1986 BMW E30 M3

This exceptional 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 all 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. The current owner decided to purchase this M3 as a rolling restoration project in 2009 and 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 paint job alone would have cost nearly £10,000 but the vendor did not stop there. 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 this year and remains in simply superb condition. A full year's MoT will be supplied to the new owner. The E30 M3 has long been tipped as a sound long term investment opportunity as fewer and fewer decent examples come onto the market and more people realise how fantastic these 80s icons are to drive. This fully restored example deserves a closer look by any collector or BMW enthusiast.