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The story starts back in 1994 when a technician at BMW specialist Moran Motorsport in Berkeley, California took a well-worn 3.0 CS into the company workshops and prepped it for a respray. Typically, rustprone E9s fare far better in California’s hotter climate than they do over here in northern Europe, but the bodywork still needed plenty of attention and the Moran technician decided he wasn’t going to go for half measures: his tired project was completely stripped bare, with all the suspension, interior, glass, doors, wiring and powertrain removed before the bodywork was bare-metalled in preparation for its fresh coat of gleaming white paint.
It was a labour of love for the technician, and he spent the next decade working his way over the E9 during his spare time until he was finally happy. The original 3.0 CSs came with a 3.0-litre, carburettor-fed straight-six but this car’s original engine was ditched during the project’s reassembly phase in favour of a 3.0-litre, fuel-injected M30 lump from a 1977 530i, which was uprated and fitted with the twin turbochargers. It’s a compact and neat installation that could easily be mistaken for a factory job and it’s tough to see the turbos when you open the bonnet, even if you do trace the two pipes that arc over the rocker cover and down into the engine bay’s depths. In fact, it’s only by getting on your knees and looking under the car that you can actually see the small turbos that are stamped with IHI logos. They feed directly from a Pfaff manifold straight back to the inlet manifold without passing through an intercooler on the way.
At the same time as the new engine was fitted, in went a more modern five-speed ZF manual gearbox to replace the original four-speed unit, plus a heavyduty clutch, limited-slip differential and beefed-up suspension, which included chunkier anti-roll bars. It took another decade for the interior to get any attention but in 2004 the leather seats, carpets, wood, dashboard, headlining and door panels were all either replaced or restored to their former glory, and today the interior still looks fantastic. Most recently, in 2008, the turbos were rebuilt and a new stainless steel exhaust fitted, as well as a highflow K&N air filter, upgraded fuel pressure regulator and blow-off valve.
CONTACT:
Fantasy Junction
Web:
www.fantasyjunction.com
Tel: +1 510 653 7555
Those rear tyres hook up and feel perfectly capable of putting whatever you throw at them down to the surface.
Interior took ten years to restore and it’s beautifully finished. A modern stereo and window winders are the only additions.
Engine bay looks relatively standard aside from the extra pipework as the turbos are located low down. They certainly do the job though.
This turbocharged 3.0-litre
#M30 is very refined, with none of the uncouthness you might expect from an aftermarket conversion.
VIN Code 2250293
Exterior Color – White elephant
Interior Color Black Leather
Mileage 2497 Miles
Engine
#M30B30 3.0 Litre Twin-Turbo 6-Cylinder
Transmission 5-Speed
#ZF
Stock FJ1417
