Crazy motor transplants are nothing new, but replacing one great engine with another pretty much is. Today's E30 rocks a Skyline's heart, but will its price make yours skip a beat?
Did you see this ? Well, you have now. And also now, you have the opportunity to buy this insane machine. Um, I mean the of course, not the bike, after all, as we all know, two wheels bad. The question for today however is whether the price on these four wheels - and the wildly customized E30 to which they are attached - is good.
I don't know what the bike is, but the car is no less than a BMW E30 with a Skyline GT-R RB26 swap…
Most all of us love E30s, however not that many of us kitten to customized rides, preferring our original 3-series to be factory spec'd. But this custom constructed Bimmer takes crazy to a whole ‘nother level. Nigel Tufnel's Marshall may have gone to eleven, but this former 325IS has had its knobs cranked up to around 33. And that would be three times more loud.
You can check out the eBay ad for the exhaustive list of mods and aftermarket swag that has been applied to the car, but we'll delve a little bit into the major ones here. First off is the RB26DETT straight six that has come from a donor R32 Skyline - Avenge me, lad! Avenge my honor! - that rocks a Garrett GT35R turbo big enough to swallow a cat. The seller says that the built-up motor is good for 400 ponies at the wheels with its current boost setting.
Behind the wasabi-infused engine is an equally Skylinerrific 5-speed gearbox and the power is pumped back through an M3 limited slip diff - painted a fetching shade of neon green.
As you would expect with so much rocking going on down below, the interior is set up to let the caged bird sing. Along with all the pipe, there's a contoured Sparco wheel, custom gauges, and heavily bolstered sport seats upon which to rest your sack and crack.
Outside, the questionably gold and black paint job, along with IX-like rocker extensions and riveted-on poly flares, make the Bimmer an unacceptable ride for shrinking violets, as does the massive intercooler punching precariously through the front valance like Pam Anderson's chest in a button-down blouse.
The seller says that, for all intents and purposes, this car is brand spankin' new, but is not without its flaws. There's the paint scheme, which may not be your cup of Pirate Bay, and the issues of turbo oil leakage, some evident clutch wear, and poltergeist-operated windows.
It's always a good idea when considering a used car purchase to ask the seller why they are now willing to part with their ride. Considering the time and money and blog space expended in its creation, that's an especially pertinent question for this E30's current owner. Just like the car, the answer is eyebrow-raisingly crazy, as he says that he no longer has time to spend on the Bimmer due to his new hobby, base jumping. Semi-humorously, he says that interested parties should pull the trigger on the car before he turns himself into a base thumper.
Of course the question of the moment is; should one of those prospective buyers jump at the chance to own the car at its current $29,999 price tag? That's a lot of do-re-mi money, but truthfully where else are you going to find this kind of insanity short of Charlie Sheen's drug-addled brain?
What do you think of a buck shy of thirty grand for this wildly custom E30? Should someone plunk that down to pick it up? Or, for asking that much, do you think the seller should take a flying leap?
You decide!
or go if the ad disappears.
H/T to Timothy Jeffs and Robert Fair for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOCP. Click to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your commenter handle