Most of you might know renowned fashion mogul Ronnie Fieg from his popular lifestyle label, Kith. However, what you might not know is that Fieg is actually a massive BMW enthusiast and an owner of a perfectly restored E30 BMW M3. Fieg’s M3 maybe have been given some Kith tweaks but, make no mistake, it’s no publicity stunt. Fieg is a genuine enthusiast.
Fieg grew up in Queens, New York and his grandfather owned both an E21 BMW 320i and an E30 M3, cars he remembers fondly. Which is why he chose to recently collaborate with BMW for the new M4.
“Some of my favorite memories from growing up was going to visit my grandfather and riding around in his BMW’s in the 1980s. I remember he had an E21 320i and that his prized possession was an E30 M3. These moments in my life really shaped my passion for BMW, so working on this project with them has brought everything full circle.” says Fieg.
However, it’s his E30 BMW M3 that will likely draw more excitement from enthusiasts. Fieg’s E30 M3 was sent to BMW Classic in Germany, where it received a full nut and bolt restoration and is about as mechanically perfect as an E30 M3 can be. However, it’s also been given a bit of a Kith treatment, just to make it a bit special.
The Kith treatment was done to both the inside and outside of the E30 M3 but it’s all quite subtle. On the inside, it has embossed “Kith” logos in the seat inserts both front and back, head rests, the center arm rest and door panels. On the outside, it gets Kith-inspired BMW Roundels on the hood, trunk, wheels and steering wheel and a BMW M-inspired “Kith” logo on the trunk lid. From a distance, you’d never know that it was anything other than a perfectly restored E30 M3. It’s only upon closer inspection that you see it’s been given some unique styling touches.
Fieg’s E30 BMW M3 is painted in Cinnabar Red, the most iconic of E30 M3 colors, and features a black leather interior. No mechanical changes have been made to it, so it still uses the same 2.3 liter inline-four as the original, with 192 horsepower and a five-speed manual.
Many car/artist collaborations seem like publicity stunts, as they actually are, but this one seems genuine because it is. Fieg has been a longtime fan of BMW, as his love for the brand began during his childhood. So there’s a real passion for BMW here and it shows in the fact that his E30 M3 is fully restored and only subtly modified.