1986 BMW E30 M3

The M3 when launched in 1986 was the first purpose built BMW saloon specifically designed to race. It was a 'homologation special' taken to the ultimate extreme with wheelbase and track optimised for racing, a high revving powerful 2.3 litre four cylinder 16 valve engine, a close ratio 5 speed gearbox with a direct drive top gear, purposeful square arches and fully optimised suspension and brakes. Only available in left hand drive and priced at a hefty £26,000 in the day - it was unsurprising that only a very limited number of cars came to the UK. However, they completely dominated on the race track with Touring Car titles claimed Internationally, including the most prestigious UK and German Touring car crowns.

This example of BMW's E30 M3 was first delivered new to Germany in 1986. It was subsequently purchased by a Japanese collector and was exported in 1988. The history file retains a large amount of the original Japanese paperwork, wallet, manuals and service booklet. The odometer reads 141,000 kilometres (87,000 miles), which is supported by service records from a BMW main dealer in Japan.

This M3 was purchased by the previous owner as a rolling restoration project in 2009 and he imported the car back to Europe. However, as soon as he did so, it was decided that car deserved to be restored from the ground up. The body was bare metal resprayed, including engine bay and underside. The car had new inner and outer window seals and the alloy wheels were fully refurbished. The engine was fully rebuilt with big end bearings, main bearings, new piston rings, cleaned valves, cleaned ports and powder coated block. There were many other jobs completed, such as a rebuilt differential with new shims and seals, rebuilt suspension, new oil pump, water pump, new brake discs and pads, new fuel lines and new clutch slave cylinder. All parts were purchased from either C3 BMW or BMW Parklane.

Finished in its original colour of Henna Red with cloth interior, the car has not been driven any great distance since it was completed last year and has recently been the subject of a large amount of work by marque specialists to ensure everything is working correctly. The E30 M3 has long been tipped as a sound long term investment opportunity as people realise how fantastic these 80s icons are to drive. This restored example deserves a closer look by any collector or BMW enthusiast.