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Category: BMW

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1996 BMW 318i Touring

Sometimes, basic can be cool. Case in point – today’s E36 Touring. This is about as basic as they came; powered by the M43 1.8 with 114 horsepower, the car has cloth seats, no sunroof, and manual crank rear windows. This is a 1996 BMW, right? In all seriousness, that makes it cooler today. And, in fact, it has some nice optional equipment – heated front seats, air conditioning, a sport steering wheel – even body-color bumpers were optional on the low-end E36s in Europe, and this one has them. Speaking of color, it’s a great one – Montreal Blue Metallic, and even the basic cloth has a neat pattern. Other Euro-slick items like adjustable headlight control and a European cluster top it off, and it’s got alloy wheels too. And it’s in the US already! This means it should cost an arm and a leg, right?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1996 BMW 318i Touring on eBay

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2013 BMW 135is

It’s a bit easy to be confused by the monikers of various models over 135i production. All 135i models came with most of the sport features that you’d associate with what BMW traditionally had labeled “M Sport” models, but in the case of the 135i the actual M Sport name was only given to models with option code P337A, which gave you Style 261 wheels and an anthracite headliner. The 135i could also be had with a Sport Package, which gave you all the stuff of the M Sport but with a light-colored headliner and Style 264 wheels. Making it even more confusing is that when you decode VINs on non-M Sport models, the term M Sport pops up in S704A – the suspension – of all 135i models. There was a non-Sport 135i available, which gave you different wheels and no sport seats, as well as chrome trim – but they’re almost all reserved for convertibles.

Ready to be more confused? For its last model year, the M Sport Package was dropped and replaced by this model – the 135is denoted by code P7MFA. The 135is had few changes from previous models; outwardly, they are virtually identical to the prior year’s M Sport. Or, for that matter, they’re basically identical to any other 135i. There are three ways to identify a 2013 outwardly; a single “s” added to the back, the wheels, and the polished exhaust tips. The new S2NFA M Double Spoke Style 313 wheels shared their design with the 335is, but were smaller and more narrow. They were also actually available as M Performance wheels from the dealer, and some were made by Speedline. Dynamically, there was a small change. Still carrying the N55 single-turbo inline-6, the last model year got the bump in power that was optional on 2012s. The remapped ECU gave you 20 more horsepower and 17 lb.ft of torque – not a big gain, but a gain nonetheless. This option was also available for any 135i from your dealer as the power kit. Still, the 135is was the “best of the best” for the non-M E82s here, and with only around 500 sold they’re fairly desirable. This one has some miles and a checkered history but still looks good, so is it a deal for a rare car?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2013 BMW 135is on eBay

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2020 BMW Z4 sDrive M40i

The G29 Z4 debuted in 2018, replacing the outgoing E89 model. Like its predecessor, there was no real “M” model in the lineup. Instead, there were two trim lines introduced – the sDrive 30i and the sDrive M40i. The latter was equipped with the B58B30 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6, good for 382 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. The sole transmission offering was the ZF 8-speed automatic, but with crisp shifts and a boatload of torque to motivate you – well, it’s probably the right fit for this type of modern convertible. The M40i also got you some pretty trick equipment; M Sport seats, suspension, brakes, aerodynamic kit, and differential joined the potent lineup. The car does 0-60 in just 3.8 seconds and covers the quarter in a touch over 12 – potent, indeed. But it cost a lot, as well – click a few option boxes, like this one, and you were well over 70 grand into the dealer. This car had the optional Driving Assistance, Premium, and Executive packages, and it’s lovely Misano Blue Metallic. With just 11k miles on the clock, is there a reasonable discount?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2020 BMW Z4 sDrive M40i on eBay

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1986 BMW M535i

Back in March I took a look at what seemed to be a European-spec M535i – but some digging revealed it was just a regular 535i kitted out with M Technic bits:

1986 BMW M535i

If you’re a careful observer, today’s car was parked right next to it and is now available. Unlike the last one, it carries a DC71 VIN and appears to be a legitimate LHD M535i. Unfortunately, outside of that we don’t know very much – this dealer seems to be hooked up with importing E28s but they often look a bit tatty and there’s little direct information. Still, these are rare cars to see in the US, so I figured it was worth a gander.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 BMW M535i on eBay

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1976 Sbarro 328

If what you’re looking at seems…well, too old to be called a 1976 model – but simultaneously too new to be a pre-War car from some aspects, you’re right on both accounts. This is a Swiss-made Sbarro 328 replica. Italian-born Franco Sbarro started his company in 1971 in French-speaking Switzerland and immediately started copying German automobiles. They’re still open today, continuing to build limited-run prototypes, but in the 1970s a majority of their work seems to have been based upon historic cars; Bugattis, GT40s, Lola T70s. What was interesting was what they built these replicas on; Sbarro installed fiberglass copies of the originals over BMW or Mercedes-Benz chassis with original components. In the case of the 328 replica you see here, the engine, chassis, rear suspension and transmission was based upon the small-chassis BMW. In front, Sbarro utilized NSU components for the front suspension and steering. Headlights came from a Mercedes-Benz. The result of this hodge-podge was surprisingly good, managing to capture a fair amount of the aesthetic of the original without looking too out-of-shape, though they were admittedly slightly shorter and squatter than the original. Having standard BMW running gear simplified the importation process, and consequently Sbarro offered these replicas in the US market through a Florida dealer. At least a few were sold here, typically with chassis numbers XXXXUSAXX. This one is claimed to be number 5.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1976 Sbarro 328 on eBay

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