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If we kept tabs on which particular car makes an appearance in our Motorsports Monday segment the most, the BMW M3 would certainly rank right up at the top of that list. For thirty years, this car has been the darling of track days, from the original E30 variant up to the last of the two-door M3s built in 2013. We’ve seen a lot of variations on the racing theme, from rally cars to full on Le Mans tributes. This 2002 M3 is a recent build that has been tuned to spec for the German Touring Series of the National Auto Sport Association. In addition, it has the flexibility to tune it for several different classes of GTS.
The eta-engined BMWs from the late-80s may be maligned, as are automatic BMWs in general, for placing comfort and efficiency above sportiness – a confusing conflict for the Ultimate Driving Machine. As the 80s drift further into our collective rearview mirror, however, any clean example deserves plenty of love. This 528e has survived beautifully with just a few blemishes over almost 30 years and has tons of life left after just 113k miles. Please, someone, buy this as a daily driver or a first car for your kid and keep the E28 population living strong!
Just the other day I watched an auction on a 1983 Audi Quattro. Not considered to be the best of the breed, it was nonetheless an opportunity to buy one of the few that were imported to the U.S., since only a reported 664 were sold here. Many have died, several have been repatriated, and that leaves a precious few left if you enjoy the original box-flared wonder of the Quattro. What was interesting about this car was that it was in pieces; partially disassembled for a restoration, it looked like it was going to be work to put it back together – a lot of work. Despite that, bidding was quite active and I was somewhat surprised to see the final price crest $15,000 – money that would have bought you a really nice and complete 1983 last year. There were some extra parts and some desirable items like 8″ Ronals included with the sale, but for the life of me I couldn’t understand why the bidding went so high when it looked to me like there was another $10,000 worth of work waiting to happen. But cars from the 1980s are on the ups, and that’s especially true of limited models like the Quattro. You can thank, in no small measure, the recent popularity of the E30 M3 for that trend. And if you think the M3 has had a ripple effect on the rest of the 1980s legends, you better believe that it’s had a major effect on E30 sales. And within E30s, outside of M3s arguably the most desirable is the “Italian M3” – built for tax purposes, the special Motorsport GmbH S14B20 engined 320is:
This 325ix looks like a complete time capsule, but digging deeper reveals an E30 that has been subtly enhanced and revamped at no small cost to the previous owner. The whole drivetrain has just 60k miles, and the interior and exterior have been updated to look even better than stock. In addition to a high-quality repaint, the door moldings have been shaved to provide a clean contrast to the ix’s standard M-Tech body kit. No badges or spoilers here, just a very sharp 4-door sedan hiding all-wheel drive and a smooth inline-6. The interior has been updated with some leather/cloth Recaros to continue the slightly-better-than-stock theme. The biggest detractions are the overall mileage (236k) and the autobox, but the pristine condition and overall package still have the seller asking for strong (but reasonable) E30 money.
With summer about to commence, I’m sure we’d all like to have a convertible in which we could worship the sun. What better way to do it with three of your friends than a BMW 3 series convertible? Most of these E36 convertibles were acquired for cruising and thus equipped with automatic gearboxes. However, this one for sale in Pennsylvania is mated to BMWs slick 5-speed manual. This 328i has yet to crack 60,000 miles and for those who like cloth tops better than the new fangled retractable hardtops, you’ll want to look this one over.
