Andy Hong's E30 M3
Photography by Kielan Prince
What comes to mind when you think of BMW and racing? I believe most enthusiasts would agree that there are certain cars that defined the brand by owning the podium. I prefer to think of a “big three” in no particular order; the M1, the E9 3.0 CSL, and the E30 M3.
It’s not hard to find an E30 M3 photo on the Internet, and it’s not hard to appreciate why so many people revere them for their looks. What is hard, is to imagine how a car that was built over 20 years ago can pull you through a corner and put a smile on your face that will make you question selling your most prized possession to own one.
Andy has initially used Tyrolsport, a local NYC tuner, to transform his car into a new level of road domination. From the beginning Andy did things properly. Starting with the mechanicals and not moving forward until the car was in perfect working order, he then moved on to the mods with the help of VAC Motorsports. TcKline coilovers with Ground Control camber plates are accompanied by Powerflex bushings, a Z3 short shifter, and VAC Roll Center Spacers. A Stromung exhaust and the S14’s aurally intoxicating ITB’s blend together a beautifully high revving symphony of an exhaust note.
Andy’s 1988 M3 in diamondschwartz is the kind of car that can make a man walk away from a beautiful woman to sit and stare. He has meticulously taken into account all that you are viewing to craft what he views as the perfect M3. Sure, a purist may not agree with what he’s done, but any true enthusiast can look further and see that Andy has used quality parts and executed a vision to a T.
A combination of Evo II and Evo III parts come together on the exterior and none other than Hella brand lighting illuminate Andy’s nighttime drives. What absolutely must be mentioned is the beautiful craftsmanship of the interior. Sean at Mitsiwa Auto Custom redid Andy’s interior with Italian leather that is reminiscent of the cinnamon interior found on newer BMW’s. This leather extends to the dash and center consoles and the smell and feel of Italian leather inside a German-made racetrack obliterator could not work better together.
After about 8 or 9 sets of wheels, Andy ended up with OZ Futuras. These wheels have a design that can be called timeless, but I’ll go with stunning. 5 spokes, 3 pieces, 2 sizes: 17x9" and 17x10.5" with an et7 all around and that folks, is how to fit wheels on an E30 M3. With the lips polished to a mirror shine and the wide body flares of the e30 M3 sitting perfectly flush, Andy may have hit the end of his wheel OCD – but that remains to be determined.
Stay tuned because if anything is going to change on this car, it can only be for the better. This my friends, is an enthusiast’s realization of the perfect M3.
