Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
The E28 is a great chassis, no doubt, but often the normal 535i gets overlooked as a potential classic. We search out instead examples of the M5-look 535is or indeed the S38-motored legend itself, but today’s example will give those that dismiss the “normal” 535i a reason for pause. Upgraded with the full repertoire of Dinan bits and given a European specification makeover and repaint, this is one seriously good looking and well built 535i:
It feels like it has been a while since I featured a Slantnose. For pure audacity it is one of my favorite designs from Porsche and epitomizes the ’80s style excesses that compliment the 930 so well. The Slantnose isn’t to everyone’s liking as it diverges from one of the 911’s primary design cues, the two forward-pointing round headlamps that immediately signal to any knowledgeable observer exactly what car is approaching. In the case of the Slantnose Porsche reached back to its design of the 935 racer for its inspiration and the design certainly lends an extra degree of aggressiveness to the already aggressive lines of the 930 itself. In Coupe form I absolutely love them; Cabriolets and Targas I am less enamored. But in this case, we have a coupe! A Guards Red 1988 Porsche 930 Slantnose, located in Atlanta, with 33,780 miles on it.
Much like the 2003 BMW 540i M-Sport we saw over the weekend, the BMW E28 535is was a bit of junior M5. It featured many of the same styling cues along with sport seats and sports suspension. This was one of the last E28s to appear before the E34 5 series took over, being offered for the 1987 and 1988 model years. This particular 535is for sale in Texas has the desirable 5-speed gearbox and while it isn’t perfect, it has potential and looks mean sitting on 17″ BBS wheels.
Edit 7/15/2015: This 1988 320is was relisted due to non-payment from the high-bidder!
This past weekend, Hagerty sent me a lovely email announcing the five cars that I should have bought when they were cheap. It should come as no surprise that the BMW E30 M3 was amongst them. Long considered the throw-away of the M lineup, their meteoric rise towards the top of the German collector car market has been pretty well documented. One of the lesser known aspects, though, is that combined with the Porsche 911 and a few other select cars, these market leaders have redefined the market in its entirety. Now all 1980s cars in good condition have been on the rise; we’ve seen $15,000 Volkswagen GTis and Audi 4000 quattros, mid 20s for good 944 Turbos and the R107 SLs have been the latest to surge upwards. So while I can gripe that the market is overpriced, it would seem that for the foreseeable future, the market is going to be high on these cars. How high? Hagerty now puts a condition 1-2 M3 between $45,000 and $70,000. We’ve seen even more for special editions. So, the clever and budget-minded enthusiast needs to look towards lesser known but equal provenance vehicles. Obscurity is your friend here, and the base 320is fades into the background of E30s perfectly. Outwardly, there’s nothing to hint that this is anything more than a stripped base-model 3-series. But as you can tell from the picture with the hood raised, the truth is far from that. That’s because the 320is was effectively a budget M3 underneath, perhaps in the most fitting tribute to the famous World War 1 “Q-Ships” the Germans have been able to produce. It is a truly special car, and this is a special example.
8 Comments
The paint-to-sample Nautical Blue 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe we featured in mid-April is back up for another reserve auction. This time there is no Buy It Now price listed, but it is likely safe to say that the reserve will not have come down far, if at all, from that original BIN of $67,500. That’s likely too high, but we will have to see just how high the bidding, which currently sits at $44,600, will get this time.
