A rare BMW M3 E30 convertible was recently auctioned for nearly six figures at collectingcars.com after undergoing extensive restoration at BMW Group Classic. Only 781 of these cars were ever built, making this particular combination of an open body, wide cheeks, and legendary S14 four-cylinder engine exceptionally rare.
The car was originally registered in the Netherlands in 1989 and remained with a single owner for 12 years. However, the original S14 engine and transmission had been replaced with a Getrag five-speed gearbox, and the engine and gearbox from a BMW M5 at some point, which was rectified during the restoration process. Every part of the car was meticulously overhauled, from the oil cooler to the muffler and from the soft top to the underside of the steering column cover.
The car was repainted in areas such as the engine bay, wheel arches, and transmission tunnel after being blasted with dry ice. The interior was cleaned, and the black leather seats were kept, while the M three-spoke steering wheel was replaced.
With a driving distance of 80,407 km in the Uppsala region, the final price of the BMW M3 Cabriolet was 95,500 euros at the auction.
In another sale, Luxembourg car dealer Art & Revs is currently offering a BMW M3 E30 Convertible that appears to have been well-maintained and lightly driven for the past 33 years, with a mechanical odometer reading of approximately 118,000 kilometers. It was owned for most of its life by a woman who purchased the car from a Frankfurt BMW dealer in August 1989 and kept it for 25 years.
A 53-year-old woman from Frankfurt purchased a black BMW M3 E30 Convertible in 1989 and retained ownership for 25 years. The high-end M3 was initially ordered by a BMW dealer in Frankfurt and was purchased for 87,799 marks. It was painted in diamond black metallic with gray nappa leather interior and featured heated seats, air conditioning, a unique Bavaria C Cassette radio, and wipers and headlight washers.
The owner used the M3 only during the summer months and had it inspected annually, with one or two repairs made each time, as evidenced by a stack of invoices. The car was sold in 2014 when it reached 25 years old and the owner was 78 years old, due to tax reasons. It was then painted and refurbished in 2017 and has only been driven for annual inspections since. The car currently has 118,000 kilometers on the odometer and is priced at 105,000 euros.
The BMW M3 E30 Convertible was produced to comply with the Group A motorsport regulations, which required 5,000 road-going M3s to be built. It quickly gained popularity after Roberto Ravaglia won the touring car championship with the M3. BMW introduced special editions like the Cecotto Edition and continued to develop the model. The S14 four-cylinder engine with a four-valve head produced 238 horsepower.
From 1988, customers could even purchase a cabriolet version of the M3, which none of its competitors in the DTM offered. The M3 Convertible shares the same bodywork as the E30 Cabriolet but with the M3’s wider track, engine, and brakes. It does not have a rear spoiler, giving it a more subtle appearance than the coupe, despite its angular wheel arches. The M3 Convertible was rare as the top model of the E30 series, with only 786 units produced.
In conclusion, a well-maintained BMW M3 E30 Convertible in good condition can cost around 100,000 euros. Despite a copy being available for sale in December 2022 with over 100,000 km on the clock, the extensively restored M3 Convertible has been sold through a car collecting platform.
