Classic car prices are exploding… and us classic ’80s and ’90s BMW fans are watching in terror as cars that were once disposable and cheap have reached new heights in value. The icons of the era, like the E30 M3, are well more than double their cost when new, while poorly kept examples headed for the junkyard have moved from a “few hundred” dollars to a “few thousand.” As these classics age, it makes finding worthwhile examples exceedingly tough, too.

2020 was one wild ride by any conceivable measure, and we’re thankful that 2021 is finally upon us. Not wanting to let all of 2020 go to waste, though, we ended the year with a special event. We partnered with our friends at H&R Springs to give away our would-be SEMA car in the wake of the cancelled event. With a trio of StanceWorks Art Prints available to help aid in the process, we set out to give one lucky entrant a brand new BMW M235i xDrive Gran Coupe…

Plenty of you guessed it, and many more missed the mark… Love it or hate it, I’m stuffing a Honda K24 along with a turbocharger into the back of the Ferrari 308 GTBi. From its light weight and its low cost, to its huge power potential and its massive aftermarket, it only makes sense… not to mention, it’s going to be a riot based on reactions alone.

With a slanted nose, chrome brightwork, and wheels to match, it’s everything a classic BMW often aims to be. Constantin Rogojan and the talented Alex Pfeiffer found themselves lost amongst the leaves with an E28 firmly planted atop of them. Sitting atop Air Lift Performance suspension, it fits the growing adage well: Old BMWs don’t die, they just get lower… or at least, they should.

It wasn’t 100% smooth sailing, but with a bit of effort, we finished up the engine removal/engine pull on the Ferrari 308 GTBi in an afternoon. My buddies Amir, Blake, and Andrew came by the shop to lend a helping hand. With the engine out, we tallied the weights of everything we removed. You will never guess just how heavy it all is…