When it comes of tuned BMWs, there’s no shortage of examples. Indeed, there are far more tuners of the popular Munich brand than all the others combined. From ABC Exclusive to Zender, everyone had their hand at modifying some series car into something a bit more. Sometimes more was tasteful, and othertimes it was garish – but all the way along, no firm has been consistently more effective at producing a quality product than Alpina. From their roots as a semi-factory race effort in the 1970s right through the dealer-offered cars of today, Alpina’s results have always been top-notch redefinition of the basic car. And while they have subsequently built faster cars, for me the best examples of the ethos of Alpina and its relation to BMW has always been the B10 BiTurbo. BMW built the screaming S38 powered M5, but Alpina provided its clients a private jet for the road:
Tag: 535i
As Santa streaked across the sky last night, so too this 535i sailed from Germany to America, ready to bestow a lovely present upon some good boy or girl. It’s a nice early example of the E34 with the 3.4 liter M30B35, updated from the E28 generation with newer fuel injection an a higher compression ratio to yield 208hp, a 26hp improvement over the B34. This example appears to have been a continuing project for its owners and now sports additions on the exterior, interior, and engine bay to make it more than your average E34. An M5’s steering wheel and leather seats look great and are complimented by Schmidmann bit and short shifter, while the same company provided a subtly aggressive bodykit and racing headers. Classic 3-piece, 17″ BBS Style 5s bring the Motorsports feel as well. It’s no M5 or M540i, but it is a nicely-styled and unique European E34.
Click for details: 1989 535i Euro on eBay
Comments closedThe 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:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 BMW 535i Dinan 3.9 on Craigslist
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What is age, anyway? As my 30th birthday quickly approaches, that question has been on my mind a lot recently. Years alive may be an objective measurement, but youthfulness, vigor, lust for life – these are all factors in “age” that are significantly more subjective. I’ve had a pretty good three decades, but I’m working to make sure that they keep getting better.
This 535i has lived exactly the same amount of years as me, but I can only hope to be as youthful as it appears. Having covered less than 70k miles in 30 years and completely original save the A/C system, this is one heck of an E28. From the chrome to the carpet to to the paint, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything resembling a flaw on this time capsule. The leather shows slight signs of wear, but then again 70k miles isn’t zero. With everything functioning well on a very sturdy platform, age is relative; there are many happy days in this 535i’s future.