BMW E30 Wagon - Taking 2nd Chances

Raymond Little has a checkered past. A lot of people wouldn’t have survived it. And it’s ok. Because somewhere at rock bottom, Raymond dug deep, real deep, and used his situation/reality as a source of rebirth & motivation… instead of defeat. And it’s a story he shares with his BMW E30 wagon. Kindred spirits between man & metal. 2 things that were all-but left for dead… but not dead yet! Often when we look at project cars, we don’t see what’s before our eyes. We see what it could be. In other words, we see second chances. Nothing’s ever too far gone.

Nowadays when people think of ‘classic cars’…

They mostly still think of cars from the 50’s, 60’s, and early-70s. And that makes sense – it was a time of peak creative design & minimal regulatory interference. But here we stand a quarter-way through the 21st-century, and a classic car by definition is now anything from the 1900s. Lol it’s wild to think about. The brand new cars we grew up with (even cars from BBC’s Top Gear)… are now considered classics. Or – they’re approaching that status quicker than we’d like to admit. And those of us who remember “Cash For Clunkers” know that many cars we’d certainly like to be enjoying today, were crushed & melted down in the late 2000’s. Luckily, some are still around for us to enjoy… like Raymond’s BMW E30 Touring (and/or wagon).

An E30 BMW might not be the first thing people think of…

When they look for an “classic European sports car”. But with the right touches, the E30 can be a wonderful driving machine. E30 wagons are a bit difficult to find in good condition. So for Raymond, he already has a gem in that regard. But to take it a step further, this one has front & rear (full metal) box-fenders normally reserved for the E30 M3. It’s a definitive classic ’80s design cue, and it really knocks ‘em dead on the wagon. Lowered on coilovers, with bronze MOMO wheels wrapped in Michelin tires, this E30 wagon is setup to drive! Let’s see what’s under the hood…

This E30 Touring has a BMW S52 inline 6-cylinder engine…

The perfect match. These engines came stock in the American E36 M3 of the late 90s. And while the US-bound M3 did get a little shafted on horsepower compared to Europe (240hp vs the European 286hp with ITBs)… the S52’s advantage is that it’s super reliable (overbuilt), making it a strong weekend warrior that can still be daily driven. Fun Fact: The S52 was one of the top-rated & revered performance engines from 1997-2000. It’s an engine that comes alive after 5,000rpms. And perhaps the biggest unfortunate misunderstanding with many modern-day drivers – is people don’t realize you gotta rev these 80s/90s engines out! This era LOVES high RPMs. And when you combine the BMW S52 engine with the lightweight driving dynamics of an E30, you really bring out the best of both worlds. Too often…

People are quick to throw-out old cars just because they’re old…

And they’re not entirely wrong for doing it. The classic stuff usually isn’t as fast, comfortable, safe, reliable, or convenient as the newer options. However – what you get in return with these older sports cars is a level of feel & perspective you can’t really find in anything modern. Sports cars have steadily lost their “sport” over time. Do they perform well? Absolutely… like a video game. They lay down wicked stats & specs. But where they tend to fall short is their connection, physicality, & oneness with the road. And it’s hard to quantify that kinda stuff without experiencing it. Perfectly imperfect.

All-in-all, this BMW E30 Wagon is something special…

Most people out there don’t have the experience or perspective to fully-appreciate a car like this… let alone the skillset to maintain it. So if you do & if you can – consider yourself one of the lucky ones. A breakaway tribe that’s not stuck consuming the throw-away culture of modern, disconnected automobiles. We’re free range lol. Raymond Little saw this old BMW… discarded, written-off, and worse for the wear. And he saw a bit of himself in it. He saw through what others had walked away from, and he gave it a 2nd chance… as he was given one.