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BMW is in His Blood

Few interests in life inspire the kind of devotion BMW commands from their fandom. It is rare to find someone who has chosen to drive one that will ever go back to driving anything else, or at the least, will always keep a BMW around to enjoy. That interest seems to begin with their first experiences had thanks to one of these cars. For Josh, that moment was his first ride in a 1973 2002 when his parents took him home from the hospital on the day he was born.

It was almost a guarantee that Josh would lead a BMW-centric life. His inauguration began seven years before he was born when his father, a dentist in the Air Force stationed in England, purchased the 2002 brand new in 1973. For one reason or another, the model he chose was a left-hand-drive, US-spec, Chaminox white, four-speed car. This decision left Josh’s father with few options but to keep the car when it was time for him to return to America. Through his Air Force connections, he was able to import the 2002 for little cost after he found that selling a LHD in England was essentially impossible.

Since the BMW came back with his father, Josh was awarded the chance to grow up around the family fun car and BMW became ingrained in his life. That car, which is still with him and his father today, was always a staple in his BMW addiction. By the time he was old enough to drive, however, the 2002 had seen better days. The car was not in a state that Josh could spend time behind the wheel, so he chose to find an alternative. The stand-in was, of course, another BMW.
The first of many BMWs he would own, Josh purchased a 1983 Hennarot E21 320i for next to nothing. His first car, and daily transportation to and from high school, the E21 was an absolute mess. More importantly, though, it was his to make into something that reminded him of the 2002 that held so much sentimental value. With almost no mechanical experience at the time, Josh got to work restoring his E21 in all his free time.


While the car had originally been intended as an easy project, it really needed everything from engine, transmission, exhaust, suspension, brakes, bodywork and interior. Taking note of Josh’s dedication and recognizing the value of the education he would gain, his father helped support the restoration by covering half the cost of parts. With a repair manual, his trusty library card, and the help of a machinist he befriended at the local NAPA, Josh took the ’83 E21 from a decrepit mess to something that represented his growing interest in BMWs. His machinist walked him through what the engine required in order to be rebuilt to the highest quality possible on Josh’s shoestring budget, and the little M10 became a fully refreshed 2.0 stroker with a ported head, 280 cam, cold air intake, and a header. The endeavor taught him a tremendous amount automotive mechanics in general, and about BMW which became his tireless passion. It also played a major role in his decision to study to become a mechanical engineer.
After a harrowing ordeal that involved a mixed-up campus police officer miss-citing a ticket and a few trips to the local court to clear his record, Josh was able to start thinking about his wrecked BMW at home. The car was beyond savable after the incident, but he couldn’t accept that the car he had come to identify himself through would no longer be a part of his life. The obvious solution was to find another E21, salvage what he could from the twisted one in his driveway, and rebuild.

The search began for a rust free southern car that was a good candidate for a suspension, interior, and drivetrain transplant from the original car. The search included several candidates but ultimately ended with a sight-unseen purchase on eBay for what looked like the best option, a high mileage ‘81 320i. After a 2000 mile round trip to Oklahoma City, he found that the purchase may have been less motivation-inspiring upon seeing it in person. Driven by passion and dedication, Josh soldiered on and brought his second E21 home to begin the revival process once more.



This time around, Josh had more than a few years experience from which he drew to make his second E21 his perfect BMW. The e21 was stripped to an empty shell to begin the arduous process of rust repair, sand-blasting, welding in repair panels, and prepping the car for paint. The repaired shell was finally ready for paint, where it spent a year and a half at the body shop as the body man’s side project.



While he waited, Josh went about collecting parts and restoring every suspension component in preparation for the rebuild. He also unintentionally reignited his father’s interest in the cars. Despite their ever-growing knowledge gap in automotive mechanics, the pair refreshed that old ’73 2002 with an engine rebuild including a pair of DCOE sidedraft Webers to return it to the road.





Just as he graduated from college and started his first engineering job, he finally had a freshly painted shell to reassemble with many improvements over the original, including 3.91 LSD, 323i rear disc conversion, vented front brakes, lots of suspension upgrades, and somewhat unique for an e21 15x7 Binno wheels. The E21 version 2 had received an immaculate restoration and became an impressively built BMW to represent him, bringing back that unforgettable feeling only experienced in a vintage BMW.



Over the following years, the E21 continued to receive further improvements including a custom designed and fabricated turbo system, sporting a Dinan manifold, a T25 turbo from an SR20det, custom intake and exhaust, and a mix of parts pulled from period turbo Porsches, Mercedes, and Volvos to dial in the CIS mechanical fuel system in for turbo duty. The e21 had been transformed in to a little fire breathing monster, pushing nearly 240 hp out of its little 2.0L custom turbocharged m10.



By 2011, the e21 had garnered the attention of the right connections to gain him entry in to his dream job as R&D Manager developing parts for BMW’s in the European performance aftermarket. Soon thereafter, after many years of daily driving the E21, auto-x, HPDE abuse, and even few trips to the drag strip, the engine finally had enough and the headgasket let go. The M10 was laid to rest and the E21 parked in the garage to patiently wait a new heart, and years later it is there that the E21 still sits. By now, his growing young family and new career in the performance aftermarket industry consume most of his free time and energy, but the e21 is not without attention.





Currently, Josh is rebuilding the engine, which is cleaned and organized into many boxes in his shop. The freshly machined block sits on one table, sporting fresh black paint and brand new 2.2L internals. A knife-edged lightweight S14 crankshaft, 145mm Eagle rods, and 91mm flat top Weisco forged pistons can be seen in their fresh cylinders and peeking out from the exposed bottom end.

For the head, extensive port work, upgraded valvetrain, and fresh valve guides are leveraged by an Ireland Engineering performance camshaft, all designed to compliment the boost from a larger turbo, which also sits in pieces for its own meticulous rebuild.



In another box, a freshly assembled MS3X ECU awaits a custom engine harness to connect to all new sensors, ignition coils, and injectors to breath new life back in to the e21. In yet another box, there is an assortment of brackets, hardware and mouse poop that will hopefully not make it into the build. The goal is smooth driveability with strong midrange torque, and steady power all the way to the 7000 rpm redline.



Power potential will be limited only by his imagination, the turbo, and that little small case e21 diff waiting to “taco” itself on the first launch.

The new turbo project has been a long time coming, but a goal of which Josh has never lost sight. With the 2002 sitting stationary and suffering from a cracked head, his E21 sans-engine, and an ever-pressing need for more free time, Josh has to maintain a steady focus and slow pace. But the love of BMW has never left him, even with life dragging him through challenges that made his ownership of these cars less than pastoral. Despite all the struggles, he recounts his stories with an uncontrollable grin and a palpable sense of appreciation for the cars and experiences he has had as a result.

Through a lifetime of BMW enthusiasm, beginning with his first day on this Earth to his current job overseeing Research and Development of BMW performance aftermarket parts at Turner Motorsport, Josh will tell you he knows that this is his calling. His daily driver E39 540i 6-speed with Turner Quaife LSD helps maintain his sanity and satisfies his need for the ultimate driving experience, but a wistful longing is ever present in his eyes as the E21 comes closer and closer to being everything he has ever wanted from the car. The constant presence of BMWs in Josh’s life was a defining feature, as it is for so many others who share that same enthusiasm.



 




Dar3 2 b3 Different

Whether it is just to be different or a true interest in something unique, peculiar tastes are often met with skepticism or criticism by others. If that atypical interest has something to do with cars, however, it is most frequently awarded curiosity and recognition. BMWs are not particularly unique in general, but there have been some oddball cars produced in limited numbers or exclusively for foreign markets that certain enthusiasts just have to own. The 1984 323i E30 is one particular car that is not extrinsically special but offers gratifying intrinsic value to the enthusiasts who recognize what it is.

Scott, a vintage car collector with a BMW affinity, is the proud owner of a few gray market import cars. His favorite is handily the funky little Bahama Beige 1984 323i coupe. As an ex-’84 323i owner myself, I had to reach out and chat with him about his. Scott’s 323i features a host of oddities that are readily clear to the discerning E30 geek.

The 323i predated the 325is as the sportier 3-series but was not widely available outside of European markets. Most common of the model is the sedan variant that was produced later, but rarely you can find the coveted Baur edition targa tops and the coupe versions. In Left-Hand-Drive, the coupes were made in extremely limited numbers, as the 323i name had been a carryover from the E21 and was phased out by the 325is.

Gray market cars have come back in fashion with the rise of the Radwood bug. If you have a bit of extra patience to deal with the changes between market requirements and an added measure of difficulty finding specific parts, gray market cars provide a wonderful sense of exclusivity that often escapes the horde of US-spec cars. Beyond the normal quirks, like KPH prominently featured on the speedo, German on the check panel, and different wiring colors, Scott’s E30 offers a few more special touches.



To notice the unique features of his E30, an observer would need to know what the common options were at the time. In Europe, cruise control, power accessories, sunroofs, ABS, and A/C were normally all omitted from the standard Euro / ROW Spec versions. They favored the lighter weight, better efficiency, and less distractive nature of the bare-bones cars. Some, like Scott’s E30, were given a unique host of convenience features. His car sports all of those options, with the exception of power windows, and also benefits from a retractable rear sunshade found on an impossibly small number of E30’s. Of course, rear headrests on the bench are there for the European cars, but oddly for that spec, his car has pop-out windows.

Outside the car, Scott has added a BBS trunk spoiler and the Euro bumpers still shine, tucked neatly against the body as the BMW gods intended. Perhaps most unusual is the rear valence, which mates to the early model Euro bumpers, and flows into 325ix fender flares and side skirts. Scott doesn’t know if those were added by an owner at some point, but even if they were, the conversion would not have been an easy one. The 325ix did not appear until 1988, at which point the chrome bumpers were mostly ditched in favor of the facelift plastic bumpers. While an immensely small number of Euro-spec AWD E30s with chrome bumpers were produced, the availability of those flares and valances would be extremely limited.

This collection of rare parts and curious features is what draws people like Scott to owning cars like this odd 323i. When I found mine, it was a few short hours after the owner had posted it for sale. It was in my name less than a day later. I knew what it was and had to own it. When I spoke to Scott, his attitude mirrored my own. His coupe was posted for sale locally for an enticing price and he called immediately. He picked up the oddball little E30 and fell in love. The car isn’t perfect, but what 34-year-old car is?



While he has swapped several other E30s and loves the power available from the S52, Scott has chosen to leave his M20B23 alone in its place. The car became his favorite, so screwing with the balance and the hard to find engine just didn’t suit him. Sitting among a Porsche 912, gray market E24, Honda S2000, and even a 190e Cosworth Benz, it is surprising to hear that the little old 323i is so loved. The peppy responsiveness but lack of low down power characteristic to those cars makes them drive incredibly different than the torque-happy B27 or more powerful B25 engines. The high strung, rev happy, light-feeling B23 makes you feel like a racing driver even below the speed limit, as it excitedly will hang at the top of its revs and let you throw it around tight corners with its momentum-loving stiff chassis.

The responsive nature of the car, its bulletproof reliability, and quirky European goodies make the E30 323i rare even among other low production ROW spec cars. Scott does not drive it as regularly anymore since he has modified the exhaust and fitted aggressive performance headers that make it louder than is convenient, but he did drive it daily for a time and still has full confidence in the car to make the long trips it once did up and down California with him. An old car that is desirable, rare, and also dependable is a unique combination indeed.



The need to have something funky like an E30 323i is what gives enthusiasts like Scott their motivation to leave a mark on the community they love. Owning cars like these make us ambassadors for the history of little-known projects that never saw the production numbers of more popular models. As we move farther away from the decades of gray-market importation, these already hard to find cars are becoming more scarce while the gap between un-savable and pristine collector’s examples widens every day. These cars are once again available for import as the 25-year rule allows, but the market will become less favorable for buyers as time moves on and enthusiasts snag all the best cars. If you have a need to find that rare, vintage, piece of automotive history, you need to act fast like Scott and jump on your chance to be a steward for another odd little car to one day possibly be the inspiration that fuels the next generation of enthusiasts.

 


Locking Up

Once again, we are extremely thankful for the participation and support from readers like Josh and Scott. Sharing our passion for BMWs with each other is as critical a part of the community as driving the cars themselves. If you have a BMW, then you assuredly have many happy, sad, frustrating, or confusing memories with it. As a community, when we hear these stories, it adds value and depth to our own enthusiasm to know what other hobbyists love and hate. We want to hear your stories, so we would like to invite you to submit your own for the Turner Motorsport family to enjoy.

-Turner Motorsport


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