Body kits, also knows as an Aerodynamics Package, were plastic or fibreglass accessories that fitted to the extremities of the car. While their aerodynamic function is limited, they do provide aesthetic enhancements to the E30 body style.
All E30s left the factory with a plastic lower edge on their front valance, known as a chin spoiler or lip. Optional extras include side skirts that protect the sills from road damage, rear valance spoilers to balance the effect of chin spoilers, and boot lid spoilers to add an aggressive look to the vehicle.
Bodykits were available as optional extras from the dealer under the M-Tech brand, and are referred to as Tech 1 for early cars and Tech 2 for facelift cars. The bodykits consisted not only of bumpers, valance lips and spoilers, but were also complimented by interior options including steering wheels and gear knobs. Touring and Cabriolet models had Sports Edition side skirts as standard, which 325i Sports models had the full M-Technic Aerodynamics Package as standard.
Third parties such as Zender and Reiger also produced body kits for the E30, with certain elements now being highly sought-after collectibles.
Bodykits
AV3
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Available as an aftermarket extra from Autovogue. Essentially a copy of the kit fitted to the E36 M3
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Features
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Fitting
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Picture
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| Front Valance
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140px
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| Skirts
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| Rear Valance
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140px
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Breyton
| Description
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Available as an aftermarket extra from Breyton
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Features
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Fitting
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Picture
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| Front Valance
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| Skirts
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| Rear Valance
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Hartge H23/H28
| Description
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Fitted to the pre-facelift Hartge model H23 and the 323i-powered H26
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Features
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Fitting
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Picture
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| Front Valance
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| Rear Valance
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Hartge H26/H27
| Description
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Fitted to the facelifted Hartge models; the 325i-powered H26 and the M30-powered H27
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Features
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Fitting
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Picture
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| Front Valance
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| Skirts
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| Rear Valance
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Racing Dynamics
| Description
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Available as an aftermarket extra from Racing Dynamics
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Features
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Fitting
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Picture
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| Front Valance
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| Skirts
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140px
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| Rear Valance
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Reiger GTS
| Description
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Available as an aftermarket extra from Reiger
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Features
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Fitting
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Picture
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| Front Valance
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Despite the reknown of Reiger as a company, these bodykits do not come with any form of mounting equipment. Reiger supply pop rivets and a tube of seam sealer.
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| Skirts
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| Rear Valance
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Tech 1
| Description
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Fitted to the pre-facelift 325i Sport in 1987, as well as the 333i.
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Features
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Fitting
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Picture
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| Front Bumper/Valance
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The Tech 1 metal bumper and plastic valance are sperate parts.
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| Skirts
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| Rear Bumper
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Just like the front, the rear bumper is separate from its valance.
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| Rear Valance
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140px
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| Spoiler
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Tech 2
| Description
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Fitted to the facelifted 325i Sport in 1988-1991.
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Features
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Fitting
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Picture
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| Front Bumper
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Fitting Guide
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| Front Valance
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Unlike the Tech 1 valance, the Tech 2 has special holes which mount to plastic brake ducts. These carry air from the valance directly to the discs to aid cooling.
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| Skirts
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2-door and 4-door/Touring skirts are different as the 2-door sill covers have slots in the top of them for the rear quarter pod to slide into. The 4-door sill cover doesn't have these slots, and is therefore a different part number.
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| Rear Bumper/Valance
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The Tech 2 rear bumper and valance are a one-part component.
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Fitting Guide
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Zender
| Description
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Available as an aftermarket extra from Zender
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Features
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Fitting
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Picture
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| Front Valance
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| Skirts
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| Rear Valance
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| Boot Spoiler
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Components
Front Valances
The valance is the metal panel running behind and underneath the bumper on E30s, and is the key distinguishing feature between pre- and facelift cars. Because of that re-design, all the major body kit manufacturers listed above ran two versions of their valances, to accommodate the differences.
The differing styles took into account mounting for fog lights, air flow to the brakes and oil cooling, and the concept of combined units that incorporated both a chin spoiler and bumper into one unit.
| Name
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Fitted To
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Features
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Fitting
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Picture
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| Alpina Type 147
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The early Alpina valance was fitted to the range of Alpina models running up to 1987.
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| Alpina Type 159
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For plastic-bumpered Alpina cars with no A/C
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| BBS
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For pre-facelift vehicles.
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Has the earlier shape bumper mount holes, making it exclusive to early vehicles.
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Lips
| Name
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Fitted To
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Features
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Fitting
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Picture
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| Pre-facelift Lip
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All E30s up to 1987
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The one pictured is without the oil cooler cutouts.
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| Facelift Lip
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All standard E30s from 1987
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| iS Lip
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Mounts using standard BMW clips along the bottom edge of the valance
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| "Jimmy Hill"
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BMW Optional Extra
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The affectionally-named BMW option, part number 1919743, is uniquely identifiable by its extreme protrusion from the valance, making this item much more a 'chin' than a 'lip'.
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| Volvo Lip
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Volvo 740
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Mounts using standard BMW clips along the bottom edge of the valance. The key, however, is to mount it upside-down.
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Side Skirts
Side skirts are effectively sill protectors; plastic strips that prevent stones and gravel sand-blasting all the paint off the the bottom of your car. Unfortunately they also act as rot traps, holding and keeping years worth of muck and road salt against your metalwork, so it is important to get your skirts off regularly to clean behind them.
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Fitted To
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Features
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Fitting
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Picture
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| SE Skirts
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The Special Equipment sideskirts were fitted as standard to Touring and Cabriolet models, and were also found on all SE models of the 320i and 325i.
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Each skirt is in two pieces; a main section running under the doors to the rear arch, and a small leading section which covers the lower portion of the front wing. These two parts simply slide and clip together.
The kit is mounted using a series of plastic clips. Along the top edge, these clips plug into holes drilled into the sill, while the bottom edge clips directly to the lower sill edge. As the skirt tucks into the wheel arch at both ends, two more holes are drilled into the wheel arch lip to hold plastic plugs.
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Fitting Guide
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140px
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Boot Spoilers
| Name
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Fits
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Features
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Fitting
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Picture
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| Kamei
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All E30s
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Spoiler comes in three pieces; a rear panel and two side trims. Due to the width of the rear panel, the side trims fit to the rear quarterpanels of the car instead of the boot lid, giving a much more aggressive look to the back end of the car. Supposed to be matched to the exceptionally rear Kamei Front Wing splits - a pair of mythical trims that cover the gap between bonnet and front wing.
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The spoiler itself requires two holes drilled into the bootlid for the mounting clamps, while the side trims are bonded on with sealant.
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Fitting
Boot Spoilers
Start by finding the centre line of the boot lid. Measure out from here 565mm, 346mm and 118mm to the left, and 130mm, 346mm and 565mm to the right.
The distance forward for the holes is measured from the lower edge of the boot, up and around the curved bit. The measurements are, in the same order as the measurements I've already given, 125mm, 127mm, 129mm, 129mm, 127mm and 125mm.
Hole diameter is 7.5mm.
