Zach Wingfield rebuilt his beater E30 BMW 325i into a stunning SEMA Show car with an S52 swap and potent Garrett GTX3582 turbo.
By Ainsley Jacobs
Zach Wingfield isn’t just building cars—he’s producing motion pictures in metal. Founder of film production and performance shop ZWING, the man knows how to capture speed on camera and under throttle. His latest head-turner? A 1990 BMW 325i E30 that’s gone from grocery-getter to full-blown SEMA showpiece.
This isn’t a build that started on a lift. It started on the streets of Seattle, sideways. Back in 2015, Wingfield picked up a clapped-out E30—then running the original M20 mill—and wasted no time turning it into a drift toy. After nuking several motors along the way (as any true street drifter does), he dropped in a more modern S50 straight-six, swapped in under the gun in just three days. Six months later, that engine was toast too—this time with someone else behind the wheel. Rather than mourn it, Zach took it as a sign to push the project further.
Enter the S52 swap. A legendary inline-six from the E36 M3, this engine laid the foundation for something much more serious. With Dream Chasers Garage handling the tubed front end and custom frame rails, and Ryan Smith from Complete Customs building out a half-cage, the E30 chassis was finally ready for the power it was about to receive.
The engine build came courtesy of C&D Engine Performance—fully forged internals with JE Pistons, Eagle rods, and a crankshaft straight out of Wingfield’s old E36. Supertech Performance supplied the top end, and heat control was handed over to the pros at Design Engineering. The supporting cast? All premium: Chase Bays, RallyRoad, and plenty of custom magic.
Then came the boost. Rampage Fabrication & Design assembled the piping for a wicked turbo setup based around a Garrett GTX3582R Gen II unit, sized perfectly for response and efficiency. Vibrant titanium components, a massive Vibrant front-mount intercooler, and a TiAL wastegate brought everything together in one brutally clean package. The setup was built to handle up to 900 horses—but even on 8psi, it turns streets into playgrounds.
Backing it all up is a TREMEC Magnum-F 6-speed manual transmission, paired with a Quick Time SFI bell housing and a custom 3" driveshaft from Drivelines Northwest. Sparta Brakes’ Evolution Triton big brake kit keeps things in check, while an Air Lift Performance 3P air suspension system handles ride height duties—perfect for street or show. An SLR steering angle kit finishes off the handling equation, proving this car was built to dance, not just sit pretty.
Fuel is sent via Aeromotive gear to a Nuke Performance rail, fed from a Fuel Safe cell. Tuning was handled by Tom Bell of Custom Importz (Australia), using a Link G4+ Xtreme ECU sourced through Panic Wire. Every wire, every signal—meticulously managed, meticulously executed.
Visually, the car hits just as hard. The Live To Offend (LTO) widebody kit is seamlessly wrapped by EMWRAPS and perfectly accentuated by a wheel setup that defies convention: Volk TE37s up front, Kansei KNPs out back, all wrapped in Toyo Proxes R888R rubber. Custom Lamborghini-inspired tail lights by Illumaesthetic and a bespoke interior by Northwest Crafted Interiors complete the look. It’s bold. It’s balanced. And it breaks necks wherever it rolls.
Despite its show-stopping presence, Zach isn’t afraid to put street miles on it. The car lives and breathes around Seattle, still running a conservative 8psi of boost from the GTX3582R. No dyno sheets, no bench-racing—just raw performance and street-level fun. Oh, and when he’s not tearing up tarmac, a Boss Audio System wired by Jump Garage pumps the soundtrack for every cruise.
This isn’t just a build. It’s the flagship of ZWING. It’s the story of a broken street car, rebuilt with vision and venom—and a reminder that sometimes, the best projects are born from chaos.
