Photography by Tim Suddard
Some seven years ago, we found, restored and modified a 1991 BMW 318is. Soon after finishing the work, we drove the car all over the Eastern Seaboard. The car has run at Daytona (SCCA Track Night in America), VIR (NASA HyperFest) and the Tail of the Dragon.
As we’ve moved on to other projects, lately we have left this car mostly in the garage. Driving an E36-chassis M3 even got us pondering changing horses.
Recently, however, we spent some time with our 318is–a bit of time.
We made a last-minute decision to take the 318is to the Targa Sixty Six event at Homestead-Miami Speedway–picture a track event that caters to owners of vintage cars. We’d also spend a few days off in the Florida Keys. We originally planned to take our Porsche 997, but the BMW’s extra room for luggage and track gear won out.
We figured that this thousand-mile trip would either prove that this E30 is the best dual-purpose car ever, or it would fall short, helping us put the wheels in motion for an E36 M3.
As before, this lightly modified 318is proved to be comfortable, practical and economical, posting about 28 mpg on the highway. We were able to carry four suitcases, a gear bag and a Miata steering rack that was going to a friend. All of this fit in the trunk with no issues. Despite temps well into the 80s, the a/c kept us comfortable the whole time.
The Metric Mechanic-built 2.0-liter M42 engine can easily cruise at highway speeds. It turns about 4000 rpm at 80 mph yet doesn’t come across as buzzy. The car does not run hot, is not finicky and starts easily every time.
Cup holders would have been nice, but that wasn’t a thing BMW offered in the ’80s. And for long trips, it wouldn’t be hateful to have cruise control, but the stripped-down 318is doesn’t have that, nor does it have a sunroof or opening rear vent windows.
Once at the track, we kept things easy as we were on 400-treadwear tires that were nearing the end of their service life. We really didn’t have the time for another project at that point, so our goal was to get in some laps and then drive home.
While the 318is wasn’t particularly fast–figure about 180 horsepower in a 2400-pound car–it was amazingly balanced and composed. It could also rev to about 7700 rpm. We could pull most of the small-bore vintage racers.
The BMW never ran out of brakes, either, which is impressive as we were running the Akebono street pads. While we have some Pagid track pads for the car, we decided to keep it in street trim for this trip as race pads can be noisy on the street.
Upon returning, we made a short list of things to fix. The air bag wheel is ugly and not that comfortable. Plus, the air bag isn’t working, anyway. We ordered an early non-air bag BMW M Technic steering wheel on eBay for $379.
The passenger’s sun visor broke–perhaps because of old age or just thanks to a heavy-handed passenger. We found one on eBay for $30.
We have an exhaust rattle that has been plaguing us for years. We should finally fix it.
The power locks also need attention as they seem to have a mind of their own. Without warning, they can lock or unlock at any time. Maybe there’s just a short somewhere. It’s also time for an oil change.
Despite a few small things, we’d call this a true dual-purpose car. How much to duplicate? Depends. Hagerty says that a 318is in good condition should bring in $25,000, while an engine like ours would cost about $15,000 to duplicate. Really, though, the car is probably worth about half of that sum.
And we love driving it–so much, in fact, that we have (mostly) stopped looking at the E36 M3 ads.
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