This 1989 BMW M3 Has a V10 Heart and Supercar Price Tag

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Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell

 

The E30 BMW M3 is a performance motoring icon – a car known for its nimble handling, engine potency, stunning appearance, as well as rarity. It’s also a car you don’t want to rip apart if you don’t have to. This one however, has been. 

 

And it’s a jaw-dropper. This E30 now boasts a massive 5.7-liter V10 engine, the suspension from an E90 BMW M3, and brake discs that look the size of manhole covers. A true Frankenstein car, its grandeur commands a rather supercar-esque price tag of $224,500 on eBay. We’ll give you a moment to collect yourself.

Built by Virginia’s Piper Motorsport, this “Land Rocket” M3 is described as a “cost no object” build. It’s easy to understand why with the amount of work that went into creating it. The most prominent addition is the 5.7-liter V10 lurking underneath the hood. The stroker engine came courtesy of the BMW performance experts at Dinan. Although stats are unlisted for this car, this engine produced 628 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque in Dinan’s own M6 S3. No turbo trickery here, just a big free-breathing V10 punch of power.

 

Underneath, E90 M3 front and rear subframes and suspension find a home, complemented by a good deal of ancillary shoehorning. The firewall and transmission tunnel were cut in order to allot space for the new six-speed manual gearbox, driveshaft, and the V10’s factory headers. Up front, a custom intake manifold was created in order to clear the hood, and the airboxes were crammed in between wheel wells and headlights.

Here’s the interesting part, though. The ‘Franken M3’ weighs in at an alleged 3,000 pounds, which puts it around 150 pounds more than the original car… V10 included. After the build, Piper Motorsport mentioned that the weight distribution actually improved in the process. Not bad for a four-cylinder to V10 swap.

With only 30,000 miles on the clock and that gargantuan $224,500 price tag – this stunning E30 is certainly not a BMW most people can afford. Though if you are looking for something a bit less extravagant, there are a few more down-to-earth E30 M3s up for grabs too.


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