Tuner Tuesday: 1995 BMW 318ti Club Sport Supercharged

What’s the perfect commuter car? Well, that varies by your definition of commuter, how far you need to drive and how much traffic you encounter, and what your goal is – do you want high mileage, or perhaps you want extreme comfort and isolation. But I’d like to think that a fair amount of our readership would love to have a dual purpose car. It would be something that wouldn’t be a collector-status car, but yet one that was unique and not often seen. It would combine comfort and affordability. While some would opt for automatics, I’m sure a larger percentage would choose to row-their-own boat. Fuel mileage, while gas is cheap now, would probably still be a consideration, as would maintenance. And finally, when the traffic cleared and there was a empty bit of road, most of us like to squeeze the pedal down that bit further and be rewarded by and entertaining push in the back. That’s a difficult grouping of characteristics to achieve in one package, but I’d like to suggest that this 318ti might just be the car.

The Club Sport was the answer to the question that effectively no one was asking in 1995; depending on the source, BMW sold a reported 200-300 of them in 1995 only. What the option 9530 got you was a 318ti hatchback that had been breathed upon by BMW Individual. Added were 16″ sport wheels, M3 front bumper, rocker trim and mirrors and a special rear bumper. But it was more than an appearance package, because it also received a M-tuned suspension, special steering wheel and shift knob and uniquely trimmed Millpoint M-cloth sport seats. The seller of this car has brought the performance up to M levels, though, with the addition of a PSS9 coilover suspension, double spoke M3 wheels and supercharger to the M42 inline-4:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 BMW 318ti Club Sport on eBay

Year: 1995
Model: 318ti Club Sport
Engine: 1.8 liter supercharged inline-4
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 147,000 mi
Price: $6,900

1995 318ti Clubsport Supercharged
Color: Hellrot
147k
Boston area

Very rare Clubsport. 1995 was the first and only true Club Sport 318ti, less than 200 were made and in one of the most desirable colors. OEM upgraded suspension, limited slip differential, sport seats, and full M-aerodynamic package including front and rear bumpers, side mirrors, sunroof, folding seats and fog lights. This car also has a few tasteful to improve the driving experience:

Downing Atlanta Supercharger
Bilstein PSS9 suspension
Supersprint exhaust
BMW X-Brace
HIDs
UUC Short Shifter
Momo steering wheel
Boost gauge

Exterior
Original paint in excellent condition minor paint imperfections only.

Interior
Clean, no rips or tears. Some headliner sagging otherwise excellent. AC, heat, power window, power locks, working.

Wheels (2 sets)
Staggered DS2 M3 wheels, comes with spare rim
OEM Clubsport alloys wheels with snow tires

Maintenance up to date. Needs nothing. Maintenance records available.

Fun, fast and 30 mpg highway. Serious buyers only, no joyrides, no trades. Carfax available.

6,900 Or Best Offer!

Club Sports were only available in two colors; black and Hellrot – and this is arguably the more appealing and desirable of the two. The only options on this model were the sunroof and limited-slip differential, both of which are included here. Additionally, the upgrades are tasteful and purposeful looking; this appears to be a 3/4 M3 but with performance which should be close to stock S50 levels. Many would say “why not just buy an M3?”, and rightly so – you could have a theoretically more special full M model for around the same money. But to me this 318 is more desirable in its uniqueness if nothing else. Though not a popular model by any means, it’s a compelling alternative to the typical GTi. The price is also pretty compelling for a 318, especially one so modified – we’ve seen similar later 318ti M-Sport models ask even higher. If a PPI checked out, this strikes me as a fun and effective commuter vehicle that is both affordable and special at the same time.

-Carter