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Category: BMW

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2008 BMW 135i

Like many BMW fans, I was hotly anticipating the release of the 1-series stateside a few years back. It was a return to BMW’s roots of making a two door sport coupe in the vein of the 2002, E21 and E30 or at least so we thought. As it turned out the 1-series wasn’t as big of a hit with enthusiasts, so much as it was with folks looking for the cheapest way to get into a car bearing the blue and white roundel. That being said I do have a soft sport for the car, even with its big funky headlights and not so attractive posterior, I think there are enough redeeming qualities to make it worth considering as a daily driver.

A six speed manual coupled with BMW’s N54 inline-6 is one of the best setups a driver can ask for. With the help of twin turbochargers, the motor delivers 300hp to the rear wheels of a 3,420lb car, which is a recipe for fun. The seller of this particular car claims 380hp to the wheels but makes no mention of what gets it there other than an Dinan exhaust. I’m curious as to what other goodies are under the hood or what lines of code have been changed in order to make those numbers. Certainly would have to do the homework on where these parts were installed and of what quality they are, but 380hp in this vehicle sounds delightful. The vehicle has also been dropped an inch though no specific mention of what brand of suspension has been installed and there are the black wheels which I would be quick to get rid of. I’ve seen a 1-series rolling on 17″ wheels with nice meaty tires and let me tell ya, that is a very good loo for this car.

Click for details: 2008 BMW 135i on Cars.com

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2001 BMW 740i Sport

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The E38 is one of my favorite sedans of all time. The E39 gets a lot of love as “best ever” thanks to its monumental M5, but the contemporary 7er is the perfect blend of the simple, sharp lines descending from the 80s classics with modern features and aggression. The Sport package, introduced in 1999, backed up its Shadowline trim and M-Parallels with a new transmission and suspension and is absolutely the way to go with E38s. Some came with 6-speed manuals, but this is one of the few instances where I find a 5-speed auto to be perfectly suitable. Today’s example looks fantastic in black on black, but suffered a front end collision – apparently just requiring a front bumper and headlight – that caused the insurance company to total it. It’s all repaired now and looks great, but title issues are always a little sketchy. Clearly the seller was not worried about resale value, and if you don’t care either this no-reserve auction could be an amazing deal for one of the best full-sized sports sedans ever.

Click for details: 2001 BMW 740i Sport on eBay

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1988 BMW 320i Touring

The E30 Touring I wrote up last week was a fine example but not for me as it was a.) Red and b.) a RHD model. I quickly moved on from that vehicle and wasn’t really giving the E30 Touring much thought, that is until I came across this beauty on eBay.

Certain cars just catch my eye and immediately I feel a connection to them. Such is the case with this 1988 320i Touring that currently resides in New Jersey. The overall condition of the car looks to be quite good for its age and living in a state that still thinks it’s ok to use road salt. Most people think silver is a boring exterior choice but here, I think it works splendidly. The blacked out kidneys are a nice touch, something I would have wanted to do myself. It’s such a minor detail but one that really makes the car pop given that the window trim is also black, not of that chrome garbage. The 15″ BBS mesh wheels also look to be in good condition, some scratches and curbage are present but not so much that I’d take issue with their condition.

The interior of this car is what really sells me on it, no tears, cracking on the dash or droopy headliner. The grey cloth seats are wonderfully simple and the grey door cards only add to the clean, elegant vibe of the car. It’s getting harder and harder to find BMWs with appealing interiors, whether it’s the condition or the color choices, that makes this car even more of a rarity in today’s market. I’d go so far as to say this is the most lust inducing classic BMW I’ve come across in over a year of carefully watching the used market, that includes M variants as well.

Click for details: 1988 BMW 320i Touring on eBay

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Tuner Tuesday: 1991 Alpina RLE

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The first of the BMW Z1s to roll off the production line are now eligible for legal importation to the US, given they’ve crossed the 25 year old mark. None of the 8,000 produced over three years made their way stateside, but these roadsters with their funky downward retracting doors do have a cult following. Famed BMW tuner Alpina tried their hand at modifying the Z1, the result being the vehicle you see here: the RLE, or Roadster Limited Edition. Only 66 of these special Z1s were ever made, half going to Japan and half allocated for Europe.

Amongst the modifications was an inline-6 enlarged to 2.7 liters that bumped power to around 200 bhp, shorter front springs and trademark 17″ Alpina wheels. Along with the original 66 produced, a handful were also converted to Alpina spec from original Z1s. This RLE for sale at 4Star Classics is one of the original 66 and produced. It’s hard to imagine a Z1 being thought of as common, but this RLE takes exclusivity to another level.

Click for details: 1991 Alpina RLE at 4Star Classics

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1974 BMW 3.0CS

Ah, the internet. As I often say to my history students, back in the ancient times people actually had to go to a library to look up facts. Take production data, for example. Let’s say you wanted to know how many of a particular model were made. Well, you could phone the manufacturer, which probably wouldn’t get you anywhere. You might head to a knowledgeable dealer, but they’d probably lose interest as soon as it became clear you weren’t there to actually buy anything. You could write the manufacturer and hope for a correspondence back – probably in a few months. Or, if you were quite rich, you could hop on a plane and head to the company’s headquarters, hoping to be allowed in to the archives. But now, on a seemingly daily basis, more information is added to the nebula which is the internet. Some of it is true, some of it is false, and some is misinterpreted. As I say to my students, know your source. If you’re relying on the NBC Nightly News for your facts, for example, you might find that Brian Williams hand-built this E9 himself. Too soon?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1974 BMW 3.0CS on eBay

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