Aug. 15: I did a little exploratory surgery this evening. The plan was to borrow the AEM wideband gauge/controller for my E24. Since it had been installed into the original ash tray, the entire center console had to be removed to get at it. I must have found $10 in change, so at least I…
Another E24 (or two) join the fleet
An American meets a European. They’re quite the couple, eminently suitable. After a prolonged courtship, two become one. A magical synthesis? The best of two worlds, truly a marriage of convenience. In our case, the two victims are a very nice ’86 Zinnberrot E24 “shell,” and a trashed ’83 European spec Polaris 635CSi. A ‘shell’ is…
My 9th BMW hails from the Midwest
The 318iS is a pretty special model. I’m confident that they will be an excellent investment as time goes on. However, this example was rather unfortunate. An enthusiastic owner had bought the car as an ongoing project, but life got in the way. She posted the car at M42club, unfortunately to very little interest. I…
Number 8 is topless!
This was quite the winter for rescues. My buddy Dan told me about a ’92 325i Cabriolet, and I was also called upon to rescue a ’91 318iS. Let’s do the Convertible first, shall we? The ‘vert is the final version of the E30 available in the United States, produced until 1992 or so. It…
The 7th BMW…an E23
I’m not sure why it worked out like this, but after getting a 6er as my 6th BMW, I bought a 7er as my 7th BMW. This was a special car, a federalized E23 745i with full Euro trim. Cosmetic upgrades included a BBS front spoiler and the OEM BMW trunk lid spoiler. The suspension…
My 6th BMW is, appropriately, an E24
BMWs hedonistic GT had never really crossed my mind. The cars are frankly old-fashioned and not as lovable as the 3-series. I felt BMW had caved in to the American market, replacing the lovely E9 with a Bavarian Camaro. Exchange rates made it unbelievably expensive. Worst of all, the emasculated M30B32 wasn’t as fast as…
The E34 turns into an E30
If you’ve been following the narrative up to this point, you’ll know that my E34 was surplus. I wanted something smaller, I really didn’t like the driver’s seat, and my wife refused to drive it. So where do we go from here? I hate to admit it, but we considered trading it in on something…
The poor M42
Poor thing! This engine is BMW’s unappreciated black sheep. Not suited to American tastes. Not advised in anything with an automatic transmission attached. Not well suited to BMW’s sporting image. Compared to the inline sixes, it runs a little rough. It’s also conservative in output next to the Japanese competition. I’d expect the fanboi/stance/drift crowd…
Another E30 finds a home
So let’s step back and review my then-current status (April 2009). I have an E34 that didn’t fit my needs. I also have a rusted-out E30 325iS that has to go. I decide that (somehow) I’ll strip or sell the E30 goodies and put them into something more suitable & fun than the E34. So…
That first E30
There’s always a first, right? My introduction to the now-legendary E30 was a service department loaner – maybe a ’91 sedan? I drove it once and I was hooked. I started hoping that the recall on Dad’s E34 would take more time. Fabulous little car, despite the automatic. It was unbelievably ‘tossable.’ Somehow, it was…