Practical Performance Car (PPC) magazine, a monthly publication aimed at real car enthusiasts

Monday May 21

Wednesday, 28 July 2010 18:38

Expensive Track Toy

When James Winstanley decided that a budget track car was to be the order of the day in 2008, a BMW E30 was the only option that was considered seriously. With a penchant for old Bavarian motors, James quickly bought the first suitable rolling project he could find within 200 miles.

Since this turned out to be little more than a textbook example of rust held together with beige carpet, it was lucky that this second car turned out to be in rather nice condition, especially considering it lived by the sea in deepest Scotland.

Published in 1989 BMW E30 324i

PPC Staff

Practical Performance Car (PPC) is a monthly magazine aimed at real car enthusiasts interested in affordable performance tuning. At PPC we pride ourselves in providing the most entertaining, informative and inspiring features for petrolheads everywhere. Each month we feature an eclectic mix of affordable performance cars, great driving adventures and world-class technical features for the DiY tuner. Our editorial team is headed up by well known Will Holman who has a deserved reputation for 'stick a V8 under the bonnet' attitude to life. His editorial team is stacked with experience including Dave Walker (speciality engine management), of the sadly missed Cars and Car Conversions (CCC) magazine, David Vizard, the legendary engine tuning guru, and Kevin Leaper - ex technical editor of Practical Classics.

Have a look at the online Staff Cars section to give you a flavour of PPC but for the real thing go to your local newsagent, WHSmiths, Asda, Tesco or Sainsburys - PPC is on sale the last Thursday of every month. Better still visit our subscriptions page for the latest offers and discounts to have PPC delivered direct to your door at a fraction of the cost.

Examples of magazine features: brakes uprating, suspension improvements, engine transplants, buyers guides, ECU management, kit car builds, car event coverage (including PPC's own show, PPC in the Park) and much more. Examples of some of the staff's cars: 27 litre Rover SD1, 5 litre Capri, track day Rolls Royce, MK1 Transit and more.