South Africa is a country that's in a spot of bother at the moment. But even in the face of generation-shaping problems on their home soil, the spirit of endurance, perseverance, and genuine innovation is still rife within its people. Want proof positive? Look no further than Dhesigan Donovan, owner and operator of VP Racing Fuels of South Africa and owner of the Race-Art SA tune shop. His fully custom E30 BMW 3 Series, which he calls "Pandora," is everything a well-sorted custom car should be.
That's all the more impressive because it was all put together in just 45 days. And no, that's not an exaggeration. Of course, the E30 holds a special place in the hearts of South Africans. They were built right on their home soil up until 1991. There was even a South Africa-exclusive BMW 333i model produced in the country for a time sporting the same M40 engine from early European and North American-spec E30 models. So to speak, the E30 was once one of the finest cars built in South Africa.
But now, it's time to turn things up several notches while adding some almost JDM-like flare to the new design. It started by taking the stock drivetrain and promptly removing it from its decades-old enclosure. Once that was sorted, the new, more powerful replacement engine could be installed. It's a 3.2-liter BMW S50 straight-six engine out of an M3 from the mid to late 1990s. As one of the most special and memorable engines to come out of this time period, the S50 finds itself right at home under the hood of some slightly older hardware than normal.
Thanks to a Fueltech FT450 ECU installation, there's a chance this old engine is making even more power than the 280 or so it made from the factory. A wide degree of novel building techniques like 3D printing were instrumental in getting Pandora looking the way it does. From the custom Fender flares to the fully custom mounting hardware for the accessories underneath the hood, it was from scratch using 3D printers in time for the rest of the build to be complete within the time frame of 45 days. As of right now, the only thing left to fabricate is a 3D-printed hood that can compensate for the larger, beefier top engine brace.
Add on a performance-tuned airbag suspension that raises and lowers with the slightest of ease on such a spry, light car with Work alloy wheels, and this has to be one of the most awesome custom E30 builds we've come across in ages. For this reason, Pandora might as well be considered a South African national treasure. One that ought to be preserved for all to appreciate.
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