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 CONTENTS
Independently written for real enthusiasts
Welcome
BMW Car, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Welcome back to BMW Car. The current health crisis
Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL resulted in a change to our usual publishing schedule, with
EDITORIAL the previous issue (June/July 2020) staying on newsstands
Editor: Simon Jackson
Email: bmwcar.ed@kelsey.co.uk for two months, but I’m happy to report that our normal
Tel: 07391 718134 monthly service has now been resumed – even if things
Art Editor Lorna Mansford
Contributors Bob Harper, Elliott Stiling, Andrew Everett, Guy Baker, remain far from normal in the wider world. Anyway,
Rob Richardson, Jason Dodd, Craig Cheetham, Matt Richardson, we’re not here to dwell on all that, rather to offer some
Peter Ellenbogen, Richard Holdsworth
automotive escapism in the form of our usual mix of classic,
ADVERTISEMENT SALES
Emma Philcox Tel: 01732 920499 modern classic and contemporary BMWs.
Email: emma.philcox@talkmediasales.co.uk Now, father and son team Kiron and Tahmid Haque have become regulars in the
PRODUCTION pages of BMW Car, we have found ourselves working our way through their ever-
Elsa Deakin, Zoe Whitehead Tel: 01732 445325
Email: zoe.whitehead@talkmediasales.co.uk evolving collection of the most iconic BMWs simply because they’re all some of the
MANAGEMENT best examples in the country. This month’s cover star is another Haque classic, and by
Chief Operating Officer: Phil Weeden
Chief executive: Steve Wright
their own admission a firm favourite in the household. The 850CSi has been a highly
Publisher: Phil Weeden regarded BMW since its inception but in recent times its popularity has grown further,
Retail Director: Steve Brown
Audience development manager: Andy Cotton good examples are highly sought after amongst ardent BMW collectors like the Haques
Print production manager: Georgina Harris – and with good reason. We learn more about this pair of BMW enthusiasts – who have
Print production controller: Kelly Orriss
Events manager: Kat Chappell only been in the game for two short years – and their fabulous 850CSi on page 10.
Subscription marketing Director: Gill Lambert
Subscription marketing Manager: Rochelle Gyer-Smith Sticking with classic theme we also take a deep dive into designer Pietro Frua. Frua’s
SUBSCRIPTIONS jaw-dropping BMW creations – such as the beautiful 2800GTS – helped shape the
13 issues of BMW Car are published per annum future of the brand, p44. And, the story behind Australian Dean How of Peninsula BM,
UK annual subscription price: £64.87
Europe annual subscription price: £78 the largest BMW dismantler in Oz, and his 635CSi racer is sure to interest those with a
USA annual subscription price: £78 soft spot for E24s, which is everyone, right? Page 58.
Rest of World annual subscription price: £85
CONTACT US:
We also take the somewhat unusual, but not unheard of, step of pitching a popular
UK subscription and back issue orderline: 01959 543747 BMW against a competitor from a rival brand in this issue. The E36 318iS is a certified
Overseas subscription orderline: 0044 (0) 1959 543747
Toll free USA subscription orderline: 1-888-777-0275 BMW Car favourite, we put it up against the Audi Coupé from the same era to see how
UK customer service team: 01959 543747 it stacks up – p18. Through the usual channels I’d be interested to know how you feel
Customer service email address: subs@kelsey.co.uk
Customer service and subscription postal address: about seeing comparative features like this, involving “non-BMWs”, more often? Love it?
BMW Car Customer Service Team, Kelsey Publishing Ltd,
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DISTRIBUTION Simon Jackson, Editor
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Email: cars@kelseyclassifieds.co.uk
Kelsey Media 2020 © all rights reserved. Kelsey Media is a trading
name of Kelsey Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is
forbidden except with permission in writing from the publishers. The 850CSi has
Note to contributors: articles submitted for consideration by the
editor must be the original work of the author and not previously become a sought after
published. Where photographs are included, which are not the modern classic...
property of the contributor, permission to reproduce them must
have been obtained from the owner of the copyright. The editor
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Kelsey’s data policy, you can email our Data Protection Officer at:
dpo@kelsey.co.uk. Andrew Bob Elliott Guy John Shane
Everett Harper Stiling Baker Glynn O’ Donoghue
Technical guru Marque expert BMW enthusiast Market analysis BMW columnist Road tester

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AUGUST 2020 3
CONTENTS

10
Contents
Independently written for real enthusiasts
Regulars
Independently written for real enthusiasts 006 News 042 Market Watch
Catch up with the latest BMW news BMW marketplace analysis

025 Comment: Bob Harper 053 Workshop Wisdom

Our resident marque expert talks Andrew Everett gets his hands dirty
all things BMW with a range of BMW technical issues

027 Comment: Elliott Stiling 065 Our Cars

Our serial BMW buyer The trials and tribulations of the
BMW Car fleet
028 New Products
Shop for the latest and greatest products 072 Subscriptions
Subscribe to BMW Car and save money!
031 Letters
Have your say... 074 Trouble-Shooter
Technical tips and fixes for common
032 Motorsport Month BMW problems
Catch up on BMW motorsport
078 BMW Car Classifieds
033 Digital Subs Find a bargain in our free classifieds for
Get BMW Car on your electronic device BMW cars, parts and more...

034 First Drives 082 Next Issue

Behind the wheel of the latest BMWs What’s in the next issue of BMW Car?

4 BMWcar
 CONTENTS
36 06

44

18
Follow us on social media:
BMWCarMagazine @bmwcarmag bmwcarmag

August 2020
Features
010 E31 850CSi 058 E24 635CSi
Father and son duo Kiron and Tahmid If BMWs are your livelihood then going 635CSi? Dean How of Peninsula
Haque’s ever evolving BMW collection racing in one comes naturally, and BM, Australia’s largest BMW
has become a regular sight in these what better way than in an E24 dismantler, should know...
pages. Despite owning some iconic
BMWs, this 850CSi is unashamedly
one of their favourites...

018 E36 318iS Vs Audi Coupé

The coupé market underwent a
renaissance in the 1990s, BMW and
Audi got in on the act. Today, which is
the best modern classic choice: E36
318iS or Audi Coupé?

036 £15k BMW Buys

Market expert Guy Baker recommends
five of the best – very different – used
BMWs at a £15,000 price point...

044 The Frua Connection

Pietro Frua penned some of the most
awesome shapes adorned by the BMW
roundel such as the glorious 2800GTS.... 
58
AUGUST 2020 5
NEWS
BMW
News
ALL-NEW
4 SERIES COUPÉ
BMW has revealed the all-new 4 Series Coupé –
its styling has proved somewhat divisive...
BMW calls it "distinctive exterior design"
but some would argue that the all-new 4
Series Coupé is distinctive for all the wrong
reasons. Marginally longer and wider than its
predecessor, the dominant styling element of
the new 4 Series Coupé has to be its revised
kidney grille. Love, tolerate or hate it, it would
appear that it's here to stay and may well find
its way onto future BMW models. Elsewhere
on the car come a stretched roofline, slimmer
quarter windows and revised treatment to the
arches – which combine to provide a larger
expanse of metalwork on the haunches. At the
rear come slimmer, darkened, full-LED rear light
clusters and twin-exit tailpipes.
Full-LED headlights are fitted as standard,
with two u-shaped fibre-optic light guides
in the lower section serving as the daytime
driving lights. Adaptive LED Headlights with
BMW Laserlight, are available optionally. Slim
LED fog lights are standard on all models
except the M440i xDrive Coupé and M440d
xDrive Coupé.
The M Sport trim is likely to be the most
popular at launch. It affords larger air intakes
in the front apron, and a striking rear apron
6 BMWcar
with a Dark Shadow inlay. Air intake trims, side
window surrounds and the exterior mirror bases
come finished in high-gloss Black. That kidney
grille gets a unique surround on M440i xDrive
and M440d xDrive models. Both models can
be specified with an M Carbon exterior package
comprising front-wing air intake trims, exterior
mirror caps, a diffuser element in the rear apron
and a specially moulded carbon rear spoiler.
Inside comes a revised cockpit including
a newly designed gear selector lever, newly
developed front sport seats – featuring
contoured side bolsters – are standard. The
Vernasca leather trim comes in a choice of
five colours, LED ambient lighting is standard
across the range. M Sport models come with
Sports seats with M-specific upholstery, an M
leather steering wheel and more. Thinking of
practicality, the rear bench split in a 40:20:40
fashion, boot space is an increased 440-litres.
The premiere of the M Sport Pro package
sees it offering all the elements of the M
Sport model but adding the Sprint function
for additional bursts of speed and a sporty
soundtrack (piped into the cabin when Sport
mode is activated). In addition come M
Sport brakes on the 420i, 420d and 420d
xDrive Coupé, as well as 19-inch M light-alloy
wheels, a rear spoiler in high-gloss Black,
BMW Individual high-gloss Shadowline trim
with extended features and BMW Individual
lights Shadowline and M seat belts. The
M Performance Parts portfolio is available,
offering retrofit items such as 20-inch M
Performance forged light-alloy wheels, a
carbon-fibre front grille, front splitter and side
skirts, as well as aero flicks for the front apron
in High-gloss Black. The new M Sport Pro
Edition combines the M Sport Pro package
with a choice of three Individual Metallic
exterior hues; Dravit Grey, Tansanite Blue
and Aventurin Red. The new edition also
gains unique 19-inch Jet Black Double Spoke
wheels, Black High Gloss Mirror Caps and the
choice between Individual Aluminium Fabric
High Gloss or Piano Black interior trim.

In terms of engines the range will be
spearheaded by a new M440i xDrive model,
featuring a new 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol
engine – one of a trio of twin turbocharged
petrol engines available, the 430i and 420i
Coupé benefit from extensively upgraded 2.0-
litre four-cylinder petrol engines. Alongside
the two four-cylinder petrol units comes a
2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel at launch – two
straight-six diesel engines (scheduled for
arrival in March 2021) – all get new two-
stage turbocharging. All engines use the
eight-speed Steptronic transmission, which
can now be specified with the new optional
Sprint function. BMW xDrive is also available
on the four-cylinder diesel model, while the
intelligent all-wheel-drive system features
as standard on all six-cylinder variants.
Horsepower rises from 184hp (420i M
Sport) to 340hp (M440d xDrive – available
March 2021).
Standard on all models is the eight-speed
Steptronic transmission, the first time that's
been the case for every 4 Series Coupé.
All the latest driver comfort and
convenience systems feature, front collision
warning, Speed Limit info and Lane
Departure Warning is now standard, and of
course there's plenty more which we'll cover
in our future First Drive as soon as we get
behind the wheel of the new car.
Prices for the new 4 Series start at
£39,870 (420i M Sport) rising to £44,030
(420d xDrive M Sport), with prices for the
(current) range-topping 430d xDrive M Sport
and M440d xDrive due in March 2021 yet to
be confirmed at the time of going to press.
So, until we get behind the wheel we'll let
you make up your own minds about the new
model, and that grille...
NEWS
NEW X2
XDRIVE25E
BMW has launched its
first plug-in hybrid Sports
Activity Coupe (SAC) – the
new X2 xDrive25e.
The new X2 xDrive25e features the latest
generation of BMW eDrive plug-in hybrid
technology, its electric motor generates an
output of 70 kW/95hp, the high-voltage
lithium-ion battery stowed under the rear
seat has a capacity of 10-kilowatt hours
enabling an all-electric range of up to
35-miles. In conjunction with its 1.5-litre
three-cylinder combustion engine, which
drives the front wheels, and the electric
motor powering the rear wheels, a total
output of 220hp and 284lb ft torque is
generated. The zero to 62mph sprint takes
6.8-seconds.
Three operating modes; Auto eDRIVE
(standard), Max eDrive and Save
battery modes enables the driver to
select options suiting his or her needs.
Standard equipment includes 17-inch
alloy wheels, two-zone climate control,
auxiliary air conditioning and hybrid-specific
readouts on the Control Display. The new
BMW X2 xDrive25e can be ordered in
Advantage, Advantage Plus, M Sport and
M Sport X trims – virtually all options of the
conventionally powered X2 are available
for the plug-in hybrid model. It debuts
a new exterior colour – Phytonic Blue
Metallic. There is no concrete confirmation
from BMW as to whether the model will
be offered to UK buyers as yet, nor on
potential pricing.
AUGUST 2020 7
NEWS

NEW 5
SERIES
The refreshed 5 Series has arrived
in Saloon and Touring guises –
both with mild-hybrids, and, for
the first time, an M Performance
M550i xDrive Saloon...

Having sold more than 600,000 current

generation 5 Series Saloon and Touring
cars worldwide since launch, BMW has
seen fit to deliver a new 5 Series which
launches this month. With a new look both
inside and out, most models now feature
mild-hybrid technology in the form of a
plug-in hybrid drive system, available from
November 2020. First introduced in the 520d
and 520d xDrive models in autumn 2019,
the hybrid technology will now offer enhanced
performance via a 48V starter-generator (which
will be rolled out to all models with four- or
six-cylinder engines, except PHEV and M550i
xDrive models) and a second battery enables
a significant increase in the amount of brake
energy that can be regenerated and stored.  larger 12.3-inch display powered by the latest
The new exterior design features a kidney
grille that is both wider and taller, slimmer,
contoured headlights (LED as standard) with
two u-shaped daytime driving lights. Adaptive
LED and Laserlight upgrades are available.
Ticking the BMW Individual Lights Shadow
Line box provides a sportier front end. The
front apron of both SE and M Sport trim levels
have been redesigned with larger and more
pronounced air inlets. Out back, the LED
taillights now feature an extra top overhang
that transforms the L-motif into a C-shape.
Blackened lenses give the taillights a more
modern look. The rear apron has also been
redesigned with trapezoidal tailpipes and a
sportier diffuser on Saloon models.
The sportier look of the M Sport package
with its aerodynamics addendums is sure to
prove popular, it also features new 19- and
20-inch wheels, a new limited M Sport Edition
(available at launch and limited to 1,000 units)
comes with exclusive Individual metallic paint
(Donington Grey and Tanzanite Blue) and
unique 20-inch Air Performance wheels.
Inside, new interior features include a
Operating System 7.0. The new 5 Series also
benefits from the latest camera- and radar-
based driving assistant systems, including
features like steering and lane-control assistant
and active cruise control to name just a few.
The range-topping M550i XDrive Saloon
is chiefly distinguished by its 4.4-litre V8
TwinPower turbocharged powertrain, exclusive
20-inch wheels, Cerium Grey exterior detailing,
Harman/Kardon Surround Sound System, M
Sport differential and adaptive M suspension.
Three additional petrol and three diesel
engines produce between 184hp and 340hp.
A choice of plug-in hybrid models come with
the latest fourth-generation battery technology,
including an all-new six-cylinder 545e xDrive
Saloon and four-cylinder 530e sDrive/xDrive
Touring from November 2020. From then
the latest-generation BMW eDrive technology
will be combined with a four-cylinder petrol
engine on the new BMW 530e Saloon and
– for the very first time – the 530e Touring.
BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive is also
offered on select variants including the 520d,
530d, 530e, 540i, 545e and M550i models.
There is also a choice of chassis options
including M Sport suspension, Adaptive
M suspension and Adaptive M suspension
Professional – including active roll-stabilisation.
Red M callipers are now available as an
alternative to blue with the M Sport Pro pack
on M Sport models and are standard on
M550i xDrive Saloon models.
As we've mentioned the latest driver
assistance systems are all present and correct
here, but a first is the Remote Software
Upgrade function which keeps the vehicle up
to date with the latest software – imported via
smartphone, BMW Connected or directly using
its built-in SIM card.
Prices for the 5 Series Saloon start at
£37,480 (520i SE) rising to £67,595 (M550i
xDrive M Performance), 5 Series Touring
models are priced from £39,730 (520i SE)
rising to £57,485 (540i xDrive M Sport Edition).

8 BMWcar
KEEP A COOL HEAD.
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BMW Service

Book a BMW Air Conditioning Refresh or Recharge to ensure

you don’t get hot and bothered on the road this summer.
Using only BMW Approved Parts, our BMW Trained
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Contact your local BMW Centre to find out more

or to book an Air Conditioning Service.
E31 850CSi

Trading Up
Father and son duo Kiron and Tahmid Haque’s ever evolving BMW
collection has become a regular sight in these pages. Despite owning
some iconic BMWs, this 850CSi is unashamedly one of their favourites...
Words: Simon Jackson Photography: Jason Dodd

10 BMWcar

egular readers will by now be pretty
R familiar with the Haque family’s
enviable collection of BMWs – a
selection, all in the finest of fettle,
have appeared in these pages over
recent issues. A father and son operation,
Tahmid and dad, Kiron, only began collecting
cars – predominantly BMWs – just two years
ago, initially funded with just a £4,000 pot.
Today they are regularly buying cars valued in
excess of £30,000 having bought and sold
exceptionally wisely, trading up with each step
they take while never losing sight of the fact that
this is all about the cars, not the cash.
At the beginning of 2020 the Haque’s
German car collection numbered some 20
in strength, dwindling to seven vehicles in
January this year, and since growing once
more to now sit at 12. However, that number
is liable to change not by the month or week,
but by the day, such is the pair’s insatiable
appetite for buying cars. Tahmid produces his
phone, quickly scrolling through text messages
between himself and his father. He flicks
down through reams of sales ad links sent
between the pair, from eBay to Car & Classic
and everything in-between, it’s noticeable that
there’s barely any other menial day-to-day
family conversation in-between to break it all
up. “That’s just from this week,” Tahmid laughs.
“When we sell cars it’s not a case of us cashing
out and spending the money on designer
E31 850CSi
clothes – the money stays in cars.”
The two passionate newcomers who were
in Tahmid’s words “new to the game” in 2018
have owned, or do currently own, some of
the finest BMWs ever built. Importantly they’ve
also built up a network of useful car contacts,
and via Tahmid’s prolific social media presence
(Instagram is his preferred platform – follow
@m635bmw), begun building a community of
like-minded individuals, many from the South
East. All this while both working hard operating
the family business, Taj Barming – an Indian
restaurant in Maidstone, Kent. Tahmid is also
entering his final year of study at university.
“We don’t buy cars to make money in the
long term.” Tahmid explains. “It all depends
AUGUST 2020 11
E31 850CSI

“We’ve had five 840Ci Sports – now

we’ve finally got our 850CSi”

V12 engine produces 380hp with

406lb ft torque – good for 0-62mph
in six-seconds flat...

Just 47 cars were made with this

interior – partial leather nappa
Silver-Grey, code N4SL...

12 BMWcar

on the car, but some of our cars aren’t going
anywhere – like our E24 M6 [BMW Car
04/20], we love that car, we could’ve sold it
straight away and made a lot on it, but it’s such
a nice car – a dream car. If someone asks me
what my dream car is, it is still the E24 M6, but
the next car is on the list is the 850CSi...”
Tahmid’s knowledge of the BMW back
catalogue belies his young age and the length
of time he and his father have been absorbed
by this world – his passion shines through as
soon as you engage him in conversation.
“We brought our first 8
Series from a Coys auction
in December 2018 – since
then we’d always wanted an
850CSi,” we’re told. “We’ve
had five 840Ci Sports since
then, now we’ve finally got
our 850CSi – it happened after 14 months
of searching, it was just a case of waiting for
the right car to come along. They’re a lot of
money, so we always said we’d get one if we
could find a good deal.”
Striking a good deal is one of the key
aspects of the successful formula Tahmid
and his father have refined (from what we’ve
heard Kiron’s negotiating skills are something
to behold!). So too doing extensive research
and keeping a very close eye on market
values and auction house fees. The latter can
add thousands to the ultimate cost of a car,
Tahmid has an encyclopedic knowledge of
sold hammer prices and the buyer’s premium
percentages taken by each of the major
players on the scene. But of course when
it comes to classic BMWs, buying the best
example possible remains the absolute key –
E31 850CSI
bagging a bad one will hurt you, and when it
comes to owning a poor 850CSi in particular
financial ruin is not unheard of... These were
exceptionally advanced cars when new
and as such run a number of complicated
electronic and mechanical systems that can
cost a fair whack to fix.
“Our car is mint – it’s done 87,000-miles,
and we were prepared to bid much higher for
it...” Tahmid recalls of the auction where he
picked up the car. “I hadn’t even looked at the
car properly – only a quick glance around it
and I had not examined the history because
its estimate was quite high – Coys has a 15
percent buyer’s fee so factoring that in it was
on for making about the right money.”
On initial inspection, then, this was not
the deal the Haques were after – Tahmid
therefore paid the car little attention other than
AUGUST 2020 13
E31 850CSi

the cursory glance any BMW enthusiast would
give such a striking 8 Series.
“I was one the phone to my dad at the
time, we were happy because we’d just won
with our bid on a Mercedes 190 Cosworth
[BMW Car 05/20], but the 8 Series bidding
started low – there were huge crowds of
people in the room so I presumed it was
going to go for a lot. I waited before bidding, it
went up in £1,000 increments. A lot of people
were looking at me, obviously I’m a young guy
and I’d just bought the 190...”
Tahmid could feel all the eyes in the room
on him, no doubt this young enthusiast was
garnering attention which was a mixture of E31 850CSi
envy and respect. ENGINE: V12, 24-valve
“My dad was listening over the phone, he CAPACITY: 5576cc
heard the ‘going once, going twice’ and was STROKE/BORE: 80/86mm
excitedly yelling at me ‘put a bid in, put a bid COMPRESSION: 9.8:1
in!’ – the hammer went down and I told dad MAX POWER: 380hp @ 5300rpm
that was my bid – we’d just won the car! We MAX TORQUE: 406lb ft @ 4000rpm
couldn’t understand what happened that day TOP SPEED: 155mph (limited)
– we were so lucky.” 0-62MPH: 6.0-seconds
So, while the route to ownership of this car NUMBER PRODUCED: 1510
did not perhaps follow the usual fastidious YEAR PRODUCED: 1992 to 1996
path negotiated by the Haques, it was too PRICE NEW: £77,500

“There were only 22

produced in Oxford Green
and ours is the last one”

14 BMWcar

good an opportunity to miss. This 1997 Oxford
Green 850CSi with just 87,000-miles on its
clocks is a true stunner.
“I’ve driven a lot of 840Ci Sports – probably
some of the best in the country. Our first one
had just 14,000-miles and was one of two
Individual cars with Gaucho leather ever built.
I’d never seen that interior before – everyone
loved it,” Tahmid said. “The 850 is so different
to the 840 – it’s the same car, the same shape,
the same size, but it’s a manual gearbox and
that makes the car feel huge. When we picked
it up we drove it back from London in convoy
with the Mercedes 190 – my dad drove that
and I drove the BMW. I was instantly aware of
how big it is – it’s a day and night difference
between the two 8 Series” he enthused.
“The engine is obviously the 5.6-litre V12,
380hp, it was built in 1996 – the last one in
Oxford Green. I did a lot of digging, a lot of
people were saying there were either 160 or
190 built, you might find this sad but I spent a
whole night searching for all the VIN numbers
– they follow a pattern. You’d think that the
last one in the sequence would be 160, but
it’s actually 190, so there are two gaps in
The rare Oxford Green
example cost £88,569.58
when first registered...
production. There’s a three month gap for two
periods of time – there are gaps between zero
to 100, 100 to 190 is the last 90 cars – ours
is 169, which corresponds to car 149 of 160.
I also found all of the colours too, there were
only 22 produced in Oxford Green and ours is
the last one – and the last car with that interior
too. It’s funny because our M6 is the last car in
its colour too – number 508 of 524...”
We told you Tahmid was diligent. And he’s
correct, too, BMW made just 160 right-hand
drive CSis of the 1510 built all told, which
makes this car a very rare beast indeed.
“I think it looks fantastic in that colour, we
got so lucky with the condition and I love
driving it – it pulls like a train. The only thing
we’ve had to do is fit a new exhaust, there
were holes in the back boxes so we’ve fitted a
full stainless steel system,” he said.
Tahmid regularly uses the word ‘lucky’ in
conversation, but it’s evident that ‘luck’ has little
do with the level of success here. Tahmid’s
dedication is a big part of the equation, his
father’s trust in him and their shared passion,
so too the aforementioned network of contacts
the family has established. By their own
E31 850CSi
admission neither Tahmid nor father Kiron
are mechanically minded, so they are forced
to rely on the services of others. Alongside a
number of enthusiasts from the local BMW
community that they have made contact
with – all keen to offer help and advice – R&R
Detailing (@rrdetailinguk on Instagram) in the
neighbouring county of Surrey has proved an
invaluable expert. Don’t let the name deceive
you, the firm is far more than just a detailing
specialist – though that clearly is its bread
and butter. Tahmid describes the place as a
kind of one-stop shop, capable of undertaking
mechanical issues too. Tahmid has been
known to get its opinion on certain aspects
of the vehicles he’s seen at auction, to get an
idea on detailing or repair costs of specific
areas, via the exchange of phone messages.
“We’ve got a lot of good contacts, R&R
Detailing in Lingfield looks after us and does
everything. It’s made buying cars a lot easier –
some cars we’ve bought have been transported
straight to Surrey. When we pick them up they
are like new cars!” Tahmid enthused.
The 850CSI is clearly a firm favourite
with Tahmid and his father, but
AUGUST 2020 15
E31 850CSi
Available 24/7 it isn’t the only 8 Series in their current, don’t
forget ever-expanding, collection.
TABLET • MOBILE
“We got a very low mileage 840Ci Sport,
21,000-miles, bought during lockdown in
an online auction. That was more of an
investment,” Tahmid smiles. The 850 however
is “a keeper”. It is unlikely to depreciate in value,
From £2.31 in fact its stock is traveling in quite the opposite
pocketmags.com direction, and it’s clear to see why – this is
shop.kelsey.co.uk/bmc amongst the most desirable of classic BMWs.
And, as for the next moves we can expect from
16 BMWcar
the house of Haque? Well, this is certainly not
the last you’ll see of this duo in BMW Car, of
that we can be certain. Here are two genuine
enthusiasts who have been bitten by the BMW
bug and have developed a keen eye for buying
the right cars at the right price. Is there an end
goal in sight? Perhaps: “We have a dream of
collecting all of the old BMW M cars; E28 M5,
850CSi, E30 M3 – just whenever it happens,
we’re not in a rush. We’ve got two of the big
ones already...” Watch this space ●
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318iS VS AUDI COUPÉ
he late 1980s were a coming of
T age for the German car makers.
Known for their quality from very
early on, it was the decade of
wealth-driven excess that truly put
them on the map, with cars from the Porsche
911 through to the Mk2 VW Golf all earning a
reputation for being premium offerings.
It was also a pivotal time for Audi. A
brand initially considered as a ‘posh but dull’
premium Volkswagen, the company managed
to reinvent itself with the Audi 80 ‘B3’. A car
that, almost three-and-a-half decades on
since it first appeared, still looks handsome.
Its aerodynamic body, with flush fitting glass
and lack of roof gutters, was one of the most
18 BMWcar
streamlined and innovative designs of the
period and it has withstood the test of time
beautifully, while also retaining a sense of
being wonderfully over-engineered, in line
with so many other German cars of the era.
It was hardly a sporty car though. In order to
put that right, Audi introduced a coupé variant
of the B3 in 1988. This was initially powered
only by a 2.3-litre five-cylinder engine, but
was later fitted with an eight-valve two-litre
powerplant that was common to loads of VW
Group cars of the era and was dutifully reliable
if lacking in performance.
To counter that, in 1990 Audi launched
the turbocharged 2.2-litre S2, which was the
first in a long line of S-badged Audis that
completely transformed the brand’s reputation
in the world of performance cars.
The Audi 80 B3 was a good car regardless
of body style, which also went on to include
estate and cabriolet – a case of playing BMW
at its own game. And as competitors to the
E30 3 Series, the initial Audi B3s had plenty
of merit: more spacious, more modern and
better equipped than the BMW, which was
nevertheless riding high on a wave of public
approval. The E30 was very much a car that
defined ‘Yuppie’ Britain, and it was great
to drive, too. But it was cramped and old-
fashioned compared to the B3.
Enter, at the 1990 Paris Motor Show, the
E36. The 3 Series for the thrusting 1990s. The
 318iS VS AUDI COUPÉ

Deutsche Marks
The coupé market underwent a renaissance in the 1990s, BMW and Audi got in on
the act. Today, which is the best modern classic choice: E36 318iS or Audi Coupé?
Words: Craig Cheetham Photography: Matt Richardson

new BMW retained the traditional rear-drive
layout, but it was a bigger, more mature and
more spacious car. Alongside the B3 Audis it
essentially created the ‘Compact Executive’ car
market that’s so popular today, and it wasn’t
long before BMW was branching out into other
body styles as well as the saloon.
The two-door Coupé was available pretty
much from launch, with estate and convertible
models coming later, along with the truncated
Compact variant.
It was offered with a somewhat baffling array
of engine choices, from the four-cylinder 316i
to a 2.8-litre straight-six, while it would also
form the basis of the second generation M3 –
a sporting halo for the brand.
In essence, the E36 Coupé was more of a
driver’s car than the Audi – rear-wheel-drive,
with a low-slung driving position and sleek,
angular styling, it was a car with plenty of
appeal, but for some the Audi’s discretion and
neat detailing were preferable.
We gathered together smart examples of
both in the ultimate battle of the Bavarians:
Munich versus Ingolstadt. Which is the best
retro German coupé, today?
STYLING
Both of these cars are typically German in their
appearance: smart, yet reserved. Handsome
without being overly flashy.
Of the two, it’s the BMW that’s the more
classical coupé, with long flanks and large
pillarless doors. The back end tapers away to
a rear that shares its tail lights and boot lid
with the E36 Saloon, yet does so in a wholly
harmonious way. The two were designed side-
by-side, so the Coupé wasn’t an afterthought.
The challenge is finding an example that
hasn’t been modified, such as the 318iS
seen here. It has never been altered and still
features its original, rather discreet, 15-inch
alloys fitted at the Munich factory, whereas
many E36 Coupés today have been lowered,
fitted with oversized alloys and huge boot
spoilers. Ther0e’s a big following for them,
especially among the drift car community, and
while we’re all for car culture, it’s a shame that

AUGUST 2020 19
318iS VS AUDI COUPÉ
so few original Coupés survive – especially
when they’re so pretty in virgin form.
The Audi is less angular and apparently
less streamlined, though its drag coefficient
suggests otherwise. It was one of the most
aerodynamic cars of its era.
It has less of a classical coupé profile,
though, partly down to the fact it’s a hatchback,
whereas the BMW is a more traditional two-
door coupé with a saloon rear end.
That makes the Audi look short and a little
dumpy by contrast, though it’s by no means
unstylish. This example is totally original, too,
and unrestored – it has been garaged for most
of its life. Even the side graphics – oh so ‘of
their era’ – are unspoilt. They may not be to
everyone’s taste, but given this car’s originality
in our view they simply have to stay.
At the front, as with the BMW, the Audi is
identical to the saloon on which it is based,
but from the A-pillar backwards the whole
car is different with longer doors and a large
glass area leading to a rounded rump. It’s
20 BMWcar
a handsome car in its own way, but not as
striking as the BMW we have to say.
COMFORT AND PRACTICALITY
The Audi is the most practical of the two cars
here, thanks in no small part to its hatchback,
which opens up to reveal a surprisingly
shallow boot, yet one that is nevertheless
useful for most requirements.
The BMW’s boot by contrast is vast, but
access is difficult for the opening aperture is
too small for wider loads such as suitcases.
But these are trivial considerations in the
context of buying these cars today, it’s the
experience from behind the wheel that is likely
to be more relevant to the buyer of 2020.
It’s also another area where this pair of
two-doors are totally different in character.
The BMW is lean and low, with wide opening
doors and a squat driving position that favours
long legs. The steering wheel is adjustable for
rake and the driving position is natural, though
access can be tricky and parking in tight
spaces can be a nightmare due to the length
of the doors.
The Audi is more intuitively comfortable, but
it lacks the sense of sportiness found in the
BMW, which feels much more like the driver’s
car it was heavily marketed as in period.
Yet this isn’t to say it is bland. The seats are
supportive and well-bolstered, the controls
chunky and well-made. And the electric
window switches (whisper it…) are still found
in some VW Group cars today so there can’t
be much wrong with them. It’s a classy cabin
and one that feels like it will last forever.
Both work best as four rather than five-
seaters, but the BMW has more space in the
back, the contrast being that the Audi’s rear
seats are easier to get in and out of.
PERFORMANCE
Both of these cars feature four-cylinder
engines, but it’s the BMW that’s by far the
more lively thanks to the iS’s variable valve
timing and 16-valve head, which help it deliver
 318iS VS AUDI COUPÉ

E36 318iS Coupè Audi Coupè e 2.0

ENGINE: 1.8-litre, 16v twin cam ENGINE: 2.0-litre 8v
POWER: 140hp POWER: 113hp
TORQUE: 129lb ft TORQUE: 122lb ft
0-60MPH: 9.2-seconds 0-60MPH: 10.3-seconds
TOP SPEED: 132mph TOP SPEED: 122mph
ECONOMY: 30mpg ECONOMY: 32mpg

140hp from its 1.8-litre engine compared

with the Audi’s 113hp, with the 80 requiring
an additional cylinder to get near the BMW’s
power output.
Yet, while it feels leisurely, the Audi’s 2.0-
litre engine is both tractable and torquey – it
doesn’t feel especially quick. But nor does it
feel disastrously slow, it’s typical of the 2.0-litre
engines found in most saloon cars of the era,
and if you wanted something a bit livelier then
there were other options in the model range.
As an all-rounder that’s more about looking
good than going quickly, it ticks all the boxes
and is also simplicity itself to maintain. The
engine is proven to be reliable and long-lived
and is gloriously straightforward.
The BMW, meanwhile, is a different Show the cars an open road,
proposition. Its engine is livelier and more
powerful, yet at the same time it likes to be however, and the tables turn
used more across its rev range. Indeed, it’s the
Audi that’s the more tractable and responsive quite significantly...
in traffic. Show the cars an open road, however,
and the tables turn quite significantly – the

AUGUST 2020 21
318iS VS AUDI COUPÉ
BMW’s additional power is instantly noticeable,
while its organ-style accelerator pedal and
long-throw gearbox are typical 3 Series traits.
It’s a wonderful, mechanical feel that no other
manufacturer has ever managed to replicate
and gives the car a much more sporting feel
than its rival, which doesn’t feel any different
to a B3 saloon to drive. That’s no bad thing, it’s
just that the BMW has a much more sporting
feel – as you’d expect given its extra power.
HANDLING
There can only be one winner in the handling
stakes and that’s the BMW – its rear-drive
chassis has a fluidity and level of grip that the
Audi can only dream of. The E36’s trademark
Z-Axle, which gives
a fully-independent
multi-link rear end and
Which of these two
a sense of passive
rear-steering, gives the
is the one we’d
chassis a wonderfully want to own?
dynamic feel, while
the steering is perfectly weighted, albeit a little
numb around the straight-ahead position.
The Audi, by contrast, is much less engaging
to drive. It has a sturdy, solid feel and never
feels unbalanced or unstable, but the steering
is short of feel and the ride a little coarse.
It has a real feel of solidity to it and is a
perfectly pleasant car to drive, just not a wholly
engaging one.
RELIABILITY
Both of these cars hark from an ear where
the Germans were renowned for quality
engineering and absolute dependability.
So the good news is that they both fit the
22 BMWcar
brief, with powerplants that are capable of around 30mpg for the BMW and a little better
substantial mileages and which generally for the less-powerful Audi, and both on a par
require little more than regular servicing to with similar cars of the era.
keep them in good fettle.
The BMW is the fussier of the two, the top RIVALS
end can suffer from rattling cams and worn If you want a German coupé but neither of
cam lobes, which can lead to excessive oil these float your boat, then the VW Corrado is
consumption. The engine itself is quite heavy a good choice of alternative. There’s also the
and can wear out the engine mounts, leading Vauxhall Calibra, which was designed in the UK,
to a horrible vibration when taking up drive. engineered in Germany and built in Finland. It’s
The Audi’s 2.0-litre engine, meanwhile, is a great-looking car but lacks the build quality or
a thoroughly proven unit that has seen life in the badge cachet of its rivals here.
many VW Group cars over the years and was Others to consider are slightly newer, but
still in production as recently as 2005. It’s basic, you shouldn’t discount the Mercedes CLK
simple and an absolute doddle to maintain,
with most service items available off-the-shelf.
Keep on top of cambelt
changes and it’s unlikely
to give you any major
THANKS
Stone Cold Classics
headaches at all, while
still returning decent
(stonecoldclassics.com)
for the loan of the immaculate Audi
fuel economy of around Coupé, recently for sale with the
32mpg. It’s never going specialist priced at £7.995.
to set the world on fire, but it won’t burn you in
the pocket either.
RUNNING COSTS
Spares back-up and support is pretty good
for both cars, although some trim parts for
the Audi are now getting scarce. For the E36,
almost everything is still available, though it
won’t be cheap if you have to procure it via a
BMW main dealer.
Both are eligible for classic car insurance and
providing they’re not heavily modified (likely
with the BMW, less so with the Audi) you’ll not
have any trouble getting a decent price.
Fuel economy for both is reasonably good –

if you can find a good one, while the Ford
Probe, Nissan 200SX, Mazda MX-6 and
Peugeot 406 Coupé are all worthy of merit.
But none are as good as the two options here.
PRICES
Like so many 1990s cars in the current
market, prices are all over the place, from a
few hundred quid for the rough examples to
five figures for the very best. Specification is
important, condition even more so.
As a ballpark figure, you can get a very
usable example of either for around the
£2,000 mark and for that both cars have
plenty to offer for a very modest outlay. The
downside is that cars in this price bracket
won’t be perfect and will require regular
fettling to keep them on-song.
Spend upwards of £4,000 and you’re more
likely to find a good one, but even then there’s
a notable gulf between the best cars and the
merely average. Concours examples of either
are already priced at £7,000 upwards and are
only going one way...
VERDICT
But, time for the most important bit. Which of
these two is the one we’d want to own most?
318iS VS AUDI COUPÉ
Well, in many ways it’s the Audi that’s the
more intriguing car. It’s the left field choice;
a coupé that was never overtly sporting (S2
excepted) but which was beautifully and
stylishly executed.
The E36, on the other hand, is the more
mainstream, more common and more
popular, all of which count against it in the
curiosity stakes. Yet, it manages to shrug all of
that off by being a bloody good car – and that,
for many, will be what makes the decision.
So there you have it, for us the BMW E36
wins on merit but it was given a damn good
run for its money. ●
Available 24/7
TABLET • MOBILE
From £2.31
pocketmags.com
shop.kelsey.co.uk/bmc
AUGUST 2020 23
 CLICK & COLLECT

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BOB HARPER
Bob wonders whether we should be
considering a new scrappage scheme?
Out with the old,
in with the new?
s we emerge from lockdown feeling like a butterfly escaping
A from its chrysalis into a changed world, I don’t think any
of us can really predict what the new normal is going to
look like but there do seem to be plenty of moves afoot
to invigorate the motor industry. Virtually all sectors of the
economy have been hit hard but you only have to glance at the Society
of Motor Manufacturers and Traders production figures to see quite how
badly the car makers have been affected. Registrations in April were a
staggering 97.3 percent down on 2019 – no wonder the industry was
delighted when it could reopen showrooms on 1st June.
While there seem to be plenty of commentators who think we should
reduce our reliance on the car, it’s hard to see how that’s going to work
in the short term with many people less inclined to run the gauntlet of
public transport. At the same time there’s the question of whether we’re
all likely to rush out and put in an order for a new car when there’s so
much uncertainty surrounding jobs and an economic recovery. The car
manufacturers are desperate for us to get back into the showrooms and
are lobbying hard for a government-backed incentive scheme to get us
splashing the cash once more.
But how likely is the government to back another scrappage scheme,
and if it did so what form will it take? The 2009 scheme more or less let
people chop in any old clunker to blag a hefty discount on any new car,
but I’d expect any new initiative to be intrinsically linked to emissions –
cash off if you purchase an electric car, or possibly a hybrid. The writing’s
on the wall for the combustion engine and a new scrappage scheme
may hasten its demise.
COMMENT
But should the government really be helping out the car makers in
this way when there are so many industries that have been decimated
by Covid-19? Obviously there are many jobs that rely on the automotive
sector, but we mustn’t forget that it’s not just the new car industry that
needs supporting. What about all the independents who make a living
from selling, repairing and servicing older cars? Where will the support
for these garages come from, especially when the cars that they’re likely
to be repairing are the ones that will be chopped in for new ones?
And then there’s the matter of what happens to all the cars that are
scrapped to facilitate the arrival of a twinkly new driveway ornament?
While there were undoubtedly some cars that were on their last legs
and only fit for the scrap heap that were traded in back in 2009, there
were also a plethora of perfectly serviceable machines that went to the
great car park in the sky. They couldn’t be sold, restored or even used
as a source of second hand parts which seem like a criminal waste of
resources. I know of a BMW main agent who took in a perfectly sound
and usable E21 3 Series as part of the last scrappage scheme which is
a crying shame.
While I can understand why the car industry is asking for some sort
of assistance package to help it through the tough times ahead, at the
same time it’s crucial that it’s a well-thought out scheme this time. I
don’t think too many of us will mourn the loss of high polluting cars
that are genuinely clapped-out and belching clouds of smoke into the
atmosphere, but at the same time I don’t want part of the country’s
motoring heritage heading for the scrap heap in order that another
electric SUV can be added to the new car sales figures l
AUGUST 2020 25
COMMENT
ELLIOTT STILING
Elliott discusses the importance of BMW alloy wheel design...
BMW has created some
timeless wheel designs
over the years....
’ve just been pondering the importance of the alloy wheel, not the
I fact that it allows cars to actually function as a motor vehicle, but how
important it is to the aesthetic look and feel of a car.
Car designers spend a huge number of man hours refining, tweaking
and checking every square millimetre of a car’s surface, even down
to the design of the ashtray, but the wheels really do have the ability to
singularly make or break a design.
Let me give you an example. I think it’s fair to say that the Bangle
era of BMW design was – barring the grilles on the new 7 Series and
X7 – still probably is, the most controversial, with the E65 7 Series being
Chris’ most aesthetically challenging effort of all, yet when the Sport
model was introduced with those gorgeous multi-spoke Style 149 20-
inch alloys, suddenly the ugly duckling started to look almost handsome.
It’s not just a matter of bolting a pretty wheel to a car and you can
call it a job well done, either, everything needs to be in balance with
the right offset (how pushed out or sucked in the wheel is in the arch)
to give the perfect stance, with the right width of wheel to give the car
purposefulness without preposterousness. Imagine a set of wide M2
wheels on a 114d for instance. You also need the correct ratio of wheel
diameter to bodywork above the arch. A naturally gorgeous E9 CSL or
E24 6 Series would look truly horrid on a set of 20-inch modern wheels
– it would be like painting a baseball cap on the Mona Lisa with an
iPhone in her hand… checking her Insta’.
One of the masters of getting wheel design just right I think has to be
Alpina. Despite a relationship with BMW that goes back to the 1970s,
the classic 20 spoke wheel used by the Buchloe manufacturer hasn’t
changed much since then, but it’s been a hit on every single car it’s ever
been bolted onto, despite 50-years of exterior design changing almost
immeasurably. Has there ever been a better wheel to suit the 1990’s 8
26 BMWcar
Series or E34 5 Series than the Alpina deep dish wheel? Yet look how well
suited to the current 6 Series B6 the latest variant of this classic design is...
Fashions may have changed but good design doesn’t need to fear age.
But, that’s not to say BMW hasn’t created some belters itself over the
years, because it certainly has. In no particular order I give you the Style
5 wheel on the E39 5 Series and the earlier version of the same name
on the E30 325i Sport, the Style 3 dish wheel for the E32 750iL, the
fabulous (but Marmite) Style 20 ‘white wall’ wheel for the E34 M5 3.6,
the elegant Style 37 ‘M parallel’ for the E39 5 and E38 7 Series, the
Style 39 ‘Sunflowers’ for E36 M3 Evo with the lovely Style 23 ‘Contour’
5 spoke version for the saloon and the delicate Style 22 for the non-Evo
Coupé, the Style 40 design for the Z3M, the Style 21 ‘Throwing stars’
for the E34 M5 3.8 and E31 850 CSi, not forgetting one of my personal
favourites the Style 81 17-inch wheel for the E39 5 Series – a rare sight
these days. Check out bmwwheelstyles.com to see what I mean.
One of the best things about wheels is that they are so easy to
replace and immediately change the look of a car, giving enthusiastic
owners the option to have several sets in store. Within minutes you’re
looking at a ‘new’ car. Want a slightly more understated look for your
E46 M3? That’ll be the 18-inch Style 67, then. Fancy a bit more
summer bling – the 19-inch Style 220 with polished faces are perfect,
then if you want more of a ‘fast road’ look what better than a set of CSL
wheels, and that’s before you start to look at the myriad of aftermarket
options. The same is true of the F10 M5 – how subtle do they look
on those yummy 19-inch Style 345 rims – spot on hidden aggression,
Layer Cake-style.
So, if you are growing a touch bored with your car, don’t just trade it
in, let your inner designer out and start to get creative. A fresh look is
only a set of wheels away – just don’t mess it up! l
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ENGINE PARTS
(UK)
Purfleet: LTD
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890494
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01455 890494
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Purfleet: 01708
Purfleet:
01455
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890494 01708 890494
250222 Hinckley: 01455 250222
sales@enginepartsuk.net
NEW PRODUCTS

New
Products
M2/M3/M4 EBC Brake Discs
How Much? From £898.80 (pair)
Where: ebcbrakesdirect.com
The motorsport arm of EBC Brakes – EBC Brakes Racing – has added
these two-piece fully-floating brake discs to its range. The 380x30mm
SG2F006 disc fits F8x BMWs, so that's all M2, M3 and M4 models
including Competition and CS variants from 2014 onwards.
The disc uses a novel two-piece hub design which reduces unsprung
rotational weight, this is said to have a profound impact on vehicle
driving dynamics. Ideal for regular track-goers and cars in a high state of
tune, the discs replace the original ‘pin-drive’ items without modification
to the vehicle.
The advantage here is that unlike the stock discs which do not float,
EBC’s replacement does, allowing the outer cast-iron friction ring to
expand freely with temperature, eliminating warping. Grooved to allow
the pad to vent without cracking, the discs boast race-derived G3500
grade high-carbon cast-iron friction rings and feature bells machined
from aerospace-grade aluminium. The cast-iron friction rings feature
48-curved vanes significantly improving the ability to radiate heat,
increasing endurance and prolonging the onset of fade.

Brake Disc Tool

How Much? £182.74
Where: lasertools.co.uk
Fitting new brake pads but
keeping your old discs? The
edge of the discs may well be
corroded with a pronounced
lip – this can damage a new
pad or even stop it fitting
correctly. This new brake disc
lip removal tool (part number
7839) from Laser Tools is Trim Clip Tool
the answer. Hand-operated, it quickly removes corrosion from the How Much? £8.54
disc edge, smoothly cutting it back. Simply bolt on the handle and Where: lasertools.co.uk
position the cutting edge of the tool against the disc to operate its This new trim clip remover (part number 7703)
steel cutter. When the blade becomes blunt from use, turn it around from Laser Tools is sure to prove handy. With a built-in
for a fresh edge, after that replacement blades are available (part plastic sheath on the underside designed to protect trim, the
number 7840). trim clip remover lets
the user put more
leverage on a clip or
trim panel while still
protecting underlying
paintwork. Measuring
165mm in length,
it is made from
S45C carbon steel
offering strength and
wear resistance. The
handle is soft for
comfort and grip.

28 BMWcar

E30 Coilovers
How Much? £860.41
Where: gazshocks.com
Gaz is famous for its competition orientated Gold suspension
packages for racing BMWs, however, not everyone needs race
capability – with that in mind Gaz has a GHA version of its kit which
offers ride height and damper rate adjustability at a lower price point.
Designed with road use in mind, this E30 kit is ideal for vehicles that
have been subject to power upgrades. Damping adjustment on the
vehicle is by means of adjuster knobs. Shortened body and stroke
lengths allow a -25 to -55mm ride height variation. Each unit is
plated in Classic Black Zinc to minimise corrosion,
all units are covered by a two-year warranty.
NEW PRODUCTS
Leather Tool Roll
How Much? £57.91
Where: gunson.co.uk
This traditionally design, genuine
leather, tool roll is both practical and stylish
— it's sure to look great in the boot of your
classic BMW. The sturdy tool roll, with strong stitching,
reinforced with metal rivets and a buckled strap, features
12 slots for spanners or screwdrivers, plus three useful press-stud
secured pockets for small items like screws or fuses. Made from pre-
distressed, oiled leather, it measures 305x110x75mm (rolled) and
690x305x20mm (unrolled).
Smart Battery Chargers
How Much? From £29.99
Where: ringautomotive.com
Ring's range of battery chargers starts with the RSC804 (£29.99)
Smart Battery Charger – 6V and 12V compatible – with a 2A to 4A
charge rate. Start/stop compatible, it provides a seven-stage charging
process, includes a large LCD display screen, offers a cold weather
charging mode, quick connectors, and comes with a one button
operation and reverse polarity protection. It also has short-circuit
protection and automatically adjusts to long-term maintenance mode
when the battery is fully charged. It has 90Ah battery charging and
140Ah maintenance modes.
The next step up the range is the more advanced RSC806
(£39.99) Smart Battery Charger, it has all the same features as
the RSC804 but with a charge rate of up to 6A, maximum battery
capacity of 110Ah charging and an 160Ah maintenance mode.
Finally comes the most robust option, the RSC808 (£44.99) Smart
Battery Charger is compatible to 12V and 24V. With a charge rate of
8A for 12V and 4A for 24V and a maximum battery capacity of up to
150Ah for 12V and 70Ah for 24V.
AUGUST 2020 29
NEW PRODUCTS
G20 Limited-Slip Differential Diamondbrite
How Much? From £1395.00 Sanitiser Kit
Where: birdsauto.com How Much? £9.95
This new Quaife ATB Limited-Slip Differential is now available exclusively at Birds for many Where: diamondbrite.co.uk
G20 3 Series models. The Quaife ATB limited-slip differential is the ultimate traction solution. This all-in-one Sanitiser Kit from
Its patented gear-based design allows a progressive transfer of torque away from the spinning Diamondbrite Automotive contains
wheel and onto the wheel with more grip. Unlike conventional LSDs it does not use clutches everything you need to keep yourself,
or other wearing internals, this means Quaife can give a limited lifetime warranty on these and your car, safe from germs. It contains
units, which require no servicing or maintenance. Completely silent in operation, it will work a 100ml Hand Sanitiser made to World
in harmony with your car's electronics. On an exchange basis, the part is priced at £1395 (a Health Organisation standards (with a
surcharge deposit of £750.00 is applicable when shipping), the installed price is £1678.50. 75% alcohol content, the recommended
Note that prices exclude UK VAT at 20%. World-wide shipping is available. minimum content being 60%). Also in the
kit is a 500ml Surface Sanitiser that uses a
blend of alkalis, detergents and sanitisers
– effective on grease and ingrained soiling
– designed to leave all hard surfaces
sanitised with a streak-free finish. Finally,
two microfibre cloths are also included. The
kit comes free with
every £25.00 spend
on the Diamondbrite
online shop until the
end of July 2020.

F20, F21, F22, F23,

F87 M2 Carbon Bonnet
How Much? £795.00
Where: mstyle.co.uk
M-Style has announced new genuine carbon fibre
vented bonnets with power domes to fit all BMW
1 Series (F20 and F21), 2 Series (F22, F23 and
F87 M2) models. The bonnets retail at £795.00
and include free fitting at M-Style's Romford
Styling Centre. A painting service, if required, is
also available priced at £390.00. For further details
e-mail info@mstyle.co.uk or call 0208 598 9115.

BMW Car Subscription

How Much? £9.99
Where: https://shop.kelsey.co.uk/promotion/
cb20
You can currently subscribe to BMW Car with a
special offer – take out a print subscription by
continuous credit card payment and receive three
issues of the magazine in print, and get the digital
version free, all for just £9.99 for three issues.
That's a saving of £4.98 – just shy of buy two get
one free! BMW Car is the world’s best magazine
for all things BMW, independently written for
real enthusiasts. Don't miss out...

30 BMWcar
 YOU WRITE

You
Write...
Private Plates
I have read and enjoyed BMW Car since its
first issues, here in Germany there is no such
magazine! With regard to Bob’s column on
number plates in the last issue, I have always
been surprised by the prices people pay for
a plate in the UK, or even worse in Hong
Kong or Singapore. In Germany you have two
options: either you take a random number
plate or reserve a personalised one on the
internet at your local registration office. The site
offers you several options. The first letters are
the name of your town or community: DÜW
means Dürkheim Weinstraße (Wine Street), B
Berlin, M Munich etc. Historic cars get an H at
the end and electric ones an E.
The cost is ridiculous, around €12 plus
€2.90 for the reservation, your dealer usually
takes this on. And you can keep the number
plate for all of your future cars as when
registering a new one it is possible to take your
cherished number with you. I have glued all of
my old number plates to my car port – today
I am driving a F10 520d and an E30 320i
Cabriolet. Keep up the good work!
Uwe Schulz
Thank you for sharing, Uwe!

Market Watch: M2
I specifically bought the May 2020 issue of BMW Car for the Market Watch feature on the M2. I have several
BMWs in my collection with the M cars being favourites, last year bought a Long Beach Blue M2 so I was
interested in what the article would say.
Just to be pedantic, the M2 and the subsequent M2 Competition do not have adjustable damping, both
the M2 and the subsequent M2 Competition have a seven-speed DCT transmission, not an eight-speed DCT
in the M2 and six-speed DCT in the Competition as quoted. Apart from this, a great article! I full agree with
the piece referring the M2 as the spiritual successor to the E46 M3.
Just a personal observation, when I have driven the M2 Competition it is almost indistinguishable in its
acceleration from my DCT M2, the power from the two engines is delivered in a different way to make the
higher output of the M2 Competition not so significant.
Dave Rose
Our mistake there, but we’re glad you enjoyed the article.

If you’ve got a point to make, a view to express or a burning, BMW-related bee in your bonnet, then we’d love to hear from you.
Email us at: bmwcar.ed@kelsey.co.uk, contact us via social media or write to:
BMW Car, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL

AUGUST 2020 31
MOTORSPORT MONTH
Motorsport
Month
eSports
Sim Racing
Grows In
Popularity
As virtual racing stands in for
the real deal, BMW racers offer a
guide to the equipment required
to take part in online racing...
The right hardware is essential in sim racing if
you want to compete at the highest level. The
range on offer is huge – from basic equipment
which any amateur gamer can pick up on
the high street, to high-end solutions costing
thousands. 'Sim rig', 'force feedback', 'direct
drive' and 'widescreen' are meaningful terms to
those involved in the sim racing world – they
are just some of the hardware components
used. A high-end kit consists of a solid and
stable metal frame, in which the racing seat is
integrated – the 'rig'. As a rule, a rig like this also
includes a screen – preferably a high-resolution
widescreen affair. A steering wheel and a set of
pedals are also obligatory.
BMW works driver Philipp Eng regularly takes
to the track in virtual BMW race cars, like the
BMW M8 GTE in the IMSA iRacing Pro Series
and the BMW Z4 GT3 in the Digital Nürburgring
Endurance Series powered by VCO:
“A stable rig that does not wobble is
important. I also attach great importance to
ensuring that the seat position is as close as
32 BMWcar
possible to what it would be in a real race car,”
said Eng. “However, the most important thing
for me is a good steering wheel motor. In a
static simulator, the steering wheel is the only
connection I have with the track. Only through
the force feedback am I able to feel how the
car moves – not through my whole body, as I
can in reality. Another thing that helps is the so-
called direct drive, with which the virtual steering
column leads directly into the engine, just like in
a real race car. That results in the steering wheel
reacting far more directly.”
Top sim racers Laurin Heinrich and Alexander
Voß won the virtual Nordschleife 24-hour race
alongside Eng. Voß said: “In my opinion, it is
worth spending more than half your budget on
a good rig and good pedals if you are looking to
get top equipment.”  in sim racing with a manageable budget from
All three sim racers have a 49-inch
widescreen monitors with 144 hertz refresh
rates. “A monitor with a fast reaction time is
valuable as it gives you a very realistic feeling
of speed and is easier on your eyes,” Heinrich
explained. Eng does not feel that the three
screen system – often seen on the sim racing
scene – is essential. “I don’t look through the
side window in a real race car," he laughs.
One man currently showing that it is not
necessary to splash-out a five-figure sum for
the race simulator and all the accessories is
Walkenhorst Motorsport driver Christian Krognes.
“I basically sit at a normal table, on a normal
chair." His pedals are attached to a box under
the table and there is no metal rig holding the
whole construction together. That does cause
the odd issue. “If I brake too hard, I sometimes
slide backwards on my stool,” smiled Krognes. 
“You are not automatically half a second
faster, just because you have invested several
thousands in a good simulator," concurs Voß.
Only when it comes to squeezing out the final
few tenths of a second is that easier with good
equipment we understand.
That's good news for amateur racers. You
can get hold of hardware to be competitive
just a few hundred pounds, equipment for
consoles, such as Playstation and Xbox, from
Logitech or Thrustmaster is a good starting
point and available from UK high street stores.
Fanatec is widely regarded as the next step
up the equipment ladder, with entry-level
setups starting at approximately £500. Full rig
setups typically cost around £5,000, offered
by a number of UK specialists who can tailor
equipment to your specific needs.
 READ YOUR FAVOURITE MAGAZINE
ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD...

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ISSUE ONLY
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FIRST DRIVES
’ve been driving a 5 Series courtesy of

I BMW dealer Marshall in Scunthorpe. It’s

very nice as well. Check out the BMW
price lists – as if anyone ever actually
buys a car outright now – and you’ll see
that a 5 Series doesn’t cost a lot more
than a 3 Series. At £37,640 versus around
£34,000 for a 320i (specced with leather
and a couple of equalising options), and
that’s before you start talking discounts. It is
so much more car for the money.
Now, I’ve driven the current 320i and I
think it’s very, very good. It does everything
well, as you would expect, and you know
how good that is. It’s usefully quick, quiet,
it’s well put together, it handles and rides
brilliantly, is superbly detailed but would you
covet one? No. The 5 Series is the BMW to
buy, the current G30 being a very attractive
thing, combining sobriety with that certain
something that elevates it – there’s nothing

G30 520i
We test drive the G30 520i M Sport, maybe not every 5 Series
enthusiast’s first choice of model, but perhaps it should be?
Words & Photography: Andrew Everett
common about it. 
The 520i you see here – yes, petrol –
is the informed choice. The model goes
back the genesis of 5 Series in 1972,
the mid-range BMW is now in its seventh
generation and started off as a fuel-injection
counterpart to the 520, sharing much of
the same four-cylinder engine and body
style that made it instantly recognisable as a
BMW. Sharp suited, big glass area, built far
better than a Ford and more expensive than

34 BMWcar

the Jaguar 4.2 XJ6.
The previous F10 520i sold in small
numbers – BMW didn’t seem very interested
in promoting it in my view. That had a
turbocharged 2-litre four-cylinder engine just
like this one, but of the old N20 design, the
final hurrah of the N Series generation that
started life in 2001 powering a 318i. The G30
though has the new B48 motor, an all-new
‘chain at back’ unit that appears to be made
on the same machinery as the rather excellent
B47 2-litre diesel that replaced the troubled
N47 around 2014. BMW now appears to
have vanquished the timing chain bogey after
a lot of hair tearing. The B48’s stats make
interesting reading; with an 82mm bore but an
unusually long 94.6mm stroke to give 1998cc,
the B48 employs a high (for a turbo) 11:1
compression to deliver 184hp at 5000rpm
and a very solid 214lb ft of torque at 3000rpm
with a big chunk of that arriving at little more
than 1500rpm.
The car you see here is an M Sport, the
seemingly default trim level these days. On
paper performance of 7.8-seconds to 62mph
is backed up on the road with decent low
and mid range shove, whilst its incredible
refinement at motorway speeds is aided by
the same 0.24 drag coefficient that also helps
it achieve 145mph yet return a very achievable
40mpg – more on a run. This is progress, in
real terms it’s doing what the F10 520d did
ten years ago without the early morning derv
chorus. Downsides? The B48 may be all-new,
but as a two-litre four-cylinder it can definitely
be heard under acceleration and it’s not the
most inspiring sound. The cultured hum of
the six-cylinder has now gone but so has the
misery of 23mpg around the houses. The 520i
now gets the eight speed automatic – the best
automatic ever made – giving it a true 70mph
cruise at a little over 1600rpm. That means
that at a steady 70mph you can hold the OBC
button in and reveal a cruising mpg that starts
at 36mpg but quickly nudges up to low to mid
forties. Lower your speed to 60, and the OBC
is telling you that your 520i is doing well over
50-miles per gallon. Real or false? There’s only
one way to find out and that’s a proper brim to
brim fill test.
Standard equipment is of course generous,
as it was with the old F10 - leather, automatic,
heated front seats, Professional nav/multi
media, PDC front and rear plus LED headlights
– the M Sport adds 18-inch alloys plus the
usual suspension, trim and exterior differences
and that adds up to £40,600 as a baseline
price – whether that’s worth the extra only
you can decide but the £3,000 spend may
well be recouped at resale time. However, we
must now say goodbye to the existing circular
instruments, replaced by the current 1 and
3 Series dash display. Maybe you like that,
maybe you don’t.  520i M Sport: www.marshall.co.uk
FIRST DRIVES
The 520i rarely feels its weight and rewards
an interested pilot with immediate turn in,
impeccable body control and more grip than
you will ever use – that applies to the SE
that handles every bit as well yet lacks the M
Sport’s sharpness over poor roads. By that I
don’t mean that it rides as badly as an E60 on
run-flats did but it can feel a tad busy – on any
other surface it’s just fine. 
Overall? The 520i is a superb car and
the G30 one of my favourites. Such is its
astonishing refinement and all round ability,
the 5 Series makes anything bigger and more
expensive largely superfluous, that includes
the 7 Series unless you really do need the
room. Handling was said to have taken a turn
in the wrong direction with the previous F10
(I don’t agree) but there is little doubt that this
one is even better. The 520i engine option is
surprisingly good, as anyone who has taken
the trouble to sample it will attest. It’s not
rocket ship fast but it’s smooth, generally quiet
and certainly quick enough with surprising
economy. The M Sport ride is good for what it
is but for absolute comfort, I’d be taking a base
SE model with minimal options and a good
dark metallic. For around £35,000 you cannot
do better l
THANKS
Marshall of Scunthorpe for the loan of this
AUGUST 2020 35
£15K BUYS
£15K
BMW BUYS
Market expert Guy Baker recommends five of the best – very different –
used BMWs at a £15,000 price point... Words: Guy Baker Photography: Various
fter the body-blow of two months of
A lockdown, the UK’s used car market is
starting to make its first tentative steps
toward recovery. And if you spend a little
time scanning the classifieds then you soon
realise that you can now buy a little more
BMW for your buck than you could before
the coronavirus struck. You must follow the
very latest Government safety advice of
course, but you can at least now start to look
in earnest for your next BMW.
Reputable dealers will ensure keys
Sports Coupé:
F22 218i M Sport Coupé
Not everyone wants their Coupé to be a fire-breathing track
monster – the good-looking 218i M Sport is frugal, too...
Stylish, happy to rev and super-efficient, the
F22 218i M Sport handles well and is well
kitted-out. Seen by some as an Audi TT rival,
it replaced BMW’s 1 Series Coupé and shares
styling cues with the desirable 4 Series Coupé.
With a commendable blend of ride and
handling, the three-pot 218i is the entry-level
F22 Coupé, but what it lacks in capacity it more
than makes up for in attitude – with the feisty
turbocharged motor happy to rev freely. The M
Sport accoutrements ensure that the steering
and handling don’t disappoint, either.
However, many first owners choose the
218i because it’s a petrol model that can better
50mpg – and not many rivals can claim that.
36 BMWcar
OUR PICKS
and anything else you might touch are
disinfected, whilst delivery and collection
drivers can wear gloves and other protective
clothing. And, if you’re prepared to buy a
BMW remotely, then most dealers are happy
to send you a video with a virtual walk-
round of any car and can communicate via
FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp, text and email.
We’ve selected five of the best £15,000
BMWs available right now – just make sure
you follow our buying advice to ensure you
buy the best example possible.
M Sport models come with the usual 10mm-
lowered M Sport Suspension, 18-inch M Sport
lightweight alloy wheels in double-spoke design,
M aerodynamic body styling and high-gloss
Shadowline exterior trim – with desirable Estoril
Blue metallic paint one of the options available.
Being a relatively recent model most have
covered low mileages, like the 32,000-mile
2017 66-plate manual M Sport example
we spotted at Cartime in Rochdale (cartime.
co.uk). Advertised for £14,500 it came with
18-inch alloys, air-conditioning, auto lights and
wipers, Bluetooth, DAB radio, heated mirrors
and a multi-function steering wheel, as well as
rear parking sensors, satellite navigation, Black
F22 218i
M Sport
Coupé
(2015-2020)
E60 M5
Saloon
(2005-2010)
F31 330d
M Sport
Touring
(2012-2019)
E46 M3
Convertible
(2000-2006)
E71 X6 30d
xDrive
SUV
(2008-2014)
Buying Advice:
This model seems to be one of the most
reliable BMWs on the road, but it is vital
that you buy a well-tended car in the
first place. A few owners have reported
problems with damaged radiators, BMW
apparently fitted protective radiator guards
to later cars built from Jan 2018 onwards.
A small number of cars have needed a
dealer ECU remap come service time, and
there are unconfirmed (rare) reports of
timing chain issues, a handful of owners
have also reported failed window regulators
and juddering clutches.
The Facts:
F22 218i M Sport Coupé
ENGINE: 1499cc 3-cylinder turbo
POWER: 134hp at 4500-6000rpm
TORQUE: 162lb ft at 1250rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual/automatic
0-62MPH: 8.8-seconds
TOP SPEED: 130mph
Fuel consumption (combined): 55.4mpg
£15k buys: 30,000-mile 2017 218i
leather upholstery and Xenon headlights.
There seem to be quite a few examples
for sale at the moment so you can afford to
be picky. We’d recommend you stick to mint
examples with a full BMW service history, an
extendable BMW warranty and a BMW service
pack are a bonus if at all possible.

Sports Saloon:
E60 M5
An incredible F1-derived engine with breathtaking performance,
the E60 is now an affordable M5 – but maintenance costs are high!
At the time it seemed a bit surreal – and fifteen
years on it still does. A manufacturer launching
a V10-powered petrol family saloon car is
something we will never see again – and if you
want to enjoy owning this future classic before
dwindling supply of good examples pushes
prices through the roof, now is your chance.
With a 4999cc V10 40-valve engine and
a seven-speed sequential manual gear box –
inspired by the BMW Sauber F1 program – the
most extreme M5 delivers 507hp at 7750rpm
– and with launch control hits 62mph from
standstill in just 4.7-seconds. Capable of
200mph when de-limited, power delivery is
peakier than a more traditional V8’s but the
top-end performance is savage.
A total of 1778 saloons and estates were
sold in the UK, and although the SMG III
single-clutch seven-speed sequential manual
transmission isn’t universally popular, the
space-age specification also includes the
aforementioned launch control, a power
button with different power limits, bespoke
suspension, unique body panels, a colour
heads-up display, 19-inch alloys and quad
exhaust pipes.
Given the epic spec you might be surprised
to discover that E60 prices are currently pretty
£15K BUYS
Buying Advice:
Some cars have suffered conrod bearing
shell wear or even failure – and a
replacement BMW engine could cost
nearly as much as the car, although you
can get new bearings fitted for around
£1000 plus labour as a precaution. Budget
for a reground crankshaft as this point too
however, and the engine should last for a
very long time. Worried buyers should get
quotes and certainly factor these issues
into any negotiation.
A rattling sound on start-up suggests the
timing-chain could be wearing and some
cars have suffered SMG pump failure. Worn
release bearings and guide bushes can
cause judder, which is often be mistaken
for a worn clutch. A new aftermarket
clutch will set you back around £900 plus
fitting, and watch out for diff oil leaks,
perished front control arm bushes and any
misbehaving electrical items.
The Facts:
E60 M5
ENGINE: 4999cc V10
POWER: 507hp at 7750rpm
TORQUE: 383lb ft at 6100rpm
TRANSMISSION: 7-speed SMG
0-62MPH: 4.4-seconds
TOP SPEED: 155mph limited
Fuel consumption (combined): 19.1mpg
£15k buys: 70,000-mile 2005 M5
low, but this V10 M5 is the one that’s likely
to appreciate the quickest in the longer term
– partly because the E60 was relatively short-
lived with production ending in 2010.
Perhaps because of the cars’ gluttonous
taste for fuel most examples have covered
relatively low mileages, with this 69,186-
mile Blue 2005 example fairly typical. For
sale at Irvine Vehicle Sales in Somerset
(irvinevehiclesales.co.uk) it was priced at
£14,495 and had seen just three owners.
With a full service history – showing the
all-important initial running-in service – it
appeared to be in excellent condition.
AUGUST 2020 37
£15K BUYS
Sports Estate:
F31 330d M Sport
Touring
One of the best smaller family estates you can buy,
just make sure yours packs a full service history...
As a fast family car that really can do it all, the
F31 330d M Sport Touring is hard to beat.
High-speed blasts, school runs, trips to the
local tip and family holidays abroad are all
accomplished with aplomb, and for a diesel
estate the F31 provides surprisingly entertaining
handling and impressive performance.
Many were sold as fleet cars, so there is a
plentiful supply of well-maintained examples
from which you can choose – from main
dealer forecourts to used car supermarkets. The
2993cc six-pot turbodiesel is good for 255hp
from the factory and produces a hefty 413lb
38 BMWcar
ft from just 2000rpm – making overtaking a
treat. A six-speed auto transmission suits the
car well and with a 5.6-second 0-62mph time
you might be shocked to discover that the F31
330d can also top 50mpg on a longer journey.
Needless to say, as a diesel estate car
there are a few that have been used and
abused, so make sure you stick to immaculate
examples with pristine provenance and only
a few owners. We like the look of this 2013
63-plater, found at Yorkshire Vehicle Solutions
(yorkshirevehiclesolutions.co.uk). With 48,200-
miles and finished in Glacier Silver Metallic
Buying Advice:
Like many diesels, the 330d isn’t immune
from DPF and EGR-related issues. The
DPF is designed to operate at its best on
longer journeys, rather than short stop-
start trips, if the DPF does need changing
it could cost you £2000 or so to get a
new one fitted. The EGR valve can fail too,
with frequent short journeys seemingly
exacerbating the problem. Fitting a
replacement could set you back another
£500 so be aware.
Only consider cars with a full BMW
service history and look out for leaking air
and turbo hoses – which can cause rough
running – damaged alloys, any signs of
accident damage and badly worn interiors.
If the boot trim seems excessively worn
and there’s a tow bar fitted the car’s led a
hard life – walk away.
The Facts:
F31 330d M Sport Touring
ENGINE: 2993cc 6cyl 0
POWER: 255hp at 4000rpm
TORQUE: 413b ft at 2000rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic
0-62MPH: 5.6-seconds
TOP SPEED: 155mph (limited)
Fuel consumption (combined): 55.4 mpg
£15k buys: 48,000-mile 2013 330d M Sport Touring
with full black Dakota leather, it was for sale
priced at £14,995.
Boasting a full BMW main dealer service
history, the comprehensive spec includes
satellite navigation, front and rear PDC with
rear view camera, Bluetooth connectivity with
media streaming, heated front sports seats,
18-inch M Sport alloys, M sports suspension,
DAB digital radio, dual zone climate control
with air conditioning, the M aerodynamics
package and sun protection glass. We reckon
an offer of £14,000 might be worth a try but
either way this is a peach.
 £15K BUYS
Convertible: Buying Advice:
Look out for any signs of rust in the floor or

E46 M3 rear subframe. Repairs can be expensive,

and the rear axle carrier panel is a weak
point – with any cracks, however minor,

Convertible requiring comprehensive and expensive

rectification. Be warned.
SMG pumps can play up and are
expensive to fix, whilst the engine can
An affordable, rev-happy M3 with great handling and suffer from a number of potential issues
and needs to be scrupulously maintained.
wind-in-your-hair potential. What’s not to like? These include rattling from the VANOS
system, head-gasket failure and conrod
bearing failure.
Worn forged-aluminium lower
wishbones suffer wear with time and,
whilst expensive in terms of the labour,
fitting new suspension bushes all round
can transform the car. Other reported
issues include worn leather and other trim,
damp ingress which can badly damage the
electrics and tired soft tops.

The Facts:
E46 M3 Convertible
ENGINE: 3246cc 6-cylinder
POWER: 338hp at 7900rpm
TORQUE: 269lb ft at 4900rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual
0-62MPH: 5.5-seconds
TOP SPEED: 155mph
Fuel consumption (combined): 23.3mpg
£15k buys: 60,000-mile 2002 M3 Convertible

The drop-top version of the last ‘proper’ M3
is a delight to own and claims an impressive
chassis and superb performance – yet it
retains an up-market feel. It looks dramatic
too, with flared arches, bonnet bulge, front air
intakes and a four-pipe M Sport exhaust.
The E46’s 3246cc six-cylinder motor
produces 338hp at 7900rpm, with BMW’s
double VANOS valve-timing enabling the
Convertible to hit 62mph in just 5.5-seconds
– whilst top speed is limited to 155mph.
We wouldn’t suggest you test this with the
roof down, but there’s no denying that the
six-speed manual E46 Cab offers impressive
acceleration at lower revs in the higher gears.
There was also a more controversial
clutch-less SMG transmission with steering-
wheel paddles, but we prefer the manual
– which needs to be revved to release the
M3’s addictive metallic six-pot howl. Despite
impressive steering and handling, the E46’s
premium cabin and sensible ride quality means
you can still cruise happily when you want to.
Right now there are loads of E46 M3s
advertised for sale, most at attractive prices
with Cabriolets fetching a small premium
over equivalent Coupés – manual cars are
understandably in higher demand than SMGs.
Good, low-mileage examples in particular will
appreciate, like the 60,988-mile Steel Grey
Metallic 2002/02 you see here – we found
it at Parkway Specialist Cars in Mansfield
(parkwayspecialistcars.co.uk).
With a full dealer service history, Imola
Red leather sports seats and a colour-coded
hard top, its impressive specification includes
diamond-polished 19-inch alloys, electric front
memory seats, Professional satellite navigation
system, TV function, a Harmon Kardon Hi-Fi
sound system with a CD changer, Xenon
headlights and PDC. This £14,995 example
comes with all the original handbooks and a
host of old receipts and invoices. A potential
future classic, an E46 M3 Convertible makes
quite a bit of sense at the moment.

AUGUST 2020 39
£15K BUYS
SUV:
E71 X6 30d
xDrive
A Marmite car but one that is fun to drive with a tunable
diesel engine, and a pretty low price tag...
If you fancy an SUV with a bit more glamour,
and aren’t overly worried about maximising
capacity, then the E71 X6 30d could be
the ideal BMW for you. Spacious (although
nowhere near as much so as the X5) and
quick, it’s not a traditional motorway muncher
– so many cars possess relatively low mileages
and tend to have been well looked after.
Most examples come laden with optional
extras, courtesy of wealthy first owners, so you
won’t feel short-changed in terms of kit. But be
prepared to be noticed, even in 30d trim the
X6’s styling isn’t ideal for the shy and retiring.
40 BMWcar
The performance here is good enough to
get you out of trouble – with a solid 398lb ft of
torque from just 1750rpm providing adequate
acceleration in all gears.
The fuel economy is reasonable too,
especially considering the car’s mass – with
35mpg possible on motorways. And the
eight-speed auto, plus four-wheel drive, keeps
everything under control even at speed on
winding B-roads.
You can find some low-mileage examples
for sale, but they tend to sell for closer to
£20,000. However cars with average mileage
Buying Advice:
The X6 is loaded with tech, all of which
need to be checked carefully to ensure it
works properly – don’t be rushed. Some
electrical faults can prove problematic and
expensive to fix. Some have ventured off
the black stuff so do check for any signs
of off-road damage. There was a recall for
remedial work to the EGR cooler.
Water pumps have been known to
fail and watch out for stress cracks in the
windscreen and any indication of rear
suspension failures. Larger M Sport alloys
are easily kerbed and check for any signs of
more serious pothole damage.
The Facts:
E71 X6 30d xDrive
ENGINE: 2993cc 6-cylinder turbodiesel
POWER: 242hp at 4000rpm
TORQUE: 398lb ft at 1750-3000rpm
TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic
0-62MPH: 7.5-seconds
TOP SPEED: 138mph
Fuel consumption (combined): 38.2mpg
£15k buys: 90,000-mile 2012 X6 30d xDrive
– like this 2012 99,000-miler we spotted at
Mylson of Manchester (mylson.com) are under
£15,000. And if they come with a full service
history, 12-months MoT and a warranty, like
this Deep Sea Blue example, then you should
have little to fear.
The spec on this car is fantastic, with the
Comfort Pack, reversing camera, heated seats,
20-inch style 297 alloy wheels and contrasting
cream leather upholstery all part of the
attractive package. Stickered at fourteen grand
we’d recommend an opening offer of around
£13,200. Why not?
Sales: +44(0)208 348 5151 (Out of hours: +44 (0)7522 911911) 82-92 Great North Road, London N2 0NL

BMW M3 (E46) Coupe (S54), 2003 BMW Z8 Roadster, 2001

38,700 Miles 10,500 Miles
Phoenix Yellow metallic with Kiwi hide, Six-speed manual, Titanium Silver with black-red Nappa leather, Six-speed
electric sunroof, Harmon Kardon, 19” alloys, immaculate manual, Alpina suspension upgrade, hard top and accessories

BMW M5 (E60), 2005 BMW M5 (E60), 2005

8,850 Miles 14,050 Miles
Interlagos Blue Metallic with Silverstone Merino Leather Sapphire Black Metallic with black Merino Leather
Electric glass sunroof, heads-up display, rear and side Heated rear seats, Electric glass sunroof, and much more
blinds, nav, professional Hi-Fi

BMW M635CSi (E24), 1985 BMW X6 M50d (E71), 2014

53,100 Miles 28,900
Alpine White with black leather Alpine White with Black Nevada Leather , 8-speed automatic,
Manual, air-conditioning, sunroof black flywheel, 3rd rear seat, media package, reversing
camera, 20” M double-alloys

For further details please see

www.hexagonclassics.com
Service enquiries: serviceinfo@hexagonclassics.com Service: +44 (0)208 815 0867

SALES • SERVICE • RESTORATION

BMW Specialist in sales and service since 1967
MARKET WATCH
Market
Watch
E60 530d
Saloon
Spacious, inexpensive, economical, quick and classy, BMW’s
E60 530d Saloon is a jack of all trades – but make sure you buy
a good example with no issues... Words: Guy Baker Photography: Various
t might not be the sexiest 5 Series, but the
I E60 530d Saloon in M Sport trim makes
a great all-rounder – as long as you buy a
well-maintained example. Roomy, affordable
and frugal, it’s also feisty, comfortable and
easily tuned.
Built between 2003 and 2010, the 530d
is now two generations old, yet it still boasts
attractive styling and can top-out at over
150mph. It’s also well equipped – the standard
iDrive system comes with a 6.5-inch LCD
42 BMWcar
screen, Bluetooth audio for phone calls and
voice control, whilst optional features included
an 8-inch LCD screen, satellite navigation and
a DVD player – as well as BMW Assist, active
cruise control, Bi-Xenon headlights, Dynamic
Stability Control, adaptive headlights and
Nightvision. Fortunately, many first owners
choose quite a few options.
Not quite as quick as the twin turbo 535d,
the single-turbo 530d still packs a 215hp
punch in 2003 trim, which rose to 228hp in
2005 and 232hp by the time of BMW’s 2007
E60 facelift. And there’s always ample torque
on tap, with the earlier cars claiming 369lb ft
from 2000rpm, or just 1750rpm for the later
2007-2010 model. Respective top speeds are
151mph and 154mph, whilst the combined
fuel economy on the later model rose from
36.2mpg to 42.8mpg.
Both six-speed autos hit 62mph in around
7.0 seconds and this diesel engine possesses
a surprisingly appealing muted straight-six howl
under heavy throttle. With virtually no turbo
lag – acceleration is instant whenever you need
it. And the 530d’s engine is extremely quiet
and refined for a diesel, both around town and
when cruising at speed. If you really need a
bit of extra power then a simple £500 remap

will take your 530d into 535d territory – with
around 275hp and 428lb ft of torque.
BMW’s September 2007 facelift brought
relative minor exterior styling changes, plus
revised headlights, tail-lights and a new front
bumper. The interior however, was significantly
revised – with a variety of new electronic
features, including a revised iDrive system,
optional head-up display, active cruise control,
active steering, adaptive headlights, night vision,
lane departure warning and voice control.
Production finally ended in 2010 when the F10
5 Series replaced the E60.
With plenty of good examples around you
won’t have a problem finding a suitable car, or
gleaning a sensible discount. But make sure it
comes with no obvious issues – and a small
number of previous owners. Always buy the
best example your budget will allow and give
any 530d with a gap in its service history a
wide berth.
M Sport models are most in demand, and
with an M Sport steering wheel, sports seats,
18-inch M Sport alloys, M Sport suspension and
stylish body kit they would have set their first
buyers back as much as £3065 on top of the
basic list price.
You’ll find plenty of really cheap auction
and private examples but nearly all of these
will have some issues that need addressing or
hidden problems, so we’d recommend you
stick to dealer cars with full service histories
– like the Blue facelifted 2008 58-plater we
spotted at Cambridgeshire Motor House in
Peterborough (cambridgeshiremotorhouse.
co.uk). Registered in December 2008 it boasts
a full service history and an impressive spec –
Recent BMW E60 530d Saloon auction prices*
Model Transmission Reg Year Mileage
530d Saloon Auto 2006/06 122,142
530d Saloon Auto 2006/56 113,369
530d Saloon Auto 2007/07 199,390
530d Saloon Auto 2008/57 70,416
530d Saloon Auto 2008/08 138,077
530d Saloon Auto 2009/09 73,069
*Sale prices of good-condition examples sold recently at British Car Auctions
MARKET WATCH
including satellite navigation, parking sensors,
tasty M Sport Spyder alloys, a full leather
interior, heated seats, electric wing mirrors
and windows, Bluetooth, climate control and
cornering headlights. And the mileage is a
staggeringly low 42,000-miles. Perhaps because
of this the asking price is high – we feel £9,850
is a touch over-optimistic.
Fortunately there are plenty of good value
examples around – like the slightly older, Grey
2007 car advertised for just £5,290 at Senator
Car Sales in Bolton (senatorcarsales.co.uk). With
12-months MoT it has covered a more typical
106,000-miles and comes with a pretty similar
specification to the previous 530d – with a
black leather interior, 18-inch M Sport alloys, sat
nav and parking sensors all round.
Hunt around however, and you can find
decent-looking dealer cars for as little as £4000.
A Silver 2005 530d M Sport at RC Woods in
Hounslow (rcwoods.co.uk) boasted just one
owner – and had covered a less-than-average
105k-miles. The spec includes 18-inch M
Sport alloys, heated seats, a sunroof, a six-CD problems can be very expensive to fix. BMW
player, BlueTooth, cruise control, black leather claim automatic cars have ‘sealed-for-life’
upholstery and rear parking sensors. transmissions, but the ATF fluid does need
You’ve probably heard about the well- changing – some gearboxes have failed around
reported swirl flap issues with the M57 engine the 120-150k-mile mark. And watch out for
– and the recommendation from owners is turbo oil leaks, worn bushes, cracked manifolds,
to get these removed (if they haven’t already rusty brake pipes, worn wheel bearings and
been) as they can break and badly damage cracked suspension springs l
the engine. Many owners also change the EGR
thermostat or even get the EGR deleted – so
ask if this has been done. WITH THANKS...
Stick to cars with a complete service James Sohl at Renaissance Classic Cars
history and plenty of supporting paperwork (www.renaissance-classics.co.uk), Grant
– and check all the electrics as some iDrive Darling at James Paul (www.jamespaul.
co.uk), Darkside Developments (www.
darksidedevelopments.co.uk), the
BMW Car retail BMW Car Club of Great Britain (www.
Sale Price price guide bmwcarclubgb.uk), British Car Auctions
£2,175 Poor: Under £3,500 (www.bca.com), Silverstone Auctions
£3,100 Good: £3,500 to £7,500 (www.silverstoneauctions.com), www.
£1,500 Excellent: £7,500+ bimmerforums.co.uk, Redish Motorsport
£4,275 Special editions: None (www.redish-motorsport.com) and Glass’s
£2,350
Guide (www.glassbusiness.co.uk) for help
£6,000
with this feature.
AUGUST 2020 43
FRUA BMWS

The Frua
Connection

Pietro Frua penned some of the most

beautiful shapes adorned by the BMW
roundel – such as this glorious 2800GTS.... 
Words: Bob Harper Photography: BMW Archive

S
ome manufacturers seem to be
intrinsically linked to design houses
– it’s impossible to think about
Ferrari without also pondering
Pininfarina for example – but this
isn’t always the way when it comes to German
manufacturers. In the case of BMW there isn’t
really one particular designer or coachbuilder
that has an overwhelmingly obvious link to
the Bavarian concern. Yes, Michelotti was
responsible for the 700 and also had a hand
in the Neue Klasse – not a bad track record
given those are the two cars that are most
often quoted as having saved the company,
but after that BMW didn’t head to Michelotti’s
door again, instead preferring to utilise the
skills of its own design department. There
were plenty of in house designers of note –
Claus Luthe, Wilhelm Hofmeister, Paul Bracq –
and dare we mention more recent luminaries
such as Chris Bangle who came up with some
wonderful shapes between them.
While production models can sometimes
be toned down versions of the designer’s craft
every now and then we catch a glimpse of
a BMW Concept car that’s utterly gorgeous.
Admittedly there are more designs from ‘the
good old days’ that fall into this category than
those from more recent years – but even
today BMW’s designers manage to pull the cat

The Glas V8 Coupé was penned by Pietro The 1967 BMW-Glas V8 Fastback was one of
Frua and would become known as the Frua’s first attempts to woo BMW with alternative
‘Glaserati’ thanks to its resemblance to some bodywork for one of its cars (Photo: Tom Wood
Maserati designs (Photo: Gavin Farmer) for RM Auctions when the car was sold in 2015)

44 BMWcar
 FRUA BMWS

All main feature photos: Hardy

Mutchler via BMW Group Archive

out of the bag on the odd occasion. But some
of the prettiest, most delicately lined machinery
that have ever worn the BMW roundel were
been penned by Pietro Frua and perhaps none
more so than te glorious 2800GTS. Sadly his
designs for BMW never saw production and
those examples that remain are true one-offs.
However, while Frua might not have had
any of his designs accepted for production
there were still some BMWs that sported the
coveted Creazione Pietro Frua badge. BMW
wasn’t the only German company to be going
through a huge expansion in the early 1960s
as the Glas company also had aspirations
to cash in on the German middle classes’
new found wealth. Like BMW Glas had been
reliant on microcars cars to make money in
the 1950s and while BMW’s Isetta was quirky
Glas’s Goggomobil cars were somewhat more
traditional in appearance.
Glas however wanted to be known as
the producer of more mainstream models
and while his engineers set about creating
machinery to rival more mainstream
manufacturers he went to Pietro Frua to
design their bodywork. It was a successful
collaboration and in 1963 Frua’s designs for
a four-door saloon and a pretty GT hit the
motor shows and entered production. There
was more to come though as Glas relentlessly

The 1600 GT had originally been a Glas design The BMW 2800GTS Coupé on the
but BMW repurposed it with BMW branding Frua stand at the 1969 Frankfurt
along with an M10 four-cylinder engine and semi- motor show (Photo: Geoffrey
trailing arm rear suspension (Photo: Dom Fraser) Goddard via BMW Group Archive)

AUGUST 2020 45
FRUA BMWS
Frua’s BMW 2000ti Coupe from 1968 that
was presented at the Paris motor show
was visually virtually indistinguishable
from a design for Montiverdi (Photo: Pietro
Frua via BMW Group Archive)
Frua’s first foray into the BMW
world set his stall out for a
series of fastback designs...
tried to push his brand further upmarket and
in 1965 the Glas V8 – an elegant large coupé
– also made its debut and was immediately
dubbed the ‘Glaserati’ thanks to its similarity to
contemporary Maserati designs which has also
been penned by Frua.
Sadly, Glas struggled to make money from
its cars – other than the Goggomobil that
soldiered on alongside its more glamorous
bigger brothers – and the company was soon
in financial dire straits. It had grown too fast
and had expanded its product portfolio too
quickly and, by 1966, it was looking for a
buyer to avoid going under. And this is where
BMW entered the picture. It wasn’t so much
the cars that BMW was interested in, but Glas’s
Dingolfing production facility – BMW was
struggling to meet demand at the time and the
attraction of having a new plant less than 100-
46 BMWcar
kilometres from Munich was very attractive.
The deal was done in December 1966 and
Frua’s delicately drawn designs got to wear a
BMW badge. The 1700 four-door saloon was
retooled and packed off to BMW’s Rosslyn
plant in South Africa where it was produced
for local markets as the BMW 1804 and 2004
with BMW powerplants. Meanwhile the V8
coupé was rebadged and sold as the BMW-
Glas 3000 V8 as a stopgap until the arrival of
BMW’s own coupé, the E9 2800CS, in 1968.
Glas’s pretty GT coupé also received a
stay of execution and was initially seen by
BMW as a model that could be successfully
sold alongside the 02 range, but before this
some changes were needed. BMW wasn’t a
fan of Glas’s 1700cc engine so the 1600ti’s
four-cylinder M10 and four-speed manual
‘box were slotted into place while the Glas
The 2002 GT4 dates from 1970 and was
one of Frua’s later attempts to draw BMW
into using his designs (Photo: BMW Press)
live rear axle was ditched in favour of BMW’s
semi-trailing arm set up. Frua was tasked with
making the required metal work changes to
accommodate the BMW kidney grilles and the
02’s rear light clusters.
From Frua’s point of view the demise of
the Glas brand was a frustrating one as one
of its main revenue streams had been cut off,
but it also provided an opportunity to woo
BMW who could potentially be a far bigger
client. BMW was entering a boom period and
Frua was keen to engage with BMW’s top
brass. Frua’s first foray into the BMW world set
his stall out for a series of fastback designs
like the green 2800GTS you can see in the
pictures here.
By this time Frua had already produced
some enticing fastback designs for Maserati
and AC – witness the stylish Maserati 3700
 FRUA BMWS

GT Coupé and the AC 428 – along with

many other design studies and for BMW
he produced a fastback 3000 V8 based
underpinnings from his ‘Glaserati’ model. It
was shown at Frankfurt and Paris in 1967 as
well as at Geneva in 1968 and at Paris again
that year and it was well received with the
editor of the Automobil Revue commenting;
“Pietro Frua has shown some restraint in the
designs for the smaller models, but with the
large, luxurious 3-litre V8, he now lets go of
the reins: low, wide front, deep belt line, lots
of glass on the body and four seats inside as
well as an acceptable trunk.”
While it was certainly an attractive
machine BMW had already signed-off its
own interpretation of what a large BMW
coupé should look like and it wasn’t keen on
the V8 – BMW would rely on the straight-
six for another two decades for its range

AUGUST 2020 47
FRUA BMWS

Pietro Frua working on a scale

model of a prototype Glas
(Photo: Glas Werksfoto via
BMW Group Archive)

topping models. Remarkably this one-off

still survives today. Even though BMW
turned Frua’s design down the Bavarian
concern confirmed it was happy for Frua to
continue to present design studies bearing
BMW badging, so he remained undeterred
and turned his thoughts to the smaller
BMW models. In 1968 a 2000ti Coupé
was presented at the Paris show based
on the Neue Klasse saloon. It was very
similar – possibly even identical (bar the
BMW badging) – to a GT Frua designed for
Monteverdi and was made for an unknown
client. While BMW already had the 02 range
up and running Frua was keen to propose
that his design could be marketed alongside
the 02 as a more sporting option.
It was in 1968 that BMW terminated
Frua’s contract with regard to the 1600 GT
and the BMW Glas 3000 V8 Coupé and
to Frua’s mind a way of making this up
to him would be to commission him for
some new BMW designs. Despite meetings

48 BMWcar
 FRUA BMWS

In 2017 it was finally due for

restoration and has been restored
to its former glory by BMW...

and communications between Frua and
Wilhem Gieschen (BMW’s Board Member for
Production at the time) they couldn’t come to
an agreement and a hand written note from
BMW on a letter from Frua in 1968 tersely
said ‘This is out of the question.’
Undeterred Frua presented another design
for a BMW coupé at the Frankfurt show in
1969, the Frua BMW 2800GTS – the metallic
green machine seen here in the main images.
Frua was still convinced he could tempt BMW
into producing an altogether more svelte
machine than the standard E9 and his vision
did the rounds of the motor shows for several
years, including Paris in 1969 and Geneva and
Barcelona in 1970. Again, the Frua 2800GTS
was well received with the American Sports
Car Graphic magazine commenting; “The
shape may be two years old (it first appeared
at the previous Frankfurt show based on
a Glas 3000 V8), but we still feel that this
Italian coachbuilder’s interpretation of what
a BMW coupé should look like is among
the best. Existence of BMW’s own 2800CS,
however, will almost certainly preclude series
production.” And so it proved.
The 2800GTS was based on the E9 Coupé
and despite contemporary reports mentioning
it featured the dash from an E3 saloon, the
one we see here is definitely from an E9.
Externally the front end was more aggressive
than the BMW offering with a swept back
angle to the front kidney grille and headlights
that were set back from the leading edge of
the bonnet. Perhaps the rear C pillar was a
little bit clumsy and heavy from some angles,
but it followed contemporary BMW design
language by featuring a BMW roundel and the
rear light clusters were from the E3 saloon.
Inside the cockpit was clad in brown leather
that complimented the light metallic green
exterior hue perfectly. Despite the sloping
roof line it was a proper four seater and its
practicality was aided by the large rear hatch.
Even though BMW tested it during 1970 it still
wasn’t deemed suitable for production and
Frua eventually sold the 2800GTS to someone
living in Barcelona in 1971. It remained in
Spain, finding second and third owners in
Valencia, but it seems as if the metallic green
hue wasn’t universally popular and it was
repainted in wine red during the 1980s when
a Webasto-style sunroof was also installed.
It could have been lost forever but when it
came up for sale in 2000 in the Netherlands
it caught the eye of what was then known
as BMW Mobile Tradition. Seeing that it was,
despite the colour change, still remarkably
similar to when it first saw the light of day
it was purchased by BMW and remained
hidden away at Mobile Tradition, or BMW
Classic as it’s now known, for the ensuing 17-
years or so. However, in 2017 it was finally
due for restoration and has been restored
to its former glory by BMW and respected
specialists in Munich.
It was stripped back to its bare bones and
any rust was attended to, although thanks to
spending its life in warm, salt free climes the

AUGUST 2020 49
FRUA BMWS
A tiny sliver of the original paint
was discovered – from this the
original hue was determined
body was in remarkably good condition. The
sunroof was replaced with a proper metal roof
as per the original and a 3.0CSi engine that
had been fitted while the car was in Spain was
replaced with the correct carburetted 2.8-litre
version of the M30.
Getting the correct original colour was a
harder task as the paint code for the Frua light
green metallic had long since disappeared and
when the car had been repainted it had been
a thorough job. Fortunately during disassembly
a tiny sliver of the original paint was discovered
in the hinge of the petrol flap and from this the
original hue was determined.
The finished machine is a wonderful
testament not only to the skills of the restorers,
but also to the essential rightness of Frua’s
original design – if only the new 4 Series
looked this stunning! This 2800GTS wasn’t
the end of the Frua BMW story though. He
went on to produce two further examples for
private clients, although somewhat oddly the
second and third examples were both based
on the longer E3 platform – a 2800 and a
3.0 – that had their chassis shortened to suit
the bodywork. The 2800 is thought to still exist
50 BMWcar
in Spain and the 3.0-litre example is currently
undergoing a restoration in Germany.
Further Frua models were made – there’s a
2002 GT4 that’s also owned by BMW Classic –
and this apes the same styling as the models
that went before it. Even into the mid-1970s
Frua produced further design studies – one
based on a 3.0Si and the other on the new
E12 528i. Both followed the wedge-shaped
theme, but with even more razor-edged styling
to suit the styling direction of their day.
Ultimately Frua’s efforts to secure series
production for one of his designs for BMW
ended in failure, but there can be no doubting
that he was responsible for some of the most
arresting machinery to wear the BMW roundel
during the 1960s and 1970s. That so many of
them are still with us only goes to demonstrate
how highly regarded they were – timeless
design never goes out of fashion it seems ●
THANKS
Stefan Dierkes and his Pietro Frua archive
without which this feature would not have
been possible.
Web: pietro-frua.de
Available 24/7
TABLET • MOBILE
From £2.31
pocketmags.com
shop.kelsey.co.uk/bmc

Clutch Clinic:
E90 318i & 320i
Andrew Everett replaces a clutch and flywheel on the
2005-onwards 3 Series – with help and advice from LuK...
n this issue we’re outlining a clutch and
I flywheel swap on a 2006 E90 320i – the
signs were that the 100,000-mile clutch
didn’t have long left as the clutch was
biting quite high. Remember when clutch
replacement was simple and cheap? Ford
Escorts, Cortinas and even E30s were so easy,
so much that two guys could do it on a ramp
in an hour on those Fords, and for about 50
quid in parts. Modern cars harder to work on,
and the parts can cost a fortune.  compensate for this.  removing the inlet manifold first (on this car
This task is similar on all BMWs with the
N40, N42, N43 and N45/46 engine – the
E46 range, Z4 2.0 and 1 Series models.
Be very careful where you buy a clutch and
flywheel from, experts LuK have found a lot
of dodgy ‘reconditioned’ items on eBay being
passed off as their parts. So, buy from a known
supplier. The pedal on our 3 Series was still
quite light, the clutch wasn’t slipping but there
1 Remove the exhaust system after
struggling with the four downpipe to
manifold nuts – they can rust and round-off
so use a good sharp cold chisel to split them
and order four new nuts from your dealer.
was judder on take-off and that means a new
dual mass flywheel was needed. LuK was
the first manufacturer to use a self adjusting
clutch cover. The LuK system uses a ratchet on
the cover, a disc inside the cover itself. Three
lightly sprung arms gradually ratchet their way
around the clutch cover between the outer
cover and the friction diaphragm so that as the
clutch plate wears and this becomes thinner,
the clutch cover diaphragm moves forward to
BMW first used a dual mass flywheel on
the E32 of 1986. The centre of the flywheel
is sprung with radial movement. This takes the
place of the previous sprung clutch plate that
had springs in the centre and, whilst it provides
a smoother take up, the DMF weighs 12 kilos
and the clutch plate and cover weigh 5.8 kilos.
Compare that to the six kilos that the flywheel
of an E30 weighed and even when the clutch
2 Remove these two 13mm nuts and
bolts and the rubber insulating washers that
secure the exhaust bracket to the bracket on
the gearbox – note which way the rubber
washers fit. Unplug the lambda sensor from
the engine loom as well as the connector for
the reversing light switch.
WORKSHOP WISDOM
weights six or seven-kilos, it’s clear the modern
DMF is a serious weight to lug around.
Clutch replacement on an E87 or E90 is
simple but long-winded and whilst it’s doable
on the ground with tall axle stands, it’s not
easy. The exhaust and prop are easy to
remove whilst the gearbox bell housing bolts
are visible and easy to remove. On some
cars you’ll need to remove the starter motor
first – that’s an annoying task that involves
we didn’t need to). The starter motor bolts to
the engine block and the bolts don’t screw into
the gearbox, you may find the top bolt goes
through the gearbox and into the starter but it’s
easy enough to remove l
THANKS
LuK Ltd
Web: www.schaeffler.com
3 Use a suitable male Torx socket to
undo and remove the bolts that secure
this transmission tunnel reinforcing bracket.
These bolts can be quite rusty so use the
best fitting Torx you have and really hammer
it in before you attempt to undo them.
Early cars use 13mm bolts. 
AUGUST 2020 53
WORKSHOP WISDOM
4 Undo these two bolts that secure the
rear exhaust box to the rest of the system,
or remove the exhaust completely. It’s easy
enough either way but clean up and reseal
the joint if you split the system. The bolts are
rarely rusty and normally come out intact.
7 The heat shields are now removed as
well as the engine under trays. The E90 has
a full length plastic undertray in two sections
that will need to be removed, they are all
secured by 10mm bolts.
10 Disconnect the prop from the
gearbox – the giubo couplings use six
18mm nuts and long bolts, it doesn’t really
matter if you remove the prop with the
coupling attached or leave it on the gearbox
flange. The bolts are torqued to 64Nm.  where there’s just one through pin.
54 BMWcar
5 Whichever way you remove the
exhaust there is this retaining bracket on the
diff (as seen here on E87 and E90 models).
You can either wrestle the rubber hanger
from the steel holding pin (use plenty of
releasing fluid to make it easier) or you can
just undo the single 18mm nut as seen here
and drop the bracket off the differential unit.
8 The prop comes off now and
there are three mounting points – the
differential, centre bearing and front rubber
giubo (pronounced “joo-bow”). Start by
slackening the two 13mm centre bearing
bolts (torqued to 21Nm) but leaving them
in loosely.
11 Now disconnect the gear linkage
from the gearbox, not an easy task –
a sharp flat blade screwdriver is ideal. The
gear change rod is retained by a single clip –
easy. It’s harder on the older five-speed cars
6 The exhaust system can now be
removed from the car – it’s a heavy old thing
and will ideally need two pairs of hands to
refit. Put it somewhere out of the way as
because exhausts are big things to trip over!
9 Now to disconnect the prop from the
diff. On this model with the Type 168 diff
(116i, 118i, 120i, 318i and 320i E90) there
are four Torx E12 bolts. The prop will need
to be prised from the diff with a hammer
and screwdriver but do not cloud the UJ!
12 Here’s a better photo with the
gearbox removed and the pins still fitted -
they have metal clips that sit over the ribs
in the gearbox casing. You can also see the
gear selector rod between the two pins and
gear selector shaft fits into this with a clip,
they’re easily lost so buy a new one.

13 Now unbolt and remove the clutch
slave cylinder from the side of the gearbox,
two 13mm nuts. On these cars, it’s a plastic
bodied unit and thus weighs very little but
tie it up well out of the way with a cable tie
– when the gearbox is being refitted it will
be in your way.
16
With the box out we can examine
the clutch, the original is from 2007 with
over 100,000-miles so it has not done
badly, really. We need to to remove it all but
notice that the three small springs around
the centre of the clutch cover are now fully
extended meaning there is no adjustment
left and the centre plate is worn out.
18 Inside the bellhousing there’s
the usual clutch dust. Wear a mask while
cleaning it out with an airline. The LuK clutch
kit comes with a new operating arm, note
how the steel spring clip fits to keep it in
position. Before fitting the new bearing clean
up the steel guide tube with emery paper.
14 Now we can undo the gearbox
retaining Torx bolts, generally E12 and E14 –
sometimes the side bolts into the block are
the bigger size. Hammer the socket on good
and hard as you really don’t want to be
rounding off one of these, particularly
the top ones.
The original
is from 2007
with over
100,000-miles,
so it has not
done badly...
19 It’s not unknown for the propshaft
front rubber giubo coupling to be cracked
and looking tired but ours is perfect. If fitting
a new one, make a note of the arrows
moulded into the side of the coupling and
align them with either the bolt heads or the
flange as original – if you get it wrong the
coupling will fail again.
WORKSHOP WISDOM
15 With the bell housing bolts out,
take the weight of the gearbox and remove
the four crossmember mounting bolts.
With all bolts out, use a trolley jack or an
assistant to careful slide the box back away
– it’s heavy!
17 We can clean up the box if needed
and replace any faulty oil seals but ours is
nice and clean. A leaky input shaft oil seal
would definitely need replacing however
as it will cause clutch oil contamination.
Replace a leaking gear selector serial as well.
20 Here’s the new LuK clutch, BMW
original factory fit. It’s a four-piece kit with
a new arm – you can buy three piece kits
without the arm but they’re not a lot less.
Beware counterfeit clutches in LuK boxes.
Some of the cheaper aftermarket clutches
are of shocking quality.
AUGUST 2020 55
WORKSHOP WISDOM
21 The clutch release bearing has
two sets of retaining/mounting lugs to give
different heights – do not remove the old
one before you know which is which! This
is so that one release bearing can be used
in various different applications where a
different operating height is required.
24 Here’s our old clutch centre plate,
as you can see it’s down to the rivets. In days
gone by you could buy a centre plate on its
own and get away with reusing the rest of
it provided the fingers weren’t damaged by
the release bearing. Our flywheel and cover
friction surfaces were perfect.
27 To remove the old flywheel  you
will need a good breaker bar as well as a
close fitting T60 Torx driver bit. Unlike a lot
of older BMW flywheels the bolts are very
accessible. They are incredibly difficult to drill
out should you round one out.   of a clutch job down.
56 BMWcar
22 Here is the new release bearing
fitted to the new release arm, showing that
the deeper lugs are used on ours. Both
arm ends are the same so it doesn’t matter
which way it’s fitted. Smear a touch of LM
grease where the bearing pivots.
25 Here we have fitted a Sykes
Pickavant tool to measure the radial play
(freeplay) in our 100,000-mile flywheel
and it’s showing 11mm -  the acceptable
maximum is 16mm. But how much longer
would the flywheel last? Certainly not
another 100,000-miles.  the rock causing new clutches to judder.
28 Here’s our new LuK flywheel. We
considered fitting a new clutch only, and
it may have been okay on what is really a
£1500 car. A new flywheel costs around
£350 so we understand why some garages
might take the risk in order to keep the cost
23 Remove the six 5mm allen clutch
cover bolts. As you undo them, the clutch
cover will start to decompress but that’s
not a problem unless you’re planning on
re-using it. You will need special tools to re-
adjust it but don’t bother, just replace
the whole clutch.
26 The dial gauge also measures
the ‘rock’ in the flywheel’s floating centre
part – it is 3mm, you are allowed 1.6mm
maximum rock, so in other words, it’s scrap.
Many only measure the radial play and not
29 With the flywheel off, examine the
back of the engine and crankshaft rear oil
seal. Ours was bone dry, and the oil found
around the sump gasket is the result of
another oil leak from the cam cover gasket.
Fit a new seal if needed – they’re only £25
from BMW and easy to replace.

30 Do not reuse the old bolts. BMW
state these bolts are to be used once only,
should a bolt fail the amount of damage
from a flailing bolt head will be horrendous,
destroying an expensive flywheel instantly.
33 Fit the new clutch plate with the
special aligning tool – this fits into the spigot
bearing in the end of the crank and into the
centre of the clutch plate perfectly. You used
to use an old gearbox input shaft but the
design of the new clutch plate makes
this impossible.
36 The centre piece is removed
with a Hex tool (from a gearbox/diff drain
plug kit) and is turned anti-clockwise until
it springs out. Hold the flywheel with a big
screwdriver or a breaker bar and a suitable
socket on the front crank pulley bolt.
31 Clean the flywheel of its protective
film and the crank mating surface and fit the
flywheel dry. The bolts are fitted lightly oiled
and torqued to the correct figure of 130Nm
on all N Series four-cylinder engines.
34 The new clutch cover goes on
next. Notice the three green springs are
fully compressed meaning that the adjuster
is fully wound in. The three-legged centre
plate is there to hold the adjustment until it’s
bolted down, then it’s removed.
Flywheel bolts (11227520706) £14.60
Clutch arm pivot (21511223328) £2.80
Gear change clip (25117571899) £1.90
37 The LuK website has a free app
to download onto your smartphone or
computer, here you can find out from the
make and model of car the flywheel
wear tolerances allowed.
WORKSHOP WISDOM
32 This is the plastic clutch fork pivot,
they can sometimes wear down resulting in
a clutch that doesn’t disengage as it should,
biting low. Ours was still perfect but it’s
worth ordering a new one from BMW as
they’re cheap enough. Add a dab of grease
before fitting the arm.
35 The original 5mm allen bolts
torqued to 34Nm (10.9 bolts – ZNS bolts
are 15Nm, then 90-degrees), don’t skimp
here like many do, torque them correctly.
The centralising tool seen in step 14 is still
fitted and will be pulled out after the centre
adjustment disc has been removed.
Parts
Prices:
LuK Dual mass flywheel £350
LuK four piece clutch kit £126
Essential
Tools:
• Breaker bar • Socket set
• Screwdrivers • Torque wrench
• Dial gauge • Two- or four-post lift
• Long reach trolley jack
• Axle stands • Hammer
• Male and female Torx set
AUGUST 2020 57
E24 635CSI

Wreckfest
If BMWs are your livelihood then going racing in one comes naturally,
and what better way than in an ex-works E24 635CSi? Dean How of
Peninsula BM, Australia’s largest BMW dismantler, should know...
Words: Richard Holdsworth Photography: Peter Ellenbogen, Richard Holdsworth

n 1980, the men in BMW’s Motorsport than sprint car and was entered into Australia’s

I Department were setting their eyes on

the changes in the European Touring Car
Championships. Group N and Group A
regulations were to replace Group 2 and
BMW wanted to stay at the top. They reasoned
a race car based on the 635CSi could do
the job. Four cars were built by Werginz
Motorsport in Austria and Werginz made out
the homologation documents for all four cars –
chassis number 635380 was one and destined
to be the car that ultimately made it to Australia
and is now owned by Dean How. It’s the car
you see here.
The car was brought to Australia by
renowned Aussie racer Frank Gardner who,
along with another top Aussie race driver, Alan
Grice, realised the car would do well under
Australian Group C rules. Sponsorship was
obtained from John Player and this led to
the formation of the JPS team – the car was
stripped of its European livery and painted in
the iconic JPS black and gold.
The car was more an endurance racer rather
famous Bathurst 1000 long distance haul
where it secured seventh place in the 1981
James Hardie 1000 with Grice and his co-driver,
Alan Hobbs. The car could have done better –
much better – it spent six laps in a sand trap.
Denny Hulme drove the car in the 1982 event
with Stephen Brock as co-driver but, again, luck
was not on the car’s side as it had a big “off”
and suffered suspension damage.
Then a guy by the name of Michael
McMichael of M&H Motors in Adelaide came
into the picture; he bought the car, raced it
in Malaysia but again the car was damaged.
It came back to Australia where the driveline
was removed for a project car that McMichael
was building. The rest of the car ended up with
Anthony Freeman in Melbourne and lay idle until
2003 when Dean How came on the scene.
Dean takes up the story; “I was in the
office of our company, Peninsula BM, when a
customer told me of a black BMW race car that
he’d seen at a place called Black Rock, he knew
no more than that, not even the full address. I Picture: Peter Ellenbogen

58 BMWcar

Picture: Peter Ellenbogen went up there that evening and wandered the
streets until I located Anthony Freeman and the
car. I offered to buy it but initially he knocked
me back – it was some time before I could
persuade him to sell. The car had no engine, no
gearbox and no brakes – just a rolling shell with
its original wheels, suspension, steering and
cross members. All I had to do was get these
vital parts from McMichael over in Adelaide – it
took ten years!
In the meantime, Dean put a standard
engine in the car and for eight years it was on
static display at the Bathurst race track museum.
“Over the next eight years I kept pressing
Michael and in the end he relented and started
to release parts; throttle, exhaust, rear brakes,
differential, coolers and pumps and most
important of all – the BMW six-cylinder engine.
Then an envelope arrived in my office one day
and it was a “present” from Michael, the car’s
Log Book, the icing on the cake!”
Dean brought the car back from Bathurst
and started fitting the original parts – Heribert
Werginz in Austria proved a great help sending
pictures and diagrams. “All we had to do was
line up the drilled holes in the floor and match
the fittings with these holes. The suspension
and brake components were numbered and
not a single item was missing. And, of course,
we had dismantled similar cars many times and
always had one on the premises to refer to.”
E24 635CSI
Dean also found a great help-mate in “Pip”
Baker in Australia. The car had been built
to comply with Group 2 specification and
Pip Baker was on hand when the car was
converted to Australian Group C regulations.
He also is involved with the JPS BMWs.
Dean says, “If I want to know how JPS does
anything, Pip knows. And he also rebuilt
my engine and is on hand at today’s race
meetings. I couldn’t ask for more.”
But the car was still without its original front
brakes. Michael McMichael had fitted the brakes
to a project car and then sold the project!
Dean made contact with the new owner but
he refused to sell despite Dean offering “good
money including a swap for a near new big
Brembo brake system.” All was not lost, the car
was sold again and two years later and Dean
got a call from the new owner...
The only fitting from the original race car that
was still missing was the gearbox but Dean
was eventually able to get that from Michael
McMichael and they were ready to start some
shake-down events with Pip Baker on hand.
There was one major hitch. “We were testing
on a chassis dyno to get the fuel/air mixtures
correct and the gearbox just locked up. We
found that because the rear wheels were up on
the dyno and the front wheels on the ground,
the gearbox rear main bearing was not in the
oil and seized. So out came the gearbox and
AUGUST 2020 59
E24 635CSI
Left to right: The 635CSi comes to grief at Bathurst, 1982 – driven by Denny Hulme and Stephen Brock. In the sand at the 1981 Bathurst 1000. Dean at Peninsula BM...
contact was made again with Heribert Werginz
in Austria and a spend of $5000 (AUD) saw us
get the box back in the car.”
The first season for Dean and the 635CSi was
about getting the feel of the car on the track and
its abilities. “I had been racing a Group C Holden
Torana L34 for 15-years and the BMW was a
real eye opener. First, it’s left-hand-drive and
actually turns corners and brakes in a straight
line. The car is reliable and we finished every
race in the 2018 season, our first with the BMW,
and we got a couple of trophies on the way.”
With confidence building, Dean started to
push the car but that had its problems. “Clearly
it is a faster car than I could happily handle. At
one race meeting we were in the same garage
as Jim Richards in the sister Group C 635 and
he allowed me to follow him and I was going
to try and learn his lines. But I soon found that
he is a better driver than I will ever be and his
knowledge of the car’s ability far exceeds mine.”
Notwithstanding this, Dean finished every
Eastern Creek raceway, Historic Race
Car weekend, March 2019. Dean and the
635CSi came across the line in second...
60 BMWcar
race and ended the season in third outright
and second in class 3.5-litre and over. And at
the time of writing and with the 2020 season
about to get under way, Dean has high hopes.
We’ll let him sum up what it is like owning and
racing this wonderful 635CSi:
“We go out and we race and show
spectators who haven’t seen the sport before
what it was like in its golden age and we’re
preserving the history and the passion. I believe
that we’re just custodians and we’re only going
to own the car for a short time – it will go on
to live its life and continue racing one day with
new custodians. Until then, I am enjoying every
moment in this iconic BMW.”
AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST BMW BREAKERS
Peninsula BM has more cars waiting to give up
their parts and more parts on shelves waiting
to be delivered than anywhere we’ve seen.
And if size doesn’t count, then Australia’s dry
climate means many BMW parts that would be
corroded on European roads are as good as
new from an Aussie car.
Proprietor, Dean, has regular customers on
his books from the States and Europe, even
the home of BMW – Germany. While we were
being shown over this vast enterprise, parts
were being shipped to all four corners of the
globe and Dean was on the phone explaining
what was needed for a 7 Series electronic wing
mirror and the call ended with the words, “We
have that part – will be shipped today…” Dean
smiled, “Another happy customer…”
Dean’s parents, Jan and step dad Tony
Morphett, were operating a panel repair shop
by the name of BDS Panels while Dean’s
father, Bob How, was a local Jaguar specialist
service centre. So, Dean grew up around the
motor trade and was soon managing Jagdaim
Automotive in Moorabbin. To add to the family’s
association in the trade, Dean’s brother, Alan,
was working with Bob in the Jaguar service
centre. At the time there was only one large
 E24 635CSI

“We show spectators what it

was like in the golden age – Hulme and Brock drove
we’re preserving history...” at Bathurst in 1982.

AUGUST 2020 61
E24 635CSI
BMW car wreckers in Melbourne. Tony and
Jan at BDS Panels felt the lack of competition
meant one thing – high prices! They suggested
there was an opening there for the two
brothers. And as there was a general motor
wrecker on the land next door to the BDS
Panels – and Tony owned that land – it didn’t
take a genius to work out that Dean and Alan
would soon come to an amicable agreement
with the incumbent and have their own
company name nailed on the fence outside the
property – Peninsula BM. The year was 1993.
The new BMW second-hand parts supply
62 BMWcar
The 635CSi saw racing
success in Europe in the
1980s, today Dean How uses
it to compete at Australia’s
finest racetracks ...
business was run by Dean and his brother,
Alan, but Dean took a sabbatical for a short
period working for a friend running a SAAB and
Volvo wholesale business but in 2000 Alan
wanted to sell out and Dean took over the
running of the business, building it up to its
present position as the largest BMW specialist
dismantler in Australia. Dean bought the land
behind the site (it was owned by a farmer and
was occupied by a herd of milking cows!), put
in gravel roads, expanded customer parking
and gradually added a further 400 BMW cars
from around the country. The company was
growing a-pace to such an extent it was getting
out of hand. Dean brought in a business
adviser by the name of Garry Webb and
employed “a wizard” manager, Russell Williams,
while Dean’s son, Daniel joined the company
when Russell retired.
“Daniel is a chip off the old block,” Dean tells
us, “he has the essential attention to customer
priorities and is the future of the business.”
This is a real family affair, Dean’s partner,
Natalie, has brought her knowledge and skills
with computers into the operation and runs
the online side, keeping a track on stock levels,
checking prices (competitors in new BMW
parts, in Oz and abroad, and comparing them
with BMW’s list prices) and she is responsible,
along with Daniel, in setting their own prices.
Natalie is also working with Daniel and
responsible for maintaining the website and
keeping it up to date. When we were being
shown around, Natalie was arranging small
BMW parts in a photo booth and recording
them for their online catalogue, a relatively
recent addition to the customer facility, but one
which is proving a great success.
“If you don’t show potential customers what

they are buying – they won’t buy! Dean says.
But a car “wrecker” can only succeed if
he attracts cars to dismantle and provide the
source of parts for his customers. The source
is divided between drivers who have been
unfortunate enough to suffer an accident that
results in the car being a write-off or the car
suffers a major mechanical failure that makes
it uneconomic to repair. Most result in a claim
with their insurance company and Dean How
has spent time making sure his company’s
name is on the insurer’s lips when a call comes
in. “It is the same with panel shops and service
workshops,” Dean tells us. “I made sure from
the very start the name Peninsula BM was
emblazoned on the office walls so the operator
didn’t have to go searching for the name of a
good second-hand parts supplier.” We point out
that this is only the start. He assures us, “Yes, it
has to be balanced with a rapid response and
sensible prices…”
In the early days, Yellow Pages Australia was
used extensively – to the tune of $40,000
(AUD) a year – but when the Internet arrived,
Dean made sure Peninsular BM was high
profile there too and he says that pages such as
Facebook have been invaluable. If a car is not
subject to a third-party claim, the insurer passes
it through a public auction as it may fetch more
than a car wrecker will pay out. Dean says,
“This works well for cars up to 10- to 15-years
old because we at Peninsula don’t find a huge
demand for parts on late model cars, as they
are generally under manufacturer’s warranty and
we don’t necessarily pay as much as a private
buyer might. We are known for being specialists
on early model BMW’s and that’s where we
come into our own, not many people, if any,
can match the prices we pay...”
 Once the car arrives at Peninsula BM, it is
assessed. Then the customer is paid and the
car becomes part of the Peninsula BM system.
The car is photographed and displayed on
the website and Facebook with basic sales
comments, such as, ‘This car came in with
a blown-engine but all panels rust free and
straight’. It provides an idea of condition.
The car is documented and a job card
attached to the windscreen; if the car is
roadworthy, a staff member takes it for a test
drive to make sure the engine, drive-line,
suspension, brakes, etc, are satisfactory. The test
E24 635CSI
job card is amended accordingly. The car is then
plugged into a BMW diagnostic tool to check
and clear any stored fault codes. “It also enables
us to check which parts operate on the car and
which don’t – from the sunroof to the handbrake
– and this is entered onto the job card so that
the good parts go into the Peninsula BM system
under the factory BMW part numbers – along
with their selling price. Only after all this careful
procedure can we sell parts from the car.”
Some 27-years of stock in a four-acre yard
means that Peninsula BM has most parts for
most older BMWs. However, it rarely sells
second-hand parts for models under 10-years
of age outside of Australia. “These parts are
usually available in other countries and we can’t
compete. But when it comes to older stuff, we
are brilliant, going back to 1980 models and
even some 1960 and 1970 model BMWs.
Then we really can’t be beaten.”
There’s no escaping that Dean and the
Peninsula BM team are true enthusiasts... ●
CONTACT
Peninsula BM
Web: peninsulabm.com
Available 24/7
TABLET • MOBILE
From £2.31
pocketmags.com
shop.kelsey.co.uk/bmc
AUGUST 2020 63
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 OUR CARS

Our
In association with

Cars
Welcome to BMW Car magazine’s fleet of Elliott Stiling
vehicles... Here we share the trials and
tribulations – both good and bad – of running
a range of BMWs in the real world...
2003
E46 325Ci Sport
Bob Harper

2006 1976 1983 1989

E61 530i SE Touring E3 3.0L E28 Alpina B9 E30 318i SE

Matt Robinson Andrew Everett Patty Harper Rob Richardson

2007 1988 2014

E61 M5 Touring E32 730i Saloon F25 X3 xDrive20d SE 1973 2002

68
AUGUST 2020 65
OUR CARS
Rob Richardson
1973 2002
The Time Machine
Rob enjoys stepping back in time in his 2002...
My 2002 is not a car, it’s a time
machine. No, I’ve not gone mad
and turned it into a Back To The
Future replica DeLorean. I’m
talking about how every time
I drive it it’s an escape to time
when things were mechanical,
analogue and to me, more
rewarding. The road I’ve taken to
modifying it has been to enhance
the car through magnifying all
these attributes and improving the
performance. I’m not looking for
track times or concours trophies,
but I am building the car to have a
story, a story that I can feel like I’m
part of every time I climb in and
turn the key.
In my head It’s 1972 and my
2002 was bought by a works
mechanic or weekend racer; it’s
their only car and fulfils the family
duties during the week, but at
the weekend goes hill climbing,
B-road blasting or even for tourist
laps of the Nürburgring… parts
are sourced from left-overs from
the works cars and so while it’s
very much a road car there is a
smattering of top end motorsport
parts where it counts. The car is
a gentleman racer, as at home at
the track as outside a nice hotel
or on the school run…. which
is kind of what I’ll be using it for
during my ownership. It’s driven
for pleasure, fast-road blasts and
66 BMWcar
maybe even a bit of track use;
but also I’ll certainly be using it for
commuting to work on sunny days
and have retro-fitted Isofix so I can
take my son out in it with me and
my wife for days out. The 2002
lends itself to this duality and
with this ethos in mind I’ve made
some changes to the already mint,
original, standard interior.
Like the weekend racer in my
head, I need the practicality of
a normal passenger seat and
access to the rear, however for
the driver’s seat I want support
and comfort for both getting on
it in the twisties and keeping me
comfy when I take it on road trips
into Europe. It’s not unusual for
racing cars of the period to have
odd front seats so it’s a “period
correct” path well-trodden as
well as a talking point; it’s not
for everyone, but I love both
the performance and usability it
gives as well as speaking to my
“function over form” approach.
The seat? A Cobra Seats RSR
(cobraseats.com) beautifully
finished in matching black vinyl
with BMW OEM basket weave
centres blending perfectly with the
rest of the standard seats. For over
40-years Cobra Seats has been
manufacturing exclusively in the
UK and have built a reputation for
technology, design, safety, weight
saving and functional excellence.
Since their origins in the ‘60s with
founder Len Dunsfold tailoring
cockpits for greats like Moss,
McQueen and Clark, to today, the
business has been family run and
is currently overseen by Grandson
Mark who shares the same
hands-on passion for building
incredible seats. The RSR seat is
inspired by the legendary Cologne
era of motorsport, with enhanced
side supports to create the closest
thing to a professional sports seat
of the 1970s. Cobra also supplied
their premium runners allowing
direct fitment to the seat. To mate
the seat to the car I turned to
Gareth at GO Works (goworks.
co.uk) who I sent measurements
of the car and the seat and he
CAD designed and had laser cut
a steel floor mount. To keep the
weight low and the strength up
he’s designed it with cut-outs and
even included his logo and my
internet handle “racer86”; a really
cool touch. Gareth’s designed
and manufactured parts for major
OEMs and Formula 1 so he
knows his stuff and can help with
any fabrication work you require,
he also does furniture!
As a package it’s fantastic: It
looks absolutely at home in the
2002 and provides great comfort
and support; it’s strong, beautifully
made and saves a huge amount
of weight over the standard seat.
The new bracket keeps the seat
low and is super stiff. It’s given
the car the seating position, looks
and weekend racer character I
was looking for and really ties
in the Momo wheel and Heuer
stopwatch on the dash.
As I write this we’re still in
lockdown so the car, despite
being “finished” and ready to
go, hasn’t made it much further
than out of the garage onto the
drive to wash the cobwebs off…
hopefully, soon we’ll be back
to normal and I can get back to
blowing the cobwebs off the old-
fashioned way; with a good drive
in my time machine.
Rob Richardson
2002
YEAR: 1973
MILEAGE THIS MONTH: 0
TOTAL MILEAGE: 390
MPG THIS MONTH: 0
COST THIS MONTH: £355 Seat,
£48 Runners
 OUR CARS
In association with

New Cobra RSR

(cobraseats.com) seat
has been finished in black
vinyl with an OEM-style
BMW basket weave centre
section. Cobra runners have
been mated to a GO Works
(goworks.co.uk) laser
cut floor mount.

AUGUST 2020 67
OUR CARS
Bob Harper
2006 E61 530i SE Touring
1976 E3 3.0L
The Dog House
Bob provides an update on his E61 Touring, E3, and Woody the dog...
So we’re gradually emerging
from lockdown – whether it’s the
right thing to be doing God only
knows – but I’m sure the idea
was to try to get the economy
moving rather than for throngs
of furloughed folk to head to the
country’s beauty spots. So far I’ve
resisted the temptation to venture
much further than the local parks,
but given it seems to be party
time in the park with hundreds of
picnickers sprawled around the
place it’s not the best time to be
walking a puppy who can sniff out
a cocktail sausage at a distance of
half a mile. How long can you get
away with saying, “sorry he’s only
a puppy” as he scatters picnics
and small children in his wake?
I thought that was going to
be about as bad as Woody’s
misbehaviour was going to get
but there was worse to come on
one of our forays further afield. As
the young mutt appears to have
more energy than a wind farm
during a force 10 gale we took
him to a larger expanse of park in
Beckenham and all was going well
to start with… until he spotted a
family a little way off the path in
one of the park’s wooded areas. I
assumed (wrongly) that they were
climbing trees or making a camp
and I almost had him back on the
lead before he spotted them.
Woody is still under the
68 BMWcar
impression that everyone thinks
he’s extraordinarily cute and
that every human he meets is
desperate to give him a pat and
tickle his ears so off he darted
leaving me grasping at thin air.
I went after him in an attempt
to limit the damage but as I
approached the family group the
full horror of what was about to
unfold became clear. Mum and
dad were squatting down with a
small child between them who
was sitting on a potty obviously
in the middle of a toilet training
episode. Woody careered into
them with the accuracy of
a 10 pin bowling champion
sending the poor child flying
into the undergrowth. I now
fully understand the meaning of
wishing the ground would open
up and swallow you. Fortunately
no harm was done, the child was
laughing about it and the parents
were most understanding, but it
did demonstrate that until Woody
can learn some more manners
he would need to be exercised in
somewhat less populated areas.
Thanks to lockdown he’s not
experienced many car journeys
bar when we collected him from
the breeder and on a couple of
trips to the vets for booster jabs
but it was obvious we’d need to
invest in a bit of kit to stop him
bouncing around the car. Thanks
to not having travelled much he
really wasn’t keen in sitting in
the boot to start with and while I
would have been happy for him
to be unhappy back there until he
got used to it the electric tailgate
doesn’t make this easy. I’d never
really thought about it before but
the possibility of trapping a tail or
a paw as the tailgate closes is far
too real with a bouncy puppy.
Thus Woody’s first few outings
were on the back seat with one of
those short leads that attach to a
seat belt stalk. However, despite
covering the seats in towels
Woody views these as playthings
and soon has them on the floor
and his paws on the leather so
we persevered with the boot and
he now seems pretty happy back
there. He’s restrained with a lead
and the luggage net prevents
him from trying to get into the
back seat, but the gaps either
side of it usually see a panting,
smiling head poking through. I’m
currently the winning bidder on an
eBay auction for an official BMW
dog guard that uses the luggage
net fixing points and a couple of
brackets to attach it to the car
which will block these gaps. If that
isn’t a success then I may well
end up with a cage in the boot!
Apart from dog shenanigans
there’s not much to say about
the E61. Everything’s still working
and during the hot weather the
ventilated seats did actually come
in useful although their motors are
a little noisy. In an attempt to get
out of even more decorating at
home I even gave the E61 another
bath… that’s twice in two months
which is unheard of for me!
Given his general
overenthusiasm I haven’t yet
tried Woody on the back seat of
the E3 as I fear his claws would
wreak even more havoc with the
threadbare cloth seats than they
would with the E61’s leather. In fact
the E3 hasn’t really been used at
all, apart from starting and running
it a couple of times in an attempt
to keep some juice in the battery.
I am now faced with a bit
of a dilemma as far as the
E3 is concerned as Covid-19
has pretty much decimated
my income – the demand for
freelance motoring journalists is
even less now than it was before
Coronavirus. With a significantly
reduced income and little change
to this situation on the horizon
I’m starting to have doubts as
to whether I can go ahead and
plough a whole load of money
into its engine work. I’m loath to
part with it, and wouldn’t realise
its full potential if it’s not fully up
and running, but at the same
time I can’t really justify carrying
out the work that’s needed which
 OUR CARS
will deplete my savings that are In association with
looking more meagre as each
week goes by. Anyone want to
buy a puppy… or a child maybe?
I could do a special rate on one
of each?
In the meantime I’ve been
honing my decorating skills
around the house and Mrs H
seems to think I should advertise
my services locally – I’m sure
the dog could assist. Maybe
things will have picked up by this
time next month and perhaps
the dog will have learned some
manners… here’s hoping.
Bob Harper

E61 530i SE Touring

YEAR: 2006
MILEAGE THIS MONTH: 208
TOTAL MILEAGE: 66,475
MPG THIS MONTH: 19.4
COST THIS MONTH: £Nil

E3 3.0L
YEAR: 1976
MILEAGE THIS MONTH: 0
TOTAL MILEAGE: 11,531
MPG THIS MONTH: 0
COST THIS MONTH: £Nil

AUGUST 2020 69
OUR CARS
Patty harper
F25 X3 xDrive20d SE
A Quiet Life
Patty’s X3 has been flitting between
London and Devon of late...
I think I signed off my last missive
saying something about getting
the wheel alignment checked
on the X3… assuming garages
can keep their doors open. Well,
that went well didn’t it? Safe to
say the X3’s alignment still needs
checking and I guess I’m just lucky
that nothing else has needed
attention as otherwise I’d be up
the creek without a paddle.
As Bob may have mentioned
last month it’s been a very odd
couple of months, and not just
because of Covid-19. I’ve was in
Devon for the best part of two
months helping to look after our
friends’ children while they were
in America receiving medical
treatment. In some ways I’ve been
very lucky – I was somewhere
that’s stunningly beautiful, there
was a large garden in which to
exercise and with no work to do
it almost felt like I’d been on an
extended Easter holiday.
I’ve since returned to London
and am no longer furloughed
– if my Italian-based employers
are going to be able to ride out
70 BMWcar
the Covid-19 storm I need to
generate some business, but
with many staff at my customer’s
companies still furloughed it’s
proving rather tricky. I’m hoping
that before too long I’ll be able to
dust the X3 off and get out and
about visiting clients, but I’ll guess
we’ll have to wait and see.
As a result of the Devonian
lockdown and the inability to
visit my customers it’s been a
quietish month as far as the X3 is
concerned. Obviously I drove it to
Devon and back – journeys that
it shrugs off with disdain. It’s such
a comfortable car to drive – the
SE spec, 17-inch alloys and non-
run-flats really do pay off in this
respect – and it does mean that
contemplating a longer journey
holds no fears. It was also great
for bombing round the Devon
lanes – the shops are too far away
to walk to where I was based –
and its elevated driving position
makes it a far better companion
than Bob’s 530i when negotiating
the single carriageway roads.
Our friends offered me the use
In association with
of their F15 X5 xDrive40d for the
Devon trip, but I must admit that
the thought of driving anything
bigger than the X3 did fill me with
dread somewhat, especially when
negotiating those lanes. I think
it’s not too serious. I’ll try to pop
it into one of the tyre chains for
investigation next time I’m out
and about.
So that’s just about it from
me… quite where I’ll be this time
they thought the X3 wouldn’t be next month or whether I’ll have
big enough, but it accommodated allowed the new puppy in the X3
all the clobber we needed remain to be seen. Still, at least
without a problem. being in Devon gave me a bit of
Just two very minor problems break from Bob and his incessant
for the X3 since I’ve returned to car talk. Every cloud, eh?
London. Somehow I managed Patty Harper
to break off a piece of trim that
should be located at the rear of
the driver’s seat base and despite
asking Bob very nicely to fit it
back on he took one look at it
and said it was damaged and that
I need a new one. Having tried
to get it back in place I have to F25 X3 xDrive20d SE
say that it’s very irritating when YEAR: 2014
he’s right. MILEAGE THIS MONTH: 897
The tyre pressure warning TOTAL MILEAGE: 51,560
system also bonged its irritation MPG THIS MONTH: 38.4
at the X3’s tyre pressures this COST THIS MONTH: £Nil
month – the near side front was
0.1 bar lower than the driver’s
side. I have a distant memory of
this happening a few months ago
and Bob had a good look at the
tyre to see if it had picked up a
foreign body but it seems fine –
perhaps the valve is dodgy or the
tyre isn’t quite sealing on the rim
properly. I know Bob checked the
tyres before I went to Devon so
to lose so little pressure in just
two months hopefully means
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A BBH 717P 11 BRS COV 800K 5469 DP 5 FAJ GOB 5W 200 HKJ JAP 5 JKH 868L JUL 113N A445 KEL LEW 307P MNG 72L NUT 1E PLA 73R REY 410S SGN 700 TAF 50N
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477 ABU E78 ERY B1 JST C959 CRU DUJ 240T F36 ANS GRA 758N HOL 78N A364 JAY JDB 50N KAJ 69N KKH 798N LOM 45S RMO 113R OBU 330P TJA 968R RMO 112R G511 ORT TAW 83Y
ABW 308C B3 REL CBU 7T CSJ 215 DUR 120Y HFE 1N GRA 990N HOL 73N JAY 833N C233 JOE KAJ 58N N659 KLA LON 680X MOL 73N 693 OCV C911 WOY ROB 83Y SHO 12T G2 TAX
ABW 810D F83 RRY EBU 7T CST 91A DUT 81C FLE 517Y GRA 790V HOL 70N N258 KLB LOO 138V MOR 155R OD 620 C911 CRU ROB 813Y SHO 127S TAY 119R
8169 AC TBE 57T PBU 7S CSW 44D A907 DUX RCA 550B GRA 78N NSX 352A KLJ 378N 708 LOP MOR 318Y ODE 112F POT 1N ROD 53N SHP 510W TAY 116R
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98 ACJ
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624 CE
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ADY 333V 1. First pick letters with
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AGO 751 BHW 526A 5 BYL D EAS 153X 8179 FM HGR 33N HOY 733N numbers subject to availability) KRW 724 LRS 72 E697 MPV Y814 ONY PRO 553R Y812 ONY KLJ 351N TEF 74R
AGU 35T BIG 8115 222 DA JEA 501V 3588 FM GR69 VES 8927 HP 7777 KS 8888 LS 5555 MR Y916 ONY PRU 783 ROO 173Y SJT 948 TEK 7N
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H57 ONE
A81 GGS CAB 574R DAH 21T GEA 70N FMW 190J GSG 86 HSH 995Y KSC 224D LSD 823 B9 MSR P50 OOC PTA 827 ROW 113Y 497 SKJ TEN 77T
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TROUBLE SHOOTER
Trouble
Shooter
Andrew explores the common issues
that occur on the E36/5 Compact –
produced between 1994-2000...
Words & Photography: Andrew Everett
t’s now 20 years since the final first generation
I E36 Compact came down the production
lines but it remains one of BMW’s most
successful gambles – it could so easily have
flopped in the market place but in essence it
took the place of the old two-door four-cylinder
E30, opening up the special BMW experience
to both new and previous BMW buyers.
Developed in conjunction with the Z3 sports
car, the Compact combined the E36 saloon
front section, up to and including the bulkhead,
with an all-new rear section whose floorpan
was designed to accept a modified version
of the previous E30 semi-trailing arm rear
suspension. The wheelbase was the same as
the standard E36.
Launched in autumn1994, the Compact
range comprised two models, the 316i with
the new 100hp 1600cc M43 engine that had
just been launched in the E36 316i saloon
(an 1800 was available in the saloon and new
Touring), and the existing 140hp 1.8-litre M42
twin-cam 16-valve unit from the 318iS Coupe.
A 1.7 -litre 318tds turbo diesel with 90hp was
to join the range shortly after for 1995.  M3-style bumpers but had sport suspension
Immediately on launch, Compact sales took
off everywhere and because only the Munich
74 BMWcar
plant built it, production could never keep up
with demand – the satellite 3 Series plant
at Regensburg built some saloons as well as
the Coupé, Convertible and Touring models.
However, this situation resulted in extremely
high residual values to the extent that over
three-years, a well-specced £16,000 318Ti
with a couple of options became cheaper
overall to own than a more expensive Vauxhall
Astra or (shudder) Ford Escort. 
Changes to the Compact were few over six-
years. In 1995 the M42 engine was replaced
by the similar looking 1.9-litre M44 from the
Z3 and in autumn 1996 the whole E36 range
was given a very slight facelift with slimmer
side repeaters and fatter grille kidney chrome
surrounds. In late 1998 the M43 1.6 engine in
the 316i was replaced by the M42TU 1.9-litre
8-valve SOHC engine from the new E46 316i,
and the E36/5 Compact was discontinued in
2000 with the last cars built in August.
There were various option packs for the
Compact starting in 1994 with, SE Sport and
Lux – the former wasn’t the later version with
and seats, colour coded bumpers, 15-inch
alloys, electric sunroof and front foglights. The
M43 ENGINE
These came in two forms, the 1600cc up to
late-1998 and then the 1.9 TU. Both are great
engines but they have some issues. The most
common is head gasket failure, it's strange as
the previous M40 with the same block almost
never did this. Repair is simple enough with
new head bolts, the essential head skim and
gaskets. These units also have plastic coolant
elbows on the back of the head, side of the
block and the front of the head and they will
need replacing by now as they go brittle and
crack. The 1.9 units run hotter for emissions
and are prone to oil leaks as the rubber
gaskets get cooked – cam cover and oil filter
housing seals are the worst but easy enough
to change. Timing chains are excellent.
SE featured the sunroof, extra interior lights, a
microfilter, PDC, remote locking and an auto
dimming mirror, whilst the Lux featured 15-inch
alloys, electric sunroof, headlight wash and
foglight, extra interior lights, microfilmer, an on
board computer, PDC, rear headrests and auto
dip mirror. The full Sport version arrived for
1999 and was the existing Sport with M3-style
bumpers and side mouldings, 16-inch alloys,
black headlining, clear indicators as well as
unique colours like Avus Blue and Dakar Yellow.

M42 ENGINE
These are really getting on now with the last
one made 25-years ago. But a well-maintained
one will run indefinitely as long as it has clean
oil and coolant. The duplex timing chain will
last 25-years or more, although an M44 chain
tensioner – a 20 minute job – will quieten one
down as they can be rattly at idle. Moisture can
build up in the spark plug wells resulting in a
misfire, easily fixed. The heater outlet pipe on
the back of the head can corrode resulting in a
drip – a difficult fix as the pipe is pressed into
the head but doable with the inlet manifold
removed. Exhaust manifolds are tubular and
can blow from where a pipe is welded into the
flange, removal is fiddly but they can be seam
welded to cure this.  worse for that. A superb engine.
GEARBOXES
All Compacts use the Getrag 250G five-speed
which is both very tough and long lasting,
and very cheap and easy to replace. The
four-speed GM (General Motors) automatic is
reliable but not very good in this application
– it never seems to be in the right gear but
it’s ok as an around town unit. The occasional
oil change is a good idea, on manuals,
replacing the gearlinkage bushes is a cheap
but annoying fiddly job if the gear change is
really sloppy.  The rear axle beam bushes are a common
If you wanted to fit a Z3 short-shift kit you’ll
probably find your Compact has the big
balance weight on the front of the propshaft
around the rubber giubo coupling – you can
remove it but it’s a ramp job really, exhaust
and prop off etc. Auto gearbox problems can
be caused by a faulty ABS or engine sensor.
M44 ENGINE
Regarded by many as the high-point of BMW
four-cylinder engines, this was the last of the
bulletproof fours before the more efficient
(but decidedly less robust) N42 arrived in
2001. It’s basically a revised, larger bore M42
with changes; roller rockers, plastic mapped
thermostat and housing, a hotwire MAF
(replacing the old air flow metre) and new
type plastic cam and crank sensors. Capable of
withstanding appalling neglect, the M44 does
suffer the odd head gasket failure, once cooked
the head can crack. If maintained correctly the
M44 is a 200,000-mile engine – it will just run
indefinitely. The M44 replaced the M42’s forged
steel crank with a grey cast iron one but it’s no
RUNNING GEAR
The Compact diff is nice and long lasting
although they can get whiney in old age and
with high mileage. They are plentiful used
and easy to replace. Driveshafts are much
the same. Suspension is tough, the common
weak points are knackered front dampers
– if they look like they are from the Titanic,
they’re scrap, leaking or not. Knackered front
wishbones are best replaced by complete
new ones – forget about replacing balljoints.
casualty and are a garage job unless you
have the proper tool to remove and replace
them. To replace one side at a time, remove
the steady plate, slacken the centre pin and
with the damper disconnected and spring
removed, jack the trailing arm up to full
compression before pulling the axle bean
down and removing the centre pin – no need
to disconnect the brake pipes. 
TROUBLE SHOOTER
M41 ENGINE 
Ah, the 318tds, known jokingly as the
‘Tedious’. This was a 2.5 M51 tds (525tds
E34/E39) with two rear pots chopped off and
it was never very good. BMW tried to counter
the VAG 1.9 TDI but rather than designing a
diesel from scratch (or even making a 1.8 or
1.9) they did it on the cheap and whilst the
1665cc unit developed the same on paper
90hp, the lack of capacity showed on the
road with fairly dismal performance and "so
so" economy. Still, they are super tough with
regular oil changes, a mild remap will release
another 10hp and much needed mid-range
torque to counter the very flat feel these have.
Problems are few as they are very simple –
no MAF for example, or swirl flaps and a very
simple EGR system. It is old age and wear and
tear. Specific issues are a tired in-tank pump
(poor cold starting) and a leak from the main
injection pump. Wiring the in-tank lift pump
directly to the ignition often cures bad cold
starting as it’s activated the second the ignition
is switched on. 
BODYWORK
The Compact never seemed as prone to
rot as the saloons and perhaps the Munich
plant paint prices were better. But they’re
all pretty ancient now and the common rot
spots are the front wings, rear arches and
sills. Check the rear inner sill either side of the
rear axle beam as they can rot in here. Cars
without plastic sill covers rust less. Compact
headlights are unique to this car and other
E36 lights do not fit – well, they will bolt in
but the connectors are all different. The four
circular jacking pads for trolley jack use must
be present as without therm, water will get in
and sit the sills around. Whilst it’s rare on other
E36s, the Compact seems to rot around the
front anti-roll bar mounts spot welded to the
chassis rail. BMW sell new ones tough and it’s
a simple welding job to replace them. 
AUGUST 2020 75
TROUBLE SHOOTER
INTERIOR
The Compact interior was never as nice to
look at as the regular E36 version but it seems
to last well. However, the door trims are pretty
rubbish and most need removing, the clips
replacing and the plastic mounting pieces
refitted with Araldite Rapid – nothing else is
as effective so take heed. Knackered driver’s
seats can be restored using clip-in foam and
covers from a good passenger seat. Window
regulators are as marginal as any other E36
and they are the same as the saloon – they
have a bigger glass to power up and down.
Only use genuine BMW regulators if buying
new. Regular shots of WD40 and Vaseline in
the vertical felt channels kept them good and
prevents the gas from becoming stiff, resulting
in the regulators from popping out of the glass
sliders. Not ideal.
MODIFICATIONS
The Compact can be improved. A Z3
steering rack makes them much sharper
and a good ones cost £100. You can use
a purple tag E46 rack but they’re not as
good. Decent dampers and Sport anti-
roll bars help, and if replacing the front
wishbones use E30 ones and fit E30 M3
eccentric rear bushes to increase castor
angle and improving steering feel still
further. A remap won’t give big power
gains but will sharpen up what’s already
there, while 16-inch wheels give better
handling than 15s. Compacts came with
skinny non-vented brake discs, vented
discs and callipers from a six-pot car, or a
318iS, will improve, and give consistent
braking feel, under hard use.

Compacts came with non-vented

brake discs. Discs and callipers from
a six-pot car will improve braking...
OTHER ISSUES
The ABS system is reliable enough and parts
are cheap. On cars with the ASC system,
the ABS module (896/897 unit) under the
battery tray can fail but they are common and
inexpensive, and they’re not bad to change
if you are ultra careful refitting the brake pipe
unions. Radiators seem to last forever but they
are cheap to buy and 20 minutes to replace.
The rear washer can block and you’ll need to
poke the central wiper motor shaft through
with wire and compressed air after motor
removal and probably fit a new washer jet. 

76 BMWcar
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 TRADE ADVERTISERS CALL - 01732 445300
CARS FOR SALE
BMW 125
2016, 49750 miles, £14,995. 18” alloy
wheels, A/C, BMW navigation system,
PDC front and rear, Bluetooth hands-free
with USB audio interface. Please call
01484543728
100308
BMW 318
1998, 24500 miles, £4,295. Metallic
Titan Silver with Grey cloth. Switchable
automatic, power steering, ABS braking,
driver airbag, ASC traction control, rare
automatic air-conditioning, electric
front windows, electric mirrors, factory
alloy wheels, factory stereo cassette,
central-locking etc. 2 owners from new.
Original BMW purchase invoice plus
substantial history file and all original
handbooks. Incredible condition. Please
call 01277365415
100311
BMW 325
2003, 47800 miles, POA. In stunning
condition throughout, wheels are
unmarked, no dings, dents or scratches
to the body, the interior is stunning, no
rust and clear lights. Very clean under the
bonnet and in the boot, the tyres are new
Bridgestones to the rear and nearly new
Avons to the front. We have 2 keys and
a full book pack and the car comes with
an up to date, clear Experian car check.
This car is ULEZ compliant so no charge.
Please call 07711645465
100302
BMW 330
2002, 79000 miles, £4,995. Metallic Titan
Silver with Grey leather, wood trim and Black
power soft top. Rare 5-speed manual with
power steering, DSC traction control, ABS
braking, air-bags, multi-function steering
wheel with cruise control and stereo controls.
Full MoT and documented history from new
and in stunning condition throughout. Please
call 01277365415
100310
BMW 330CI CLUBSPORT
2003, 115000 miles, £1,600. Automatic,
Estoril blue with black leather interior, Climate
control, cruise control, factory sat nav, all
electric windows, 18” replica AC Schnitzer
wheels. MoT until February 2020, some minor
work needed hence the price. Please call
07946552473, South East.
101824
BMW 4 SERIES
2016, 33000 miles, £15,495. 420D Gran Coupe
in gunmetal grey with coral red interior. The
car is packed full of options including full BMW
professional widescreen Sat Nav, heated leather
trim throughout, extended leather pack, BMW
park assist, keyless entry and go and plenty
more besides. Please call 01590 612999, South
East.
101725
BMW 540
2000, 67400 miles, POA. In stunning
condition throughout, wheels are almost
unmarked, no dings, dents or scratches
to the body, the interior is stunning with
just the lightest wear to the driver’s seat,
no rust, clear lights and no chips to the
windscreen. Very clean under the bonnet
and in the boot, the tyres are Bridgestones
all-round – new on the rear and no loss of
pixels on the dashboard. We have 2 keys
and a full book pack and the car comes
with an up to date, clear Experian car
check. This car comes with a 6 month
Gold Handler Protect Warranty. Please call
07711645465
100303
BMW 635
1983, £40,000. Exceptional, LHD,
German car but Brit registered. Low
mileage, silver Polaris with blue
upholstery. Garaged. Please call 07774
959452
100052
BMW 650
2009, £11,999. Fabulous 4-seater
convertible blue with grey leather,
very high specification, Very rare
6 speed sport manual gearbox. Full
service history, 2 former keepers. new
mot and superb to drive. Please call
07595218406, South West.
101116
AUGUST 2020 79
EMAIL YOUR AD TO: cars@kelseyclassifieds.co.uk
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Free ads: cars@kelseyclassifieds.co.uk
BMW 850
1993, 63000 miles, £68,950. Slimline
appearance, discretely muscled and the
picture book proportions the 850CSi
M Coupe. Launched in October 1992
it is the perfect image of elegance on
wheels of what is commonly known as a
dream car. Equipped with every technical
sophistication the 850CSi took over
from the prototype M8. It used the same
engine as the 850i, which was tuned so
significantly that BMW assigned it a new
engine code: S70B56. The modifications
included a capacity increase to 5.6 liters
and power increase to 375 horsepower.
Please call 07850 888880, South East.
101255
BMW 2002
1972, £10,000. Original complete
matching numbers restoration project.
Phone after 6pm or WhatsApp anytime
for more details and photos. Car
located 15mins from Kerry Airport,
Ireland. Please call 00353876386480,
Channel Islands.
101042
80 MAY
80 AUGUST
20182020
BMW E30 320I
1988, 67800 miles, £19,995. The
car spent its first 14 years on Jersey
explaining its low mileage. The car
has been exceptionally well looked
after having had 5 cambelt changes
and comes with 18 service stamps
and a huge history file with invoices,
MOTs and old tax discs. Latterly
the car has been looked after by
renowned BMW specialists Classic
Heroes based in Buxted. Please call
07885742090, East Midlands.
101235
BMW M
2017, 21500 miles, £41,995.
Stunning M4 with extensive spec
including carbon mirror pack, carbon
rear boot lid spoiler, carbon interior
trim, head up display, harmon kardon
sound system, advanced parking
pack, park assist, rear camera,
heated multi function steering wheel,
apple carplay prep, carbon roof, BMW
profession sat nav with Bluetooth
phone prep, external media interface,
DAB radio and much more. Please
call 01484543728, Yorkshire and the
Humber.
101147
BMW M1
2018, 15000 miles, £26,995. Stunning
and Rare M140i Shadow Edition Finished
In White With Black Dakota Leather
Interior. EXTENSIVE SPEC Inc: Motech
Eibach Springs (Dealer Fitted At a Cost
Of £350), M-Performance Limited Slip
Differential (Dealer Fitted At a Cost of
£2500), M-Performance Exhaust System
With Carbon Tips (Dealer Fitted At a
Cost Of £1500), Underbody Bracing
(£190) – For Enhanced Stability and
Handling. Please call 01484543728
100307
BMW M3
2017, 15000 miles, £37,995. M3 DCT
competition with awesome power.
Finished in yas marina blue with black
merino leather interior. Fantastic spec
including carbon fibre performance kit,
carbon front splitter, large carbon rear
diffuser, carbon boot lid spoiler, carbon
roof, M performance exhaust system,
carbon exhaust tips, harman kardon
sound system, rear camera, BMW
professional sat nav with Bluetooth
phone prep and much more. Please call
01484543728, East Midlands.
101151
BMW M3
2006, 105000 miles, £9,995. E46 M3
convertible. Drives like a car that’s covered
half the 105,000 miles currently shown on the
clock. MoT carried out in October 2019 shows
no advisories. The car benefits from many
additional options including Sat Nav, Heated
full leather trim, SMG 2 semi-automatic
gearbox and upgraded Hardon Kardon sound
system. The 18 inch M spec wheels have also
been refurbished to a high standard. Please
note the number plate shown on this vehicle
is not included. Please call 01590 612999,
South East.
101726
 TRADE ADVERTISERS CALL - 01732 445300
BMW X5
2016, 53000 miles, £36,995. Stunning
X5 M50d With Awesome Power. Finished
In Black Sapphire With Ivory White Leather
Interior. Fantastic Spec Inc: 7 seat Model,
M Performance Carbon Aerodynamic Kit,
M Sport Plus Pack, Upgrade Brakes, Blue
Calipers, Panoramic Glass Sunroof, Soft
Close Doors, Head Up Display, Lane Change
Assist, Electric Heated Comfort Seats With
Memory, Rear Heated Seats, Rear Camera,
Front and Rear Parking Sensors, Comfort
Access, Keyless Entry and Start, Upgrade
Touchscreen BMW Professional Sat/Nav
With Bluetooth Phone Prep. Please call
01484543728
100305
BMW X5
2013, 63000 miles, £27,995. Stunning X5
M50D. Finished In Alpine White With Black
Dakota Leather Interior. Fantastic Spec
Inc: Panoramic Sunroof, Head-Up Display,
Harman Kardon Sound System, Surround
View, Soft Close Doors, Professional Media
Pack, Professional Sat/Nav With Enhanced
Bluetooth Phone Prep, Electric Front
Seats With Drivers Memory, 20" M Double
Spoke Alloys, Privacy Glass. Please call
01484543728
100306
BMW X5
2011, 89000 miles, £11,995. Very well
looked after, full BMW main dealer service
history and just 2 owners from new. This car
has mountains of spec including full heated
leather interior, full length opening sunroof,
park assist front and rear, DAB radio, Sat
Nav and plenty of other toys to keep you
occupied. Please call 01590 612999
100298
BMW Z3
1997, 33500 miles, £8,295. Metallic Arctic
Silver with the custom 2-tone Red and
Black leather interior. Widebody model with
amazing specification example including
switchable automatic, airbags, PAS, ABS,
traction control, air-conditioning, electric
hood, electric windows, electric mirrors,
electric seats, heated seats, factory alloy
wheels, boot lip spoiler and hard hood cover.
This must be one of the best equipped and
lowest mileage 2.8 automatics in existence.
Must be seen to be appreciated. Please call
01277365415
100309
BMW Z3
1997, 9300 miles, £12,750. 2A stunning
Z3, with dealer fit AC Schnitzer parts. In
incredible condition, with two previous
owners. Please call 07711645465
100551
BMW Z3
2001, 62000 miles, £4,795. Metallic Titan
Silver with Black leather interior. Facelift
6 cylinder model with 5-speed manual
gearbox, PAS, air-bag, ABS, ASC, electric
windows, electric mirrors, electric seats,
factory 5-spoke alloy wheels, BMW stereo
with CD multichanger. 2 keys with remote
central locking and alarm. Lovely car with
the desirable engine option. Please call
01277365415
100312
BMW Z3
1999, 34000 miles, £4,795. Dark Green with
special order Beige and Dark Green leather
and Black power hood. Rare switchable
automatic with the better 140 BHP engine.
Power steering, electric seats, electric
mirrors, central locking, electric windows,
traction control, factory alloy wheels, factory
stereo-cassette with CD multi-changer. Full
service history. Please call 01277365415
100313
BMW Z4
2008, 70500 miles, £9,995. Finished in
immaculate Arctic Silver with Black Leather.
70,500 miles. Alloy Wheels just refurbished.
Full Service History and 2 sets of keys. Very
clean and very well looked after example.
Please call 01485 541526
100296
BMW Z4
2008, 78500 miles, £4,850. In excellent
condition, with red leather seats, electric roof
and alloy wheels. Please call 07711645465
100547
PARTS AND ACCESSORIES
FOR SALE
BMW ALLOY WHEELS
£150. 15'' alloy wheels and four excellent
225 to 15 tyres. Please call 07502032532
100066
AUGUST 2020 81
NEXT MONTH

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2002 There’s more to this 2002 than
meets the eye. We explore this
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September 2020 issue

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Coupé
The Z3M Coupé has aged well, but
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Guide
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to buy a common-or-garden E36 – don’t
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82 BMWcar
SIMPLE SERVICING, UNLOCKED.
THE BMW PAY MONTHLY SERVICE PLAN.
BMW Service

Keep your BMW performing at its best and your service history up to date
with our affordable monthly payment plan.
From BMW Trained Technicians to Genuine BMW Parts that are covered with
a two-year warranty, you’ll always get the quality service you’d expect.
Not only is our fixed-cost plan suitable for vehicles of any age,
it also comes with a number of additional benefits, including:
• One free MOT
• A wash and vacuum each time you come in for a service
• Seasonal health checks
• Sat nav map updates
• Free fluid top-ups

Visit bmw.co.uk/paymonthly to find out more.

Terms and conditions apply. Covers specified service items and excludes items requiring replacement or repair due to excessive wear and tear or misuse. Participating BMW Retailers only. We use a
third-party partner, EMaC, to administer the BMW National Service Plan. £29.38 cancellation fee payable if you cancel after the first 14 days. You will receive a refund of any monies paid for services
not yet provided. Your monthly payment may increase if transferring to a BMW with higher servicing costs.
A STATEMENT OF STYLE.
BMW Lifestyle

The iconic style of BMW extends well beyond our cars.

From travel accessories to the latest fashion, find what you
need at your local BMW Retailer – or visit shop.bmw.co.uk