Chasing a childhood dream - Drew's E36

Since I was a teenager, the E30, E36 and E46 chassis has always had a special place in my heart. Timing and pricing never seemed to line up over the years, especially after the car market skyrocket increase during COVID. In January of 2025 this car popped up on auction and it checked all the boxes for me. Sedan, manual transmission and a black interior had me sold.

I purchased it from IAA salvage auction, shipped it down to Windsor and started collecting parts. The car sat on the back burner for most of the year as client work always takes priority. This allowed me the time to find all the parts I wanted and come up with a game plan.

The car came with some pretty great modifications already done including a full M3 exterior kit, Bilstein suspension, ECS tuning sway bar setup, intake and ECU chip. This allowed me a great starting point to work with.

I sourced a complete rear end from 1998 M3 for the team to use. They dug into it over the late summer and knocked it out of the park. Results turned out amazing.

So far on my end it has been maintenance, TLC and some exterior upgrades. I added euro spec tail lights, OEM style two piece headlights, OEM side markers, new door mouldings, Turner Motorsports shift boot and shift knob. The vehicle had a maintenance haul and new tires before alignment. I was able to squeeze in a couple hundred kilometers of driving before the snow and salt hit.

This car was purchased to keep alongside my blue 2004 STI. Changes will be subtle and I want to preserve the condition of the car for as long as I can while still enjoying it. Looking forward to next year and some other modifications that are in the works!

• Drew