Reborn yesterday

I’m fortunate to own an E30 M3 – first bought in 1998 and then again after I sold it in 2004 and immediately regretted it. It’s a well-used 1990 2.3 in Sapphire Black with leather Recaros and a sunroof. It is rot-free, having undergone extensive treatment for tin worm (sills, rear inner arches, scuttle, A-pillars and seat belt mounts). The engine was fully rebuilt with Schrick 284 cams, a baffled sump, a lightened and balanced flywheel, a carbonfibre airbox and intake runners and an Alpha-n ECU.

The car also has AC Schnitzer suspension and 750i front brake calipers astride Mercedes SL front discs(!).

As a result of all this it drives really well, sounds like a Group A racer on full chat, puts out over 270bhp and delivers all the fun anyone would need. But it isn’t worth £330,000, not even if you covered the engine bay in gold leaf or punched 30 holes in every signature piece of trim…

Redux has modified an E30 M3 to a very high standard (evo 295) and I’d love to own a car like it, but who are they kidding if, by adding a selection of widely available nonstandard parts, they feel justified in charging three times the price of a good Sport Evo, which – if the owner felt they had to – could be modified in performance and handling for less than an additional £20k.

evo should be about the bare bones thrill of driving, not adding weight and substance to an overhyped restomod culture. Find instead an E30 M3 for £45k and enjoy it for what it is – unique, soulful, full of character, perfectly balanced and steeped in history. Dave Weeden