Auto meets are a great place to meet new people and check out awesome custom builds like this E30. The biggest engine BMW ever fitted to the second-generation 3 Series was a 2.7-liter straight-six, but this car has a powerful V8. This is the well-known M62 engine in the M62B44 version with a displacement of 4.4 liters.

It was a short-lived configuration of the M62 since BMW only installed it between 1996 and 1999 in three cars. We are talking about the 5 Series (E39) for the 540i and the 7 Series (E38) for the 740i/740iL. Of course, the original 8 Series (E31) also got this powertrain for the 840Ci. It made around 280 horsepower at the time, but we’re told it’s been upgraded for this E30.

It delivers somewhere in the region of 340hp, thus having over 100hp on the flagship version of the E30, the iconic M3 Sport Evo. As good as the engine sounds, some would say the number of pops and bangs is a bit too much. Either way, it was one of the best sounding cars that day. That’s saying a lot considering it was in great company, sharing the road with naturally aspirated supercars like the V10-powered Audi R8 as well as the V12-powered Lamborghini Aventador.

The E30 enjoyed great company at the Dutch Motor Meet

The V8-swap E30 wasn’t the only BMW to take part in the Magictour event in the Netherlands. You can also see an M235i decked out in M ​​livery, M6 F13, M3 E46 and the latest M4 coupe. At one point a Z4 M40i makes an appearance on camera, but it was the older 3 Series that first caught our eye.

Further build details were not disclosed, but the car is apparently called Project Brutus. It has a Recaro roll cage and bucket seats, not to mention beefier fenders to accommodate the wider wheels. Those who want to see more of the car can access the dedicated page on Facebook.

Source: Gumbal / YouTube, E30 – Brutus Project / YouTube