The E30 Upgrade Engine Guide
Trying to figure what the next step is for your e30? Here is a quick guide to the popular engine swaps you can do to add a little more fun to your Bavarian brick. From mild to wild, there are plenty of ways to make your e30 anything from zippy to outright dangerous...be sure to install some grippy tires!
The “i”- The E30 I Should Have Never Bought
Oh to be seventeen and dumb. This 325i is one of two e30s I have owned since I was seventeen. The main reason why I ended up with this car was because it was cirrus blue, the same color as the mint 1989 325i that sixteen-year-old me had crashed 8 months earlier.
The “e,” The 325 That Went From Zero to Hero
This was the first car I ever bought, a $1250 1986 325. From day one it was getting looked down on, within the first hour of my good friend saw the car he said, “you know you bought the slow one right.”
Zippy-and-Dialed
In all my years of driving, the e30 BMW is the car that remains near and dear to my heart. For one reason or another, I haven’t gotten tired of looking at them and still enjoy tinkering under the hood (which seems to be more often than not). With my red 318is mostly sorted, I thought I was done. Certain cars however, show up when you’re least expecting it. You guessed it—now there’s another one.