Photo: Reduxleichtbau.com
In case you never heard of Simon Lord before you need not worry. He’s not a motorsport legend or a crazy engineer from back in the day. He’s just a regular guy that happens to love E30 M3s and decided to bring them into the 21st century under a new name: Redux Leichtbau.
The name itself stands for ‘revived lightweight’ and encompasses the essence of what this man wants to do. Basically, he’s going to take older M3s and turn them into daily drivers with a more modern look, more power and amenities inside.
For example, he made friends with a former BMW UK director that also happened to enjoy his tenure at the helm of the nation’s branch exactly during the E30 and E36 generations. They also met with a former F1 team owner and a BTCC driver that used to drive an E30 in the competition. The expertise was there.
For his plan to work, he also needed some artists that would give his recreations a new look that’s on par with the 21st century. In this regard he went to Clive Hartley that used to work with Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and even Porsche along with Jonathan Gould who designed the last Rolls-Royce built at the Crewe facility.
Therefore, as you can see, the team has a lot of potential and it should come up with some serious stuff for all M3 aficionados out there and not only. Under the bonnet the S14 mills will be kept along with with some changes.
The cars will be build using donor M3s so you’ll have to either get one yourself or pay the guys to get one for you. The price tag for such a beauty hasn’t been released yet but Lord says that only 9 units will be built at first to see how it goes. Either way, we’re guessing that a six figure number could be needed to drive a BMW E30 M3 Redux Leichtbau back to your garage. You should book one right now.
So what is the plan and how did this come to life?
Simon is a veteran that once wanted to buy an E46 M3 but instead went for the original version, the E30. He fell in love with the car but had to sell it a while later as he had to move from the UK. Selling it he realized he made a huge mistake and, upon returning home, he went to various forum meetings where he had the chance to bump into some seriously well-prepared people.For example, he made friends with a former BMW UK director that also happened to enjoy his tenure at the helm of the nation’s branch exactly during the E30 and E36 generations. They also met with a former F1 team owner and a BTCC driver that used to drive an E30 in the competition. The expertise was there.
For his plan to work, he also needed some artists that would give his recreations a new look that’s on par with the 21st century. In this regard he went to Clive Hartley that used to work with Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and even Porsche along with Jonathan Gould who designed the last Rolls-Royce built at the Crewe facility.
Therefore, as you can see, the team has a lot of potential and it should come up with some serious stuff for all M3 aficionados out there and not only. Under the bonnet the S14 mills will be kept along with with some changes.
Up to 400 HP out of a turbocharged S14 engine
They will be bored to 2.5-liters and the cams and a new rotating assembly will be sure to deliver more power. On top of that, forced induction will also be used, the turbocharged mills being said to offer around 300 HP / ton. Since we’re guessing the body of the car won’t get a lot heavier with all the add-ons installed, we’re estimating the power output to be somewhere between 350 and 400 HP which would be just right.The cars will be build using donor M3s so you’ll have to either get one yourself or pay the guys to get one for you. The price tag for such a beauty hasn’t been released yet but Lord says that only 9 units will be built at first to see how it goes. Either way, we’re guessing that a six figure number could be needed to drive a BMW E30 M3 Redux Leichtbau back to your garage. You should book one right now.
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