For over twenty years, the E30 platform has been a part of my identity, from being my first car to founding a community that still thrives today (E30sport → R3vlimited). My first autocross, track day, and timed competition were in an E30, and most of my closest friends are from the community.
Last week, I was asked if I still race my E30s, and I realized that I haven't shared anything about them recently.
Cutting to the chase: my time with E30s has ended for the foreseeable future.
(Side note: the lack of sharing stems from being unsure of what resonates with readers. Is this more of a diary? Or more of an advice column?)
Last December, I shared a tongue-in-cheek Instagram post: "Done with E30s (not really)." It turns out I was indeed done; I just hadn't realized it yet. When I bought my E90 earlier that year, my priorities were already shifting.
Too Many Cars, Not Enough Time
In the spring of 2023, I bought my E90, a Bimmerworld-built car with a Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge pedigree. The car was well-developed, had most of the right parts for GLTC racing, and had the allure of a newer chassis with generational improvements to every aspect compared to my old E30s.
I had two E30s at the time. One was my longtime project: a Diamantschwarz 318iS I built from stock into a formidable NASA TT6 weapon. The other was an impulse-buy M52-powered race car: cheap, well-built, and perfect for getting into wheel-to-wheel racing.
With a two-car garage and three cars, I had to stash one E30 in a warehouse. That should have been my first clue that I had too many cars and not enough time.
Buying the E90 meant I no longer needed the M52 E30 race car, so I sold it to free up the money and the garage space. However, I continued to store the 318iS in a warehouse because working in a two-car garage with two cars inside wasn't easy.
The plan was to keep the 318iS around as a practice/training car and continue doing regional TT6 competitions. However, that never happened. After storing it in early 2023, I never returned it to the track. Unfortunately, I had severely overestimated my appetite for maintaining and running multiple cars.
By mid-2024, it became clear that my priorities had shifted. The 318iS no longer fit into the picture. I didn't want to convert it back into a street car, and why would I bother to convert it into a full-blown race car when I have the E90? I wasn't sentimental enough to keep it around just for the sake of having it. Racing is expensive, and selling it would help fund another GLTC season.
In October, my close friend bought the 318iS with the express intent of harvesting some parts for his own E30 hoard. The car, which is up for sale again, no longer has the Group N suspension or carbon fiber bits. Still, many of the body panel issues were repaired, and some parts were upgraded (like the new M-Rain patterned OMP seats).
As my time with E30s ended, I became less invested in the E30 community. I once hoped to assist in a renaissance of R3vlimited, but it never came to fruition, lacking admin buy-in. The E30 community has moved on, and so have I.
Looking Forward
Will I own another E30?
For the first time, I genuinely don't know. Prices are up, parts are scarce, and safety concerns linger. Track participation has shifted to newer platforms—I wrote in 2022 that SpecE30 was dying, and I still stand by that.
I'll always appreciate what the E30 gave me—friendships, experience, and a passion for building + racing. But life is about moving forward, and my future is in GLTC with the E90, which is precisely where I want to be.
