1996 BMW E36 328i Clubsport

𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀

• Fast road/ track spec 328i Sport built to a “Clubsport” look

• Full cage, racing seats and harnesses

• Numerous performance modifications

• Glass out respray and refurbed wheels

• Road legal with a clean MOT

𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄

With a rigid shell, sonorous straight sixes and rear wheel drive, the E36 has been a popular choice for track day goers on a budget. Indeed, it has been joked that there wouldn’t be any road-going E36s left at the rate they were being converted for track use.

The interchangeability of BMW parts helps here too, with many off-the shelf upgrades available from across the model range and generations of 3 series.

This example started life as a 328i Sport, a desirable car in its own right. It has since received considerable attention to bring it up to track spec including a full cage, racing seats and four-point harnesses but has also retained much of its interior which has allowed the current owner to use it as a daily driver.

Performance upgrades are numerous and comprehensive, breathing on the engine and thoroughly updating the chassis to improve its handling on and off the track. The car has also had all the necessary work carried out to deal with corrosion and has had a full respray and a wheel refurb. Cosmetically, then, it’s looking better than many E36 track cars, helped by a vision to create a ‘Clubsport’ spec identity.

Where the car goes from here will be down to its next owner. There’s clearly an option to strip out further weight from the car but it would lose a level of road usability. We’d be tempted to leave it in pretty much its current form, on the basis that it can be enjoyed as much as possible. But whichever direction it takes, this will make a great starting point.

𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

• Registered 9 May 1996

• The car has covered 9,000 miles in the last 12 years and the seller tells us that this is across 3 owners: “the first was a family that spent a fortune on it and only did 6 track days in over 5 years, the owner prior to myself had the car for 5 years and bought it to take his kids on track, they did around 6 evening sessions with the car before Covid and little use after that”

• The seller reports that he has daily driven the car for the last 9 months (for which we salute him), completing 3k miles in that time, and that the car has no known mechanical faults and doesn’t burn oil

• In current ownership, the car has received a full service and the slave cylinder has been replaced as the washer in this had perished from the car sitting with previous owners, otherwise no issues

• Receipts show that the previous owner spent over £2,000 replacing the sills and that it’s had the jacking points repaired, all four wings replaced and a glass-out respray

• Full document pack

• Comprehensive folder of invoices detailing the modifications

• Three keys

• Current MOT with no advisories expires 13 Apr 2024

• V5 present in the owner’s name

• Private plate is included in the sale

• HPI clear

• ULEZ compliant

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿

• Open the door and you’ll immediately see that this car has been modified well beyond its original remit, with a full cage, bucket seats, an OMP steering wheel and TRS four-point harnesses

• Front seats are Cobra Suzuka Pro Fit, while the rear seats and seatbelts have been removed and replaced with neatly carpeted trim covering an aluminium firewall

• The driver’s seat is attached via a custom-made frame which can be moved forward and back on rails

• The cage is a Safety Devices 6 point bolt in item with removable double door bars to aid entry and egress

• Although a sunroof was originally fitted, this has been professionally removed and a non-sunroof headlining fitted

• The track-car makeover is completed with a fire extinguisher

• A stereo remains in the dashboard, although it’s not likely to reproduce quite the same quality as the original, given that the driver’s door is down a speaker

• That aside, the cabin is in very good condition for its age and has not been fully stripped out; the opportunity obviously exists to do so but, as-is, it retains a level of road usability

𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿

• Having received considerable professional attention to remove any corrosion and following a glass-out respray, the car presents remarkably well for a track weapon

• It’s helped by a recent wheel refurbishment, and the red and black colour scheme with a black-wrapped roof and GTR two-piece rear wing reinforce the ‘Clubsport’ look that was the intention

• There are a few small areas showing some slight bubbling but overall it looks as if the repairs are holding up well

• The alloys are BMW RC041/RC042 staggered BBS items with 225/45/17 and 225/45/17 Nankang NS2'r tyres fitted on the front and rear, respectively

• The owner estimates that the front tyres have 90% tread remaining and the rears 60%

• The original BMW spoiler is also provided

• In all, it’s a very distinctive and attractive car

𝗠𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹

• The 2.8 litre straight six has been upgraded with an M50 manifold and throttle body conversion, Dave F induction kit and Remapped ECU

• Five speed manual gearbox with Z3 quick shift kit fitted

• A TTC lightweight single piece flywheel has been installed, along with a limited slip diff and Khumo spec solid diff mount

• The exhaust is a Scorpion twin tail pipe cat back item

• There’s been considerable work carried out to the chassis including the fitment of Eibach Pro Street S coilovers, an uprated steering rack, Eibach adjustable front and rear anti roll bars, adjustable lower control arms, E30 uniball type lower wishbones, polybushes throughout, an M3 evo convertible underbody brace, M3 evo top mounts, Ultra Racing front and rear strut brace and 30mm billet wheel spacers on the front

• The brakes have been upgraded with an E46 330 front brake conversion, drilled discs, EBC yellow stuff pads and braided brake lines

• The seller tells us that after every track day, the previous owner renewed the engine oil and oil filter

• The car was corner weighted and the geometry was set up by Northampton Motorsport and the seller reports that in the corners the car is fantastic and when on dry roads/ tracks feels like its ‘on rails’

• The engine reportedly idles well, pulls strongly and revs freely to 7k aided by the lightened flywheel; the previous owner is said to have compared it favourably to his 964 Carrera RS

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆

The E36 makes an ideal track car and the owners of this car have put in the time and money to make it a great drive on track and to give it a strong visual identity. But with most of the interior still present, it’s also a viable road car. As such it presents its buyer with some enviable choices.