Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Picking up the reins from the very basic E21 315 model that was introduced some 40 years ago, the E30 316 was the entry-level model for the the newly introduced chassis in 1983. While the model introduced new styling, the basic 316 carried over the 1.6-liter M10 from the 315 model as a very basic entry-level edition.
There’s an appealing simplicity to these early no-frills cars, and this one has already been imported. Let’s take a look:
Back in 2020, I took a look at series of cool customized 2002s:
Today’s car started life as a 2002tii, and had it be restored to pristine in its original configuration, it’d be worth a pretty penny. Instead, it’s gone all Dutch with a repaint in Inka as well as a 5-speed swap, custom interior trimmings, turbo-look flares and spoilers, and to top it all off, it’s got a screaming S14 under the hood. Let’s take a closer look:
BMW took a big leap at the end of the 1980s and introduced some pretty extreme design language. First was the E31 8-series, a seeming quantum leap from the outgoing 6-series. That chassis pioneered, for better or worse, a tremendous amount of technical and electronic innovation for BMW. The 8s relied on a bevy of computers to control its chassis, electronic suite and engine. Side by side with the more famous Grand Tourer though was a diminutive roadster BMW produced based heavily on the E30 chassis. Instead of a heavy reliance on computer technology, the futuristic (hence Z for the German word for future – Zukunft) plastic bodied Z1 looked like a supercar even if it didn’t go like one. Park one next to a E30 convertible and you’d never know the two are related!
The Z1 was a complete departure for BMW; while they were not strangers to small cabriolets, their previous efforts were in the 1930s with the 315/1 and the 1960s with the 700. BMW went away from the idea of an integral body and frame to a separate chassis with removable, plastic body pieces. The idea was that the owners could replace the panels themselves to “repaint” the car with minimal effort. It was something the Smart car would be notable for – a car that launched a decade following the Z1. To get the paint to adhere to the bodywork, BMW had to partner with AZKO coatings to develop a flexible paint which they termed ‘Varioflex’, while the bodywork had to be attached using a unique elastic joint technique. The doors didn’t open out – they slid down into the supporting chassis structure. The underbody was flat, not only for aerodynamics, but the tray turned into a diffuser towards the back, assisting in sticking the rear to the ground as speeds rose. In front was nothing new: the venerable M20 from the E30 popped up here, too – but in the rear the Z1 was new with a multi-link rear axle of its own. This new design would later be incorporated into the E36. It’s interesting that with the Z3 BMW opted to go the opposite route and incorporate earlier E30 pieces into the rear of the /7 and /8. While performance was relatively leisurely, the Z1 nevertheless garnered praise for its innovation, unique design and great looks. They never made it to U.S. shores and only around 8,000 examples were ever produced, but a few have crossed the Atlantic now that they’re old enough to be more easily imported:
The expensive E30 ‘verts got you down? Not to worry, there’s always the smash success follow-up, the E36! And looking light it’s ready for Charlie Sheen to abduct Kristy Swanson, this particular car might just be the one for you. It’s a fairly early example with the Sport Package 2, which gave you the standard affair of front sport seats. But in particular there’s one thing that caught my eye here, and its the wheels. Early Sport Package 325i models were also equipped with 15″ Style 17 wheels, which may go down in history as one of the most difficult wheel designs to clean that were ever offered by the company. Seriously, look at them. You have the normal outer basketweave openings that will test your fingers’ ability to survive a normal wash. But inside of those are a second row of even smaller openings that are so impossibly shaped and sized, it’s just not possible for normal devices. They’re so small, in fact, that my fall back – old toothbrushes – are also useless. What does fit in there? Q-tips. And it’s not like there’s just one – there are 30. Each wheel. And that’s, of course, in addition to the 30 OTHER holes. Not done yet, the Style 17 then offers you a further two sets of inner recesses – 30 for the outer, and…you guessed it…30 for the inner. That makes a total of 120 crevices on each wheel for the notoriously dusty BMW brakes to fill with adhering dust. You’re looking at nearly 500 total little detailing spots on just the wheels; it’s enough that they should have to provide health benefits for your service.
Still, they’re quite a pretty design and rarely seen today….for some reason (or, maybe 480 reasons!). Couple that with a nice color combination, a five-speed manual, a limited-slip differential, and just 18,200 miles from new? Well, it’s certainly impressive.
The Bavaria was BMW’s bold attempt to redefine its market presence in a large way…or, perhaps more correctly, to redefine it’s large-car market presence in some way. What predated this design was the BMW 501 and 502 – the ‘Baroque Angels’ – which looked more like they were out of a black-and-white film than ready for the Jet Age by the time of the end of their production in the early 1960s. BMW took a break to get its Neue Klasse feet under it, then in the late 1960s introduced its new six-cylinder-powered 2500 and 2800 sedans. Moving into the 1970s, the M30s engine was punched out to 3.0 liters and the model was offered here as the Bavaria.
A handsome design in its own right, like the E12 and early E24s it suffered some teething pains before the the replacement models really caught fire in the early 1980s. Finding a clean Bavaria today is indeed quite a treat!
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