1989 BMW E30 325i Turbo Touring

**GideonArcher** · 06-15-2019, 10:02 PM

Asking price is $40,000 OBO.

Up for sale is a unique, one-of-a-kind 1989 BMW E30 TurboTouring. BMW never built an e30 turbo, and never imported the E30 Touring to the US. This build has taken the better part of 2.5 years, the ethos and aesthetic that was followed for its entirety was;

"What would a turbo e30 wagon look and perform like if this car was the brainchild of a high-end tuner in the late 80's?" If Dinan or Alpina were to build the ultimate turbo touring, but still maintain that near-OEM look, this is what I think it would look like.

This car is designed to have an aesthetic to it so as to not be loud or 'racey', but rather subdued and ultra clean. Its meant to elevate the look and feel of a somewhat simple car and add some elegance and class and make it a bit sportier in appearance, but ultimately this is not an M3 or a race car, and is not meant to look like a touring version of an e30 M3. When you sit inside and realize the custom made seat fabric from Europe is similar to an Alpina pattern, or that every surface has been covered in leather, or even notice the custom 'turbo' emblem on the Mtech steering wheel you get a very clear understanding for the style aesthetic.

A non-BMW fan might not even know when looking under the hood that this wasn't remotely how the car came from the factory.

The car drives beautifully too, it's not just for looking at! Its ride is sportier than stock but not punishing, and it turns in crisp and neat like all e30's do (thanks to Bilstein struts, H&R sport springs, ST sway bars, and every bushing being less than 2 years old). The Kuhmo Ecsta V720 225/45R15's are the perfect amount of tire to provide ample grip and have a pleasing tread pattern that compliments the car nicely.

It’s a 'tad' bit faster than a stock 325's 168hp. At 14.5psi of boost, it makes 300Hp and 300lb. ft of torque at the wheels. The car is tuned to 12 psi, and develops right around 260 / 260 hp and torque, again at the wheels, not crank. It gives a whole new life to an e30, is addictive, but not overly punishing against the tires.

I imported the car from Canada in January 2017 with 249,351km (154,940 miles). The previous owner acquired the car with about 219,000km (136,080 miles) on it. He did a full restoration on the car inside and out. He documented the entire process on a 96-page web blog (which I printed and will include in the 3 binders of receipts acquired between the PO and myself). He repaired any rust spots properly (this car lived in Germany at the beginning of its life), stripped it down to bare metal, and completed a full exterior paint job BMW color Hellrot Red. He fully refurbished or replacement all suspension components, subframes, bushings, completed a transmission rebuild, differential rebuild, oil pump rebuild, and rebuilt the motor that was in the car and added a basic turbo kit to it.

The car currently has 250,112km (155,412 miles) on the chassis. I have put less than 500 miles on the car. In that time, expanding upon the excellent work of the previous owner the car has an almost complete replacement / redesign of the entire engine bay, including but not limited to a new rebuilt engine, a new turbo, tons of custom fabrication of things such as custom turbo, custom exhaust/intercooler piping, powder coating and ceramic coating of nearly everything. See below in listing for full details of all modifications. It has also had a complete interior overhaul of every surface with custom leather, carpet, and fabric replacement. Everything on the car works as designed. Every indicator, bulb, and even decal has been refreshed or replaced to look as close to new as possible.

Just about everything has been rebuilt or replaced, even including the chassis itself which was overhauled by the previous owner less than 20,000 miles ago.

This car has been a labor of love, and has been built with a spare-no-expense attitude. It had to be done right, it had to follow an overarching design to obtain the right look, feel, and performance. The pictures speak for themselves.

This car is not California CARB legal and would not be able to be registered in California.

I will try to be as thorough as possible as to the details of the build, but just know there is very little that hasn’t been touched on the car so listing everything would make this otherwise long posting even longer. There are 3 binders of receipts and countless pictures of the cars metamorphosis for its new owner.

PARTS / WORK COMPLETED

[ENGINE BAY]
* Replaced motor with freshly rebuilt M20B25. All work carried out at BimmerHeads in Santa Clarita CA. Fresh motor includes;
-----Block hot tank, machining, OEM paint.
-----New ARP studs/bolts
-----New MAHLE pistons/rings
-----New oil pump
-----New water pump
-----New main/rod bearings
-----New intermediate shaft gear
-----Bimmerheads "race" 885 head with 280/274 dual pattern cam, Supertech valves + OEM Dual Springs, Coolant Jacket Welding.
* Relocated Remote Oil Filter, using OEM oil cooler with custom fabricated/welded piping.
* All under hood hoses replaced with new OEM rubber or black nylon braided AN hose with black anodized AN fittings.
* All nuts and bolts under hood replaced with new (exception of possibly 4-6 bolts re-used from previous iteration).
* New OEM fan clutch, fan, and shroud.
* New Bosch Alternator.
* New Siemens Deka 60lb injectors 630cc 60mm.
* Only mechanical component under hood from previous iteration are master cylinder, brake booster, aluminum high-flow radiator. Everything else is new or rebuilt.
* TiAL wastegate.
* Synapse Blow off Valve.
* ECS tuning Catch Can.
* TurboSmart Manual Boost controller.
* Blasted and powder coated Intake manifold, thermostat housing, valve cover, every part that could be coated, coated with black texture.
* New NGK BPR7ES Spark Plugs, MSD Spark Plug Wires.
* Custom designed & fabricated;
-----Turbo header/manifold/y-pipe, utilizing OEM exhaust manifold.
-----3" stainless turbo downpipe feeds back into exhaust.
-----3" stainless exhaust, with Magnaflow catalytic converter, Magnaflow dual tip muffler.
-----Ceramic coating on all turbo piping including Y pipe, wastegate piping, downpipe, etc.
-----Intercooler mount with 2.5" aluminum IC charge piping, black texture powder coated.
-----Custom designed/built Garret GT2971R Turbo (from Pure Turbos San Diego CA).
-----Custom fit / relocated washer fluid reservoir.
* New front mount Intercooler (23" x 10" x 2.5")
* Aluminum distributor block off plate powder coated textured black.
* Aluminum high flow radiator.
* BMW OEM e30 318is wire loom plastic cover custom fit to car.
* Redline 20w50 synthetic oil.

[DRIVELINE]
* New Clutchmasters FX350 Clutch.
* New Throw out bearing, piloting bearing, seals.
* Rebuilt rear differential with Limited Slip 3.73 gears (previous owner, with last 15,000 miles).
* New motor mounts, transmission mounts, guibo (flexdisk).
* New OEM Z3 1.9 Short Shifter conversion w/new bushings

[ELECTRIC]
* Innovate MTX-L Digital Wideband Air/Fuel Ratio Gauge and sensor.
* DIYAUTOUNE Plug-N-Play E30 Megasquirt Standalone ECU. Tuned for pump gas up to 14.5psi boost.
* Wasted Spark MSD triple coil setup.
* Walboro 255 Fuel pump.

[SUSPENSION / BRAKES / WHEELS/ CHASSIS]
* New brake rotors / brake pads front & rear.
* New stainless braided brake lines front & rear.
* Bilstein struts front & rear, with e90 drop hats for front struts.
* H&R sport springs, ground control adjustable rear spring perches.
* ST sway bars front and rear
* All suspension/subframe bushings replaced within past 20,000 miles.
* New 15x8" Wheels with Kuhmo Ecsta V720 225/45R15 tires (less than 500 miles)
* Replacement door latch hardware, door closure breaks.

[INTERIOR]
* Custom Alpina style two tone seat fabric from Europe.
* New black headliner.
* Custom leather covering and stitching on door panels, seats, center console, gear shift & parking brake boot / handle / knob.
* Subtle turbo emblem on steering wheel.
* New seat piston and latch hardware.
* Nakamichi bluetooth stereo with early 90's single knob style to match the look and feel of the era.
* New Aftermarket speakers in Oem locations.
* Custom relocation tray to move battery to passenger rear quarter panel.
* Boost, OIL Pressure, OIL Temp gauges custom into center console.

[MISC]
* New rear hatch rubber seal
* New sunroof rubber seal
* (3) New BMW OEM Keys for doors, hatch, and glovebox with functional central locking system.
* New battery.
* Original Owner's manuals included.

50 High Res pictures can be found here https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7msixn7yy...GAKeq8Jua?dl=0. New owner will get hundreds of photos of the whole restoration process of the car in addition to binders filled with receipts!

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