I like the possibility of the 318 as a daily driver to be converted to a track car/license keeper/ and eventually maybe full blown ITA competitor. I could put a cage and safety equipment in one and still be able to fit in it comfortably to drive to work. It would be a reasonable replacement for my 93 Accord which I love, but has no real competiton potential.

If I was building an A-kicking A car, it might not be what I'd choose. It does seem to have potential. I agree that looking at base, stock numbers, the engine seems to be where the question mark is. It would be interesting to know how much power the BMW experts think could be extracted from that power plant.
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It would be really great to find a BMW "expert" who knows much about the m44 or m42 for that matter. It is a motor everyone seems to glance over. The development of the motor for us has switched from trying toextract gobs of power to documenting that the motor doesn't have the potential gains thought it did in IT trim. It isn't fun spending $$$ and not finding gains.

I agree with Fred about the 1.8 Miata. I think it will be THE car to have and as it is classed relative to the e36/37 m44. For some reason the "classing Gods" have shined down favorably on the Zoom-Zoom!!