BMW 3 Series

We'd be back to our age-old friend about fuel quality and fuel standards.

And we come back to that with the E36 model later because that also had different engine calibration for the USA and quite different engines.

But I'd say with the M3, I mean, it came out initially as a coupe only, but it looked so different to the standard E30.

But even back then, they did the 325i Sport after that, which had the M3 style body kit, although it was different.

I think you're right.

Of course, the M4 badge is there, but interesting.

So we're on to this E36 generation.

Now, this I think probably will divide opinion more than maybe the E46, but I think E36 will divide more opinion.

Yeah.

Or E36, just keep them.

What do you call a classic car? What do you specifically have a definition for?

I mean, I think it's highly subjective.

No way.

He was shooting pictures of his E36, and I just had my... new east 30s i was feeling pretty cool you know i had my driver license and and he was like oh cool car and i was like yeah tomorrow i install coilovers on it and he was like if you need a hand like let me know and i actually something up like my brake line you know what yeah i just it up and i needed his help and he came over and he was like Yeah, you say like yesterday that you really like drifting and stuff.

I'm also interested.

And I checked last night that there's like a drift event in France.

Like I bought the ticket to go drift there and he asked me like, do you have an LSD? And I was like, what is an LSD, right? And he was like, yeah, let's, you know, like let's hit that roundabout.

And I had actually, I was lucky.

I had like an OEM LSD with the winter package, you know, like on the E36.

So yeah.

But his contribution would prove much greater than his appearances on a result sheet.

BMW's new E36 replaced the E30 M3.

It looked more modern and offered a fresh basis for development, but racing a new generation of car is rarely as straightforward as transferring all the knowledge from its predecessor.

The E30 had years of racing development behind it, whilst the E36 did not, with the rear suspension in particular presenting a problem which VLM struggled to identify at first.

The car was difficult to set up and unpredictable over bumps.

Tim Harvey later explained on this very podcast that the rear suspension arms were flexing under load, changing the geometry of the car when it was being driven.

It was basically getting that problem sorted.

And yeah, as you say, then we went on a roll.

And I thought I was never going to get it back, but then managed to wrangle a deal and get it back.

But the best thing about that is that now that's my girlfriend's car, which means I have my E36 saloon back.

You know what? The moment the rain hit and I started driving that, I was home again.

Every time I used to drive to This Is Your Garage at a previous unnamed job, it would always be lashing it down with rain and I'd just be cosy.

Slippers.

Oh, you mean like, you want to be like...

Cream slippers to be driving your E36 in.

I don't think it's quite legal, but

That's achievable.

But people look at like the E36 and it's just not, like not for everyone.

They just see

race car.

I've ran the first fiberglass I ever owned was Felony Form stuff from All Young, rest in peace.

But that was like, you know, when I was back, it was like Stance style, all this stuff, you know.

Matt Wong was actually like the inspiration for me to even build an E36 back in the day.

But anyway, fast forward, when as soon as I realized I need to fit a bigger angle kit, bigger tires, Big Duck Club was, I've been on Big Duck Club stuff for like seven years.