Welcome to this week’s FC Throwback, where we take a look back at some of our favourite previous feature cars. This week it’s Nick Sahota’s E30 M3 from 2014…
Packed with 360bhp and enough torque to bend time, Nick Sahota’s bagged and tuned BMW E30 M3 ups the game to galactic levels!
Nick Sahota’s car history is packed full of E numbers and at only 23 he’s already owned a ton of sorted Beemers. This impressive list is made up of no less than 13 E30’s, four M3’s and three E39’s – jealous much!? You should be, as this only scratches the surface of a collection that runs 30 deep of modified motors!
Rewind back to 1986. A fresh, unmolested E30 rolls off the production line just as Mr BMW had intended. Little did anyone know that 28 years later that same car would be decked out on all the top Air Lift gear and sporting a dirty great S54B32 lump! That’s right folks, not only does it look top draw, it also goes like stink! The lads at Ergen Motorsports have removed the old lump and dropped in an engine from a 2003 BMW E46 M3, giving this old classic a completely new lease of life.
As if that wasn’t enough, they’ve also thrown in a few choice toys for good measure. A custom equal length 6-branch stainless steel manifold flows straight into a 60mm diameter stainless steel exhaust and gives that unmistakable M3 scream every time Nick plants the noisy pedal. An E36 M3 5-speed gearbox has been married up with a racing clutch and flywheel to help handle all those new ponies.
The end result is a bum clenching 360bhp with 365lb/ft of torque, tasty! Before Nick could unleash the E30 onto the streets he needed to sort out a decent set of stoppers. Putting a firm and confident stop to all his fun are a set of 300mm rotors and HiSpec 4-pot calipers complete with custom bells, nice!
The standard lines of the E30 are instantly recognisable and deserve nothing but legendary status. Almost all the exterior mods on Nick’s car are subtle neat touches, such as the genuine smoked Hella front lights and black Startec rear lights, the BMW Motorsports door handles, and the Sport Evo bonnet rubbers. The not so subtle Evo 2 chin spoiler is a nice touch to finish off the look.
When it came to sorting out the old paint Nick went balls out with a full respray in Inka orange. No build would be complete without a set of suitable hoops. Just days before its big reveal, Nick’s mate Kos spotted these 8x17in Compomotive TH wheels. They were quickly refurbished and finished off in gloss black before being tucked inside the E30’s rolled arches, tidy.
For the interior, Nick let Shakey and the rest of the Studio Incar loose to do whatever they pleased. Up front sit a pair of Recaro M3 seats that have been trimmed in charcoal Alcantara with contrasting double orange stitching. The door cards, headlining, centre console and parcel shelf have all been trimmed to match, and update the interior ten fold.
It’s fair to say that Nick has double ticked every box on the list with this motor. Everything from the classic E30 lines through to the monster engine swap and slammed stance has been completed with perfect execution, without doubt one of the best E30s in the word!
TECH SPEC BMW E30 M3
Styling
Full respray in Inka orange, smoked Hella front lights, black Startec rear lights, Sport Evo bumper stripes, bonnet rubbers, Evo 2 chin spoiler, flushed and rolled arches, BMW Motorsport door handles, new rubbers and plastics.
Chassis
8x17in et15 Compomotive TH wheels, Yokohama Parada 215/40×17 tyres, Air Lift Performance double bellow bags, V2 management, damper adjustable threaded body struts, camber adjustable top mounts, HiSpec 4pot calipers, 300mm rotors, custom bells, uprated links and bushes.
Interior
Recaro M3 seats retrimed in charcoal Alcantara and orange double stitching, charcoal Alcantara trimmed door cards, headlining, centre console, one piece gear knob, handbrake gaiter, parcel shelf, OEM Evo 2 door sills, sound deadening throughout .
Audio
Pioneer P99 headunit; Audison Thesis HV Venti amp, 2x TH Quattro amps, 3 way front end tweeters, mid ranges, mid basses, 10in subwoofers; Audison Bit 1 processor.
tuning
E36 M3 5 speed gearbox, racing clutch and flywheel, 2003 BMW E46 M3 S54B32 Ergen Motorsport engine conversion, custom equal length 6 branch stainless steel manifold, custom twin 60mm diameter pipe stainless steel exhaust, E28 M535 Nissen radiator, Alpha-N management, K&N cold air intake, custom propshaft, 3.25 ratio LSD.
Thanks
Everyone at Studio Incar 01489 877987, Adam at Ergen Motorsport 02392 000987, Steve and Paul at Stylehaus, Dave at Signco, Alan and the guys at Clean Getaway, Kos for finding the wheels, and a huge thanks to my family and friends.
Words Nick Turner Photos Paddy McGrath
