Euro Body, Japanese Soul: This E30 BMW is the Best of Both Worlds

We challenged ENEOS ambassador, pro drifter and TV personality Faruk Kugay for the 2021 SEMA Show: build a booth car that would break necks. The result is this stunning E30 BMW 318i, retrofitted with a Pandem widebody conversion, subtle OE M3 styling pieces, uprated chassis components, and a very special engine: the F20C from the Honda S2000.

From day one, the E30 presented Faruk with a number of problems, but he masterfully tackled each. Sourcing a fairly clean 1985 318i, it was quickly stripped and prepped for its new cosmetics, including M3 C-pillars, trunk lid and rear wing, which were grafted on to mimic BMW’s original performance racer. New aero from Pandem/Rocket Bunny was flown in from Japan to widen the body lines, perfectly accommodating the deep dish 17×9/11” Rotiform IGS wheels fitted with appropriately wide 255 and 275/40 R1Toyo Proxes RA1 tires. Uprated E36 BMW suspension components and brakes ensured the car was ready for action, showcasing top of the line KW Variant 3 coilovers with adjustable compression and rebound. Naturally, custom ENEOS graphics were applied to the vehicle by Landmark Grafix, matching our SEMA booth design.

The interior is minimal and sourcing a replacement dashboard without cracks was next to impossible, so Faruk’s had a custom dash created, which was vinyl wrapped by Landmark — at a quick glance it honestly looked better than OEM replacement!

MOMO also lent a hand inside, providing two Supercup race seats, a MOD.08 steering wheel and adapter plus Shadow shift knob.

Under the hood lies the magic: With Faruk’s track record, you might expect him to do a 2JZ or LS engine conversion but wanting to give the car a track theme, he opted for Honda instead!

The beauty of the swap is that the F20C develops 240hp, which compares favorably to the 215hp developed by the US-spec E30 M3. It also beats the 235hp of the third and final M3 evolution model without adding the additional weight of a six- or eight-cylinder engine. This means the E30’s handling should be pin sharp without a ton of excess weight over the front wheels.

Originally, the concept called for a K-series engine, but after consulting with a California emissions referee, the longitudinal positioning of the F20C S2000 motor fell in line with the original BMW configuration and was more likely to pass smog because less components would need to be changed. While the car has yet to run in anger, the motor has been topped off with ENEOS synthetic motor oil and Faruk plans to have it running and road legal very soon.

What do you think of this E30? Is it the best of both worlds? All signs point to “yes!”

Ready to watch some behind-the-scenes videos of Faruk’s E30 during the build process and at SEMA? Visit: https://www.eneos.us/blog/video-faruk-kugay-takes-f20-powered-bmw-e30-to-sema/

TECH SPEC

1985 BMW 318i with Honda S2000 F20C engine swap

ENEOS BMW 318i F20C

Builder: Faruk Kugay, DevSpeed Motorsports

Contact: @faruk.kugay, Develpmentofspeed.com

Engine: 2001 Honda S2000 F20C 2.0L four-cylinder 16v VTEC with CARB-legal AEM intake, Borla Performance stainless steel Type S cat-back exhaust, MPC hardware, Ryno Wiring mil-spec harness, ENEOS Racing Street 0W-50 motor oil, Chase Bays tucked radiator, Garagistic aluminum mounts

Power: 240hp at 8300rpm / 153 lb-ft at 7500rpm

Transmission: Honda S2000 six-speed transmission, Exedy clutch, 3.73:1 BMW limited-slip differential, ENEOS 75W-90 gear oil, custom driveshaft, Garagistic secondary diff mount, diff stud kit, aluminum transmission mounts, and front subframe spacers

Suspension/Chassis: KW Variant 3 coilovers with adjustable compression and rebound, E30 M3 front spindles, E36 318Ti rear trailing arms with Garagistic reinforcement, Garagistic chassis and subframe reinforcements, Delrin bushings, power steering delete and camber/castor modification, four-point custom roll bar, E30 325i Convertible front shock tower reinforcement

Braking: E36 M3 front brake conversion with custom brake hat adapters, E36 M3 rear brakes with SRS caliper adapters, Chase Bays dual master 6:1 boosterless conversion and stainless steel lines throughout

Wheels & Tires: Rotiform IGS 17×9.5” front, 17×11” rear wheels finished in anthracite, 255/40 R17 front, 275/40 R17 rear Toyo Proxes RA1 tires

Exterior: 6666 Customs / TRA Kyoto Pandem V1.5 widebody fenders, front spoiler, rear bumper, side skirts, CATuned E30 M3 Evo II rear wing, carbon fiber roof and front grilles, E30Garage Norway M3-style steel C-pillar conversion, E30 M3 trunk lid, Glass-On-The-Go E30 M3 rear glass, Frenchie Smiley headlights, @E30taillights, MPC hardware

Interior: MOMO front seats, harnesses, steering wheel and shift knob, custom dashboard with Landmark Grafix 3M anti-glare wrap, rear seat delete panels

Thanks / Sponsors: ENEOS, DevSpeed Motorsports, AEM, Borla Performance, CATuned, Chase Bays, Diverse Motorsports, Exedy, Foreign Parts Specialties, Garagistic, GReddy, Hanson Distributing Company, KW Suspension, Landmark Grafix, MOMO, MPC Motorsport, Rotiform, Ryno Wiring Solutions, Toyo Tires, @E30taillights