Prices for BMW E30 M3 models have gone through the roof lately, but things are about to go even crazier next month at one of the events held by the guys from Silverstone Auctions. The British company is listing a former Touring model that used to be driven by racing driver Tim Harvey and the price they are asking could very well go over the $200,000 mark. According to their website, the car is expected to be sold for anything between £140,000-£180,000 which translates into somewhere between $177,000 and $220,000.
While we knew that E30 M3 models in top notch shape, and basically untouched by the hand of time, can get around $150,000 on the open market, reaching over $200,000 for one does seem a bit excessive. On the other hand, this is a proper racing car from the 1990s with all the patina of its go-fast days with Tim behind its wheel. Everything was kept intact and what I love the most isn’t under the hood or inside the cabin but more so on the outside – the livery, sporting a ‘Please don’t drink and drive’ warning as big as they get.
To dwell a bit into the tech bits of the whole thing, the Vic Lee built BMW E30 M3s boasted a range of modifications that, in today’s words, involved ‘thinking out of the box’. For example, the fuel tank was relocated to optimize the car’s center of gravity, flat floor section and side exit exhaust. Although utilizing BMW Motorsport’s latest rear suspension components, front uprights and in-car adjustable anti-roll bars, the VLM cars also benefited from a host of geometric alterations and used a Holinger 6-speed, dog engagement gearbox.
This ex-Tim Harvey, Labatt’s sponsored, 1991 BMW E30 M3 is only one of five built by Vic Lee Motorsport for the 91 British Touring Car Championship. Tim took this car to one outright win in the series finale at Silverstone and two podiums, en route to claiming 8th place at the end of the season. The auction will be held on July 27, in The Wing building, at the Silverstone Circuit, UK, in case you’re interesting in buying this beauty.
