---
title: "Here’s What Happens When We Race the $2,000 BMW 3-Series"
description: "It's been drifted, abused on a gravel rally stage, and sent up a mountain. It's time for the E30's final challenge: Endurance racing."
date: "2017-04-18"
modified: "2017-04-18"
authors:
  - name: "Mike Spinelli"
    job_title: "VP of Content"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/mike-spinelli"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/video/9424/heres-what-happens-when-we-race-the-2000-bmw-3-series"
categories:
  - "Builds"
  - "Culture"
  - "News"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "3 Series"
  - "BMW"
  - "BMW 3-Series"
  - "BMW 325is"
  - "Born a Car"
  - "E30 BMW"
---

# Here’s What Happens When We Race the $2,000 BMW 3-Series

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/04/bmw_ep_5.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

It started out a $2,000 1988 BMW 3-Series of questionable lineage. Since then, we drifted it on bad tires, we tried to drive it up a mountain, we caged it and thrashed it through the woods, and it survived. Barely.

For the final episode of /BORN A CAR, host and producer Ryan Symancek, his partner in crime Alex Jagger, and the rest of *The Drive*'s ragtag crew take our formerly janky E30 on its toughest challenge yet. That is, the 15 hours of Barber Motorsports Park, a Chump Car endurance race. With a suspension setup re-tweaked for the Alabama racing circuit, the BMW must now perform like the would-be touring car it was born to be.

This is where all of Ryan's and Alex's hard work and minor injuries will either pay off handsomely, come crashing down on them, or wind up somewhere in between.

Will our hero make it to the finish line? Let’s find out.

## Author
A sucker for Ford-era Jaguar XJs and glitchy, early-90s BMW V12s, Mike was the founding editor of car culture site Jalopnik, and a former editor-in-chief of 0-60. He's also a co-host of the TV show /DRIVE on NBC Sports, which can be seen from time to time on NBCSN, usually after midnight.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/mikespinelli>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/mikespin>)