I grew up building Japanese imports, inspired like so many by Initial D, F&F, and the budding import scene in magazines. After living in Germany in 2010, I found a new passion in Porsche and BMW. Determined to learn all I could, I bought a gray market imported 323i E30 and began its full restoration alongside my best friend and fellow BMW enthusiast in TN. Months after I had rebuilt that engine, I decided it was time to trade my daily driver G35 for an E36 M3. On the way to sell the car to my buyer, I was t-boned by a lady who ran a red light and the G was totaled. With only half of the money the buyer and I had agreed upon after the insurance check came in, my choices were limited. I had been building a few E30s, which left me with more spare parts than I could ever use. I made the choice to buy the nicest E30 vert I could find and make it my daily driver. I found my 88 vert in Indiana, where a collector was trying to make room for his recently purchased NSX. I bought the E30 and began to refresh everything it needed with the intention of keeping it all stock. Shortly after, the timing belt tensioner I had just replaced decided it wanted to break in half, knackering the whole M20. With that, the full drivetrain and custom suspension I had been building for another car found their way into the vert over the next week post-kaboom. Four years later, the E30 has been my mainstay amd receives constant attention in the form of tweaks, nut-and-bolt restorations, and meticulous detailing to keep it one of the finest examples of a custom E30 I have ever encountered. It has been a journey, but I am proud of all the car has taught me and the friendships it garnered in the BMW community.

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