E30 Zone

A little cut and paste job to explain the 5 colours that the E30 Motorsport convertible came in.

The first two are early chrome, with grey leather and 15'' bbs without the centres painted.

Early Nogaro Silver- Colour coded chrome



Early Macau Blue - Colour coded chrome



Mtech 2 body kit with all the toys, bubble leather colour and nogaro centred wheels.

Sebring Grey- Mtech 2



Macau Blue- Mtech 2



Calypso Red- Mtech 2



Maruritus Blue- Mtech 2



Hope this helps to clear things up a little.The top picture is of the first & second production runs 290 macau blue and nogaro with chrome bumpers.This had silver plain leather. The second two pictures are the 250 run in 1990 with bubble leather and the bottom two the later run with lotus white leather as you can see in the pictures.


BMW E30 325 MOTORSPORT ED. CONVERTIBLE

Here is some useful information I picked up from eBay for those looking to buy an E30 325 MOTORSPORT CONVERTIBLE beware!

This is for information purposes only so please pass on the message to anyone interested in buying one of these cars. They are special!

The specification under the “Motor Sport Editionâ€a banner with BMW GB is detailed under dealer code 798.

Take the chassis number of the car you are thinking about buying to any BMW Dealer. Ask them to run it through their computer for the original specification details. This should show dealer code 798 THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART, without it you can't buy any of the M Technic parts and your car will be de-valued as 325 Motor Sport Edition Cars are becoming collectable!

There are only 590 325 Motor Sport Edition Convertibles is the UK, this breaks down as:

40 in 1988 (Chrome)- Macau Blue
250 in 1989 Nogaro Silver & Macau Blue
250 in 1990 Sebring Grey & Macau Blue
50 in 1991 Calypso Red & Maruritus Blue

A number of the last few cars were converted to 2.7

Please don't believe 1 of 250 or 1 of 50 etc. it's only half true at best? The run extended to 590 in total in the UK —a I have seen them in LHD, even rarer as the M3 convertible was only LHD.

The 325 MotorSport Edition was touted as an alternative in the UK!

Most of these cars are finished in Sebring Grey Metallic (Black hoods) & Macau Blue Metallic (Blue hoods) both special to the Motorsport range.

Nearly all of them have power hoods as standard.

The leather includes the centre tunnel; all door panels (not just a splash of leather), inside of door pockets and tops of ash trays! Any without the bubble leather inserts have either black or silver/grey leather & have motor sport colours sewn in one corner of the seat back rest.

Heres the full specification of Motor Sport Edition 325 Convertible (from BMW GB salesman bulletin):
• M Technic body package, includes: Front spoiler (bumper one part/lower panel second part) • Rear Skirt (bumper one part/lower panel second part) • Side sills & Panelling (4 panel parts each side & sill)
• NO REAR SPOILER ALLOWED
• Nappa-Tex woven cloth/leather central seat parts (from M5)
• M-Technic Sports suspension
• M Technic steering wheel with impact pad in leather (M Tec II)
• Leather upholstery for outer parts of seats, doors & side panels, centre & tunnel consoles
• Prepped for hard top • Option of Electro/mechanical hood
• Black satin chrome (fully de-chromed)
• Body coloured mirrors & bumpers
• 7J x 15 BBS cross spoke alloy wheels (5) with cross spokes painted in Nogaro Silver • 205 / 55 R 15 V Tyres
• Boot lid lined
• Graduated tinted windscreen
• On board computer
• Full exhaust catalysor
• EH gearbox on Automatic box (switable auto)

A fully loaded one with auto & power hood would have cost over £30k new!

As standard, there's no head lamp wash-wipe, no air-con, no electric seats, no other colours, no rear spoilers.

Changing suspension to anything other than M Technic lowers the value of the car


Update.

Interiors

Some more pictures to explain to zone members.

Lotus White leather on the Calypso and Maruritus.



Grey leather/Bubble/Nappa tex on the Macau blue.



Black leather/Bubble/Nappa tex on the Sebring Grey.



Early leather interior the first 290 cars.

thats my old calypso convertible!!

i thought they made 50 calypso motorspots? read it in a mag once.

good read that mate. and hopefully will stop half the "is it a motorsport" questions.

What is "Bubble Leather" then?
Good info mate, if only I could afford one

the last one has a tech 2 spoiler

And doesn't the Burgundy one look like it has a lip (dunno what else to call it) spoiler on the boot.

Well i took mine off the market this morning as i am going to forget about a nice six and spend money on my motorsport.
Its going in on friday for a cam belt change and a tune up,what i want to know what are the best plugs and leads i can buy for the car.
I have taken the old m3 mirrors off and am replaceing with colour coded orginal mirrors.
The front of the car has adjustable suspension what would it cost to convert back to orginal is it worth the trouble.
The rear of the car has an mtec 2 spoiler should i leave or take it off.
As for the leather its mint [tan] but i dont think i will be able to find a mint silver motorsport leather interior in a hurry.
So am just going to take my time and restore her back to her orginal spec if i can.

Cheers
Ryan

Widge wrote:And doesn't the Burgundy one look like it has a lip (dunno what else to call it) spoiler on the boot.

Yup....

no your right it's an SE lip spoiler.

it's a shame they are all bloody auto IMO

Ryan NGK plugs for an chrome bumper 325 are best u can get them from GSF, plus standard bmw leads would do the trick i think. Will be creamy smooth then

Cheers si, i am also going to get a K and N panel air filter which should help breathing.I have also got a quote on a new hood with a zip in back window.She will be looking smart for gaydon this year.

Ryan

what were the specs of the 10 alpina ones. there is a guy near me who thinks his is an original Alpina. i know its a macau blue motorsport as i said to him but he is adamant its a pina. no dash plaque, it has 16" pinas, but these are easily added on. is there a way to tell just by looks.

oh and this one is almost dead. the ownw=er ragged it silly. was a real beauty when he bought it, just like gazzas. i dont know whats wrong with it but been parked up for several months.

On that auto with the mtec clours on the dash clocks,it looks like it has a standard e30 dash and tunnel does not look like its covered in leather.

798 MOTORSPORT EDITION
MODEL BB12 325CON
COLOUR 250 MACAO BLUE
UPHOLSTERY 0319 SILVER LEATHER.
THE STRANGE BIT IS,
BUILD DATE OCT 1990 [WK41]
REG DATE 13/03/1991

Ryan,

Im sure Bharat or Chu346 or one of the sebring owners can clear that up!.

Cheers Gareth

i think that it might be chu's motor!

I have a sebring grey car, and the centre tunnel is indeed black leather - hence why you can't really see it in the pic!



Q

get some pics nav if you can. im sure the motorsport converted ones often had the chip/cam and exhaust, whilst the C2 2.7 had the full lot, i remember a gorg exmaple featured in Total bout 4 years ago, was calpyso red on a j-reg

Hap

will try mate. i will ask if he wanna sell too. may be worth saving.

cool a normal alpina cab is rare enuff but a proper Motorsport one will be even rarer.

hap

Hap wrote:get some pics nav if you can. im sure the motorsport converted ones often had the chip/cam and exhaust, whilst the C2 2.7 had the full lot, i remember a gorg exmaple featured in Total bout 4 years ago, was calpyso red on a j-reg

Hap

I'm sure i saw that for sale a couple of years ago, calypso red cab with full C2 2.7 conversion aswell. Awsome car

Do you guys think that BMW still sell the leather tunnels in black for motorsport convertible and what kind of price.

Cheers.

they do and it's well over a ton!

palerider325icab wrote:On that auto with the mtec clours on the dash clocks,it looks like it has a standard e30 dash and tunnel does not look like its covered in leather.

Yep that would be my car. It is covered in leather, the pictures to far away to tell.

As for the dials, i ain't got round to changing them yet.

More pics http://stuweb.cms.gre.ac.uk/~ha331/BMW/ ... index.html

Hap wrote:get some pics nav if you can. im sure the motorsport converted ones often had the chip/cam and exhaust, whilst the C2 2.7 had the full lot, i remember a gorg exmaple featured in Total bout 4 years ago, was calpyso red on a j-reg

Hap

just drove past his house and its not there . he must have it running again! will go round tommorrow

i priced up a new rear ashtray for my motorsport and that was Ԛ£61 + vat so god knows how much a centre tunnel would be!!

You'll find all the extra bits of leather inerior, ashtrays/tunnel etc. are mega money, infact they no longer make the Lotus White option of a few of them. I'm finding this out as i progress through the restore.
Andy

I phoned my local BMW dealer and the price for the handbrake section is Ԛ£60 plus vat and the bit where the gear leaver is 80 plus vat i have em on order now.
I am just hopeing that its the right colour combo for a macau blue motorsport.
They even have the door cards but did not ask how much.

Cheers
Ryan

My research leads me to believe that of the last 50 there are 25 finished in Calypso Red, 10 with lotus white leather trim the rest with the very special Ԛ“bubble leatherԚâ€a Napa-Tex woven central seat parts in either black or silver/grey ONLY (from the M5 of that time).

A further 10 cars from the last batch were built by Alpina. All those cars have the later style rear lights, are in Calypso red (Maroon).

I can vividly remember taking in a 91 J Calypso Red with Lotus Leather (auto with power roof) back in about 1997/8 (went home in it one night! ) which at the time I spec. checked with a BMW dealer to confirm it was genuine IIRC this car was one of the very last ones, I'll have to see i can get the VIN on monday, see if its anyones here's car!

If you check under the rear seat it will have the edition number out of 250 in pen on a sticky label with the seat part number.
Mine has 228/250. Mine is a JUly 1991.
Andy

Mine is a 796 not 798

mustard wrote:

My research leads me to believe that of the last 50 there are 25 finished in Calypso Red, 10 with lotus white leather trim the rest with the very special Ԛ“bubble leatherԚâ€a Napa-Tex woven central seat parts in either black or silver/grey ONLY (from the M5 of that time).

A further 10 cars from the last batch were built by Alpina. All those cars have the later style rear lights, are in Calypso red (Maroon).

I can vividly remember taking in a 91 J Calypso Red with Lotus Leather (auto with power roof) back in about 1997/8 (went home in it one night! ) which at the time I spec. checked with a BMW dealer to confirm it was genuine IIRC this car was one of the very last ones, I'll have to see i can get the VIN on monday, see if its anyones here's car!

It was this car!!! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... %3AIT&rd=1

What are the chances of that? I was just browsing through the ebay section on the site and as soon as I saw the reg. no I recognised it!

I can remember seeing a cab exactly like that one back in 1998/99 ish in PBMW ads section same wheels too,when looking for mine. It was up for 17-18k

Gazza i could not find you at gaydon nor could i find simon seen his car,very nice.
Gazza what do you think of my car as i was tailing you home yesterday i had my top down,yours looks well smart.



Cheers

Oh yes, Didn't realise it was you Ryan.
Flashed you out to have a closer look at your car didn't realise it was a Motorsport.
Its those wheels,mirrors and interior. Or have you changed any of them?.I didnt have time to hang around.

Cheers Gareth.

Yes that was me those wheels are genuine alpinas,i have changed the mirrors its just the interior now but she still looks good.I think i am going to take the mtec2 rear spoiler off aswell.
I am just looking for a nice cheap e30 2dr to knock about in might have a go at 1 of the zoners 86 325i sport or a nice 320i se 2dr with blown head gasket i gave andy a call at bmtec and to do a head Ԛ£500 sh1t.
What do you do but a really nice 320 and i mean really nice and do the head then you have a nice car or buy a 325i sport and the head goes.

One thing is for sure sep 4 will be her last time out locked up in the garage untill spring has sprung.


Cheers

Simon13 wrote:no your right it's an SE lip spoiler.

it's a shame they are all bloody auto IMO

Ryan NGK plugs for an chrome bumper 325 are best u can get them from GSF, plus standard bmw leads would do the trick i think. Will be creamy smooth then

yea your right, most are auto's, mine's a manual.....im happy (did take quite a while finding it though)