Old BMW E30 M3 gets a new engine courtesy of British tuners

UK-based tuning company Redux has designed a modern engine for the E30 generation of the BMW M3 (see video). While largely similar in design to the original S14 inline-four, it does away with most of its predecessor’s shortcomings while weighing less and outputting more power and torque.

Only fully restored and retrimmed M3 vehicles will be outfitted with this engine, Redux says. Only 30 will be built in total, and every single one will be built to order, which means there will be no stock of premade engines just lying around in case you want one.

According to the company, the continuation engine strives to retain all the key characteristics of the stock S14. At the same time, it benefits from a new cylinder housing, engine lid and sump machined from high-quality aluminum. The camshaft, the pistons and the connecting rods are made from a forged alloy of aluminum, titanium and steel. The dry sump has been redesigned to eliminate the risk of oil starvation. A MoTec control unit has been installed to coordinate all systems and components.

The new engine is lighter than the original, runs cooler and is said to deliver a much more stable power curve than the S14. It commands 2.5 liters of displacement and can rev up to 9,000 RPM. Perhaps most importantly, it outputs a stable 330 PS (325 hp / 243 kW) at peak rev counts, a significant improvement over the original’s 195–235 PS (192–232 hp; 143–173 kW, depending on the version). To top it all off, Redux claims it managed to attain the same classical soundtrack.

As we said above, the only way to get a four-pot like this is to commission a full restoration of your M3. This includes tearing down the entire car, replacing all worn-out parts of the body and chassis, weight reduction via carbon-fiber body panels and an all-new, all-custom interior trim.