 to what you see today, each owner making their successive touches to it. Dennis is very clear, though, that the reasons he bought the car to start with are the motor and the way the car looked, so those things won’t change any time soon. The looks part of the package comes mainly from the 16×8-inch (+11) BBS RS wheels wrapped in lightly stretched 195/45R16 Nankang tyres along with the right suspension set-up. That part of the equation was more involved but now consists of front struts modified to accept airbags and a set of Slam Specialities SS-5 airbags in the rear, which are controlled through an Airlift Performance management system. While the car has been bagged for some time, the change to this system from the previously fitted manual switch system is night and day and gives far more control and reliability. The other key component to the look of the car is the full M-Tech 2 body kit that, along with the rest of the body, has been covered in a coat of Ford Falcon Silhouette Black paint, not dissimilar from the factory E30 black, but with a whole lot more Xirallic pearl.
While the BMW is a vast departure from his Nissan roots, one thing’s similar: the interchangeability of parts across various models within each brand. That has helped to enable the fitting of E34 540i front callipers and E36 328i rear callipers. While the rears grab the 280mm from the E36, the fronts have been adapted to work with 312mm rotors scored from an Audi TT. That same interchangeability has helped with the steering rack, which has been replaced with an E46 ’purple tag’ item for an improved ratio and has also been de-powered to provide a better feel.
The interchangeability of parts has also caused its fair share of headaches, though, as repairing the blown motor involved its fair share of figuring out what parts had been used, as despite the core engine being from an E46, it wasn’t quite that easy. Dennis tells us, “For example, some earlier models used aluminium housings for components like the thermostat and oil filter, while others used plastic.
Figuring out which parts were compatible and ensuring everything worked seamlessly together was difficult.” What is known is that the throttle bodies the car runs are M3 items and are paired with Uni Filter filters for both the right look and to make the most of the unmistakable ITB sound on offer. Of course, some trickery was required to get the set-up running and to run without the factory Vanos (think VTEC) system and with the inclusion of M50B25 cams. Thankfully, the Link G4+ Xtreme ECU that’s been fitted has no problems getting it all working and even provides the benefit of running on a customised, much cleaner-appearing wiring loom. A Racing Dynamics engine cover and carbon-fibre coil pack cover have also aided the engine’s tidy appearance.
Matching the five-speed ZF S5-31 gearbox to the engine was a similar process to deciphering the engine parts, as the team had to sort out the right flywheel set-up, amongst other things. The headache was worth it, though, as Dennis describes the new box as being similar to running an RB25 ‘big’ box rather than a regular RB five-speed. The conversion works with an Xtreme heavy-duty clutch and a drive shaft that runs a hybrid of Pick-A-Part sourced BMW pieces that all fitted together.
The interior, too, sees its fair share of parts that have been hunted out. Somewhere along the lines, the seats had been changed out for a pair of aftermarket buckets that Dennis says would look more at home in a Honda than a European cruiser. A search for suitable replacements found the current pair of 318is leather pews, and an AC Schnitzer M3 steering wheel also found its way into the mix.
Dennis explains his purchase: “The main reason I bought this car was that I didn’t want to see anyone else rolling around in it. It was a car that had been with us through many adventures and symbolised our friendship as we used to cruise, race, and hang out in that car. Plus, it looks gangster and gets heaps of attention.” The attention the car gets is a bit different from what he was used to in the Nissans, too, telling us that the E30 gets appreciation from the older generations, whereas the Skylines and Silvias usually are only met with disapproval. He also says, “One thing I’ve realised is that the best cars always find their way to you when you’re not actively searching for them. This E30 is a perfect example of that. That’s logic hard to argue with, given just how good the E30 is; after all, it’s a car that is much more than just its combination of parts; it’s the combination of the right parts, years of effort, and countless good times.
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This article originally appeared in New Zealand Performance Car issue 310
SPEC LIST
1991 BMW 320I (E30)
Heart
ENGINE: M52B28TU, 2800cc six-cylinder
BLOCK: Factory
HEAD: M50B25 cams, Vanos delete, port and polish
INTAKE: M3 3.2L ITBs, UNI filters,
EXHAUST: Dual two-inch stainless steel straight pipes, AdrenalinR muffler
FUEL: Stock
IGNITION: Stock
ECU: Link G4+ Xtreme
COOLING: Fenix alloy radiator, M50 thermostat
EXTRA: Oil catch can, carbon coil pack cover, custom engine harness, E34 oil sump, M50 oil filter housing, M50 thermostat, Racing Dynamics engine cover
Drive
GEARBOX: Five-speed ZF S5-31
CLUTCH: Xtreme heavy-duty
FLYWHEEL: Single-mass M20 flywheel
DIFF Medium case LSD ratio 3.15
EXTRA: E46 purple tag steering rack, power steering removed, stainless steel clutch lines
Support
STRUTS: Slam Specialities SS-5 airbags, Airlift Performance management system
BRAKES: (F) E34 540I front calliper, 312mm Audi TT rotors (R) E36 328i rear callipers, 280mm E36 328i rotors, stainless steel brake lines
ARMS/KNUCKLES: Factory
Shoes
WHEELS: 16×8-inch (+11) BBS RS
TYRES: 195/45R16 Nankang tyres
Exterior:
PAINT: Ford Falcon ST Silhouette Black
ENHANCEMENTS (body kits, spoilers, etc.): M Tech 2 complete body kit
Interior
SEATS: BMW 318 IS Uberkaro II Anthrazit
STEERING WHEEL: AC Schnitzer M3
INSTRUMENTATION: (gauges, digital display, boost controllers etc.)
Airlift Performance airbag controller
Performance:
POWER: 141kW
TORQUE: 250Nm
FUEL TYPE: BP Ultimate 98
TUNER: Hayden Parker at Custom Works
Driver Profile:
DRIVER/OWNER: Dennis Kumar
AGE: 27
LOCATION: Upper Hutt
OCCUPATION: Builder
BUILD TIME: One year
LENGTH OF OWNERSHIP: Four years
THANKS: Thanks to Bogdan for selling me the car and giving me the opportunity to drive something different from my usual JDM cars; a massive shout-out to Harley Hopper at Wall Place Panel and Paint, as without him, the car would be swirls and stone chips; Dylan Grindrod at Reaper Performance; Leo Fernandez for the wiring; Chris Stoss for building the motor; Michael Dv at DV Spanners; Rahul at Mag and Turbo Lower Hutt for sorting out my wheel, tyre, and alignment needs; and lastly, to my little cousin Rashaan for being there throughout the journey.