Teal With It!: Robert Langelier’s E30
The best thing about builds as intense as Robert’s (Wobbie’s) is how much they reflect their creator. Cars such as Wobbie’s E30 are more a form a self-expression, rather than mechanical ingenuity and know-how; but don’t be fooled, there’s tons of wrench time under the hood of this E30.
When Wobbie got his first car, it was worlds away from an E30; a 1999 Nissan Maxima, to be precise. He longed for more while driving his Maxima, and shortly after acquiring it he sold it and decided that the E30 would be his platform of choice. He wanted something that not many people had done and thankfully, he had the support of his father while pursuing his build. He found the car in April of 2010, and from that point on he started turning wrenches.
The largest influence for his build was his friends, who started a car club based largely on the “stance” scene. After owning his Maxima, Wobbie wanted something that he could show off his idea of perfect fitment with. His E30’s humble beginnings in mods started with a set of 15×8 XXR 002’s. As you can see, as he progressed with the car, he found a set of wheels that he could achieve his perfect fitment with, accompanied with a custom air ride set up. The 16×8 BBS RS’ gave him that incredible stance up front, as well as the rears.
As Wobbie quickly began to find, the reliability, or lack thereof, of the M20B25 was something that left a lot to be desired. He began contemplating motor swaps, and after much debate decided on an M50B25TU, out of a ’95 E36. It isn’t something crazy fast, but it’s most certainly an upgrade from the M20B25 that was in it originally, and is much more reliable.
Once the hood comes up, necks start to break and herds begin to form around this Ford of Australia Breeze Mica E30. After Wobbie swapped the M50B25TU in, he decided a little housekeeping under the bonnet was in order, in the form of a fully shaved bay. This being Wobbie’s first time ever ripping out and swapping a motor in, he learned as he went. After solving a fueling issue, it started right up and has been running perfectly ever since.
Since most of the time driving this beauty is naturally spent in the cockpit, he couldn’t be without something beautiful on the inside. He ended up going with Magma interior out of an E36 M3. Anyone with Vader seats out of an E36 M3 will vouch for this; they are quite possibly the most comfortable OEM seats BMW has ever put in their cars, period. Wobbie wanted something clean and OEM+ in style and has always loved dark brown or cinnamon interiors on any cars. After he installed this Magma set in his own car, he fell in love instantaneously.
The views on form and function are that of a divided world. Those arguing in favor of function may be of the purist nature, holding fast to their roots within their particular brand’s racing heritage or bloodlines. Those arguing in favor of form may use cars as a canvas for expressing themselves through automotive design and styling. Whatever the case may be, Robert’s E30 is a great example of this: One’s car does not define what they are, but rather who they are.
Editor: cristian loza