Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
About a month ago, I wrote up a 2002 M20 Turbo built by a company called Manofied. Well, the Manofied folks have been at it again, this time with a 535i. They’ve fully built the car in the style of the Alpina B9, replete with plenty of Alpina parts, some Euro bits, and what appears to be a fantastic individual throttle body engine. The downside? As with the 2002, the price for this build is quite high for a non-original car. But before you jump to conclusions, take a look:
We’re doing our best to keep up with a popular modern classic now migrating to US shores given the 25 year importation threshold has been met: the BMW E30 Touring. By the time they make it to these shores, prices are not exactly bargain basement, nor have they hit the stratosphere like their M3 counterpart. Need a reason to go on holiday to Europe? Why not take a side jaunt to Germany to pick up one? This 1989 325i Touring for sale north of Munich was owned by an elderly gentleman and has the desirable combination of the M20 engine and 5-speed manual gearbox.
I’ve written up some cool M1s, but this one may take the cake even from the Procar-widebodies if for no other reason than this is the M1 you see in the history books. Orange on black with that badass cloth/leather interior is what the E26 is all about. Add to that the fact that it’s from the badass Canepa Collection and has just 3,300 miles, and this is a frickin’ museum piece. Or it could be… I’m a much bigger fan of cars that are used. I’d construct one of those viewing rooms which the internet has seen made for E30 M3s and Ferraris; I’d soak in the glorious orange like it was a Seasonal Affective Disorder light and bust this thing out a few times a year for some fun.
When you think BMW and engine behind the driver, you don’t immediately think of an economy car, but rather the iconic M1. But long before the M1 was even conceived, it was the BMW 700 that introduced the automotive world to a BMW with the engine behind the driver. That engine was effectively a motorcycle unit, so this mini-car was efficient if not particularly powerful. However, what it was good at was racing, so in some regards this car which seems at first glance to have little to do with other BMWs helped to solidify BMW’s reputation in the motorsport world and thereby helped to create models like the M1. On top of that, the 700 Coupe was a particularly neat looking little car, with plenty of 60s-spectacular tail fins and a smart-looking profile. Today there is a lovely light blue example on Ebay:
I recently got to play one of my favorite games, in which I finally catch the drivers of cars I often see parked and get to chat them up a little bit. In this case, it’s a silver 3.0CS that is very straight but has clearly been a daily driver since it was born. The owner cautiously espoused his love to the random stranger who had so briskly made a u-turn on his bike, but it was fun to get a little peek into the life of one of these absolutely classic BMWs. Today’s example is significantly nicer than the silver DD, thanks to low mileage, a beautifully restored interior, and the fact that it’s BROWN. I’ve been so pleased to see the rising appreciating for well-done brown sports cars, and this is the perfect example of how far brown can be from beige. All those nice things about it push this E9 into *gasp* modern BMW-price territory. I’d take this in a heartbeat.