I saw my 1997 M3 through quite a few rounds of various modifications, but the mod with the most impact was easily the IP -class BMW club racing engine that I dropped in about a year before the car was totaled. The drivetrain was transferred with much ado into my 1991 325is and the result was exactly what I'd hoped. In OBDI form it put down 262 whp / 231 TQ on Turner Motorsport's Dynapack, which is enough to move the roughly 2850 lb E30 very well. It drives similarly to my M3 yet in many ways is substantially different, and it would have embarrassed the E36 in a straight line.

   Below are a few quotes from an online diary I kept during my initial drive to South Carolina from Connecticut, where I put the first miles on the new machine.

"The E30 is so much more cantankerous and buzzy than my M3, I love it."

"I have a long way to go, and hell the car may never be perfect, but I could not be happier with its current state. It's everything I hoped it would be, with a lot of it the E30-factor that solves an itch I always chased, but never quite scratched in the E36."

"619 miles later, I am thoroughly impressed with the car. It eats highway miles and I could not be happier with the way I fit into the stock sport seats. While the interior is tighter than the E36, the more squarish nature of the cabin allows me enough head room to be comfortable even at 6'2", and there is enough lateral room for my overall large frame to log hundreds of miles without any discomfort."

"Driving is a pleasure. The 3.46 allows me to be well under 4000 RPM at 80 mph in 5th gear, where I used to sit right at 4000 RPM in the E36 with the 3.64. Mileage has greatly benefited from the taller gear, as we are averaging 23 mpg, even with sporadic whomps up to 120 mph and back, which is more than acceptable to me. There is never any real need to downshift, as the power is always immediately available, which makes passing cars very easy."

"Performance-wise, the car is a beast. Once I got to warmer climes than the northeast, and I started being able to lay the pedal down fully in 1st and second, I realized that the power delivery is absolutely perfect for the car. It does not need any more low end, or mid-range than it already has, as it will absolutely tear out of the hole under full throttle, without any overwhelming TQ to induce severe wheel hop. To be sure I can improperly launch the thing into wheel hop hell, but I can also properly launch at WOT, and stay WOT until jailable speeds without any protest from the tires. Given that I am running 225s all the way around, I find this both surprising and wholly awesome."