To some people, the E30 3-Series is the most iconic BMW of all time. It has a style that was copied throughout the early '90s, and its boxy outline is still raved about by car enthusiasts today. Not only were its looks appealing, driving an E30 was just as rewarding. Forget the fancy iDrive system, adaptive headlights and traction control -there weren't any fancy gimmicks or complicated electronics.The chassis handled like a performance car - just how cars were meant to be. For this reason, car fanatics still daily drive and modify the E30, such as this this rare drop-top '84 TC Baur 318i belonging to Ary Minassian from Northridge, CA.
No stranger to et, Ary created a '88 325is that graced the 10/06 issue. And even though he wasn't old enough to drive an E30 when new, the 25 year-old still appreciates the car's history.
Many of you know the E30 succeeded the first E21 3-Series back in '82. It came in four body styles - sedan, coupe, wagon and convertible. But one model is almost always forgotten - the TC Baur edition.
Baur was the company that built convertibles for BMW back in the '30s. It later patented the design of the folding roof BMW first used on the 2002 and later on the E30 'Top Cabrio' Baur edition before the full convertible was available. It was offered through dealers in locations such as Europe, Cananda and Mexico but doesn't seem to have reached the US officially.
When Ary came across this TC Baur edition he knew it was special and a deal was put on the table he couldn't refuse. The 318i needed a shove in the right direction and sure enough, a new personality was born several months later.You see, Ary runs BMW specialty shop Euro Stop USA. Having opened in '02, Euro Stop has done everything from custom wheels to carbon fabrication. Last year, Ary decided to create two product lines - one specializing in fiberglass and carbon bodywork, the other concentrating on wheel designs. So, as a result, DTMFiberWerks and ESM Wheels were born...
All of DTMFiberWerks products are manufactured in-house. Ary stocks everything from widebody kits to fenders, spoilers, bumpers, mirrors, hoods and trunks. He's engineered them to be affordable, which in turn has apparently encouraged the E30 community to modify their cars. Although he concentrates on the E30, he also has inventory for E36 and E46 3-Series, plus 5- and 7-Series.
A few weeks after picking up the Baur, he fitted the full DTMFiberWerks package. The front bumper was modeled from the Alpina special edition cars, but Ary incorporated a carbon splitter to make it more modern. He also designed a rear valance, which borrows inspiration from Rieger.
The E36 M3-style skirts were then bolted on. While both the hood and trunk were replaced with carbon units - Ary told us the carbon is hand-laid on the outside, reinforced with a single layer of fiberglass for durability and cost savings.
Momo seats with G-Force h...
Momo seats with G-Force harnesses