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BMWCar

EDITORIAL

Editor: SimonJackson

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Welcome

There'ssomethingmagicalaboutCaliforniancarculture.In recentyearstheemergingmarketfor'restomodding' –taking acarandreinventingit,modifyingittobemorethanthesum ofitspartsbyamplifyingitsoriginalessence,haslargelybeen definedbyspecialistsonAmerica'swestcoast. Themovement hasbeenheavilyfocusedonthe Porschebrand,with911s oldandnew"reimagined"byfirmslikeSinger,buttheconcept translatestoanymarqueofcarfromanyera.

Kaessand WillemSmitofCalifornia'sSmit Vehicle EngineeringareformerSinger,Teslaandaerospaceengineerswith apenchantformodified cars,thepairhappentobefirm BMWfanstoo.Mixingallthoseinfluencestogetherhas allowedthebrothersto givebirthtotheOlethaproject,inessence,theZ8coupéthatnever was. Thiscarcouldrepresent awatershedmomentforthe BMWworld.

BasedontheE86Z4coupé,theprototyperunstheS65V8enginefromtheE92M3, massaged-outto4.4-litres,powerisaround450hp.LongeryetnarrowerthantheZ4upon whichitisbased,theOlethaisdrapedinuniquecarbonfibrebodyworkcontributingto alow wetweightof1450kgs. Aroadcarfirstandforemost,theOlethawouldn'tbeoutofplaceon atrackbutitwasbornforopenrouteslikeCalifornia's PacificCoastHighway(PCH),andthe area'sfamedcanyonroads. That'spreciselywherewe'vedrivenitforourfeature –page10.

WhiletheOlethaoozesCaliforniancoolit boastsglobalinfluences,thecarbonis from theUK, sotoo thewheels,itisperfectforthePCHbutitwouldn't beoutofplaceelsewhereinthe world. "Restomodders" turning to BMWs willfuelinterestin thebrand,growingourenthusiastcommunity. That'swhathashappenedwith Porsche,whycan'tthesame be true for BMW?Enjoytheissue.

MEETTHECONTRIBUTORS

SimonJackson,Editor

Andrew Everett Bob Harper Elliott Stiling

Guy Baker Stephen Jelley Shane O’Donoghue TechnicalguruMarqueexpertBMWenthusiastMarketanalysis BTCCdriver Roadtester

Independently

@retro jackson

Features

010 OlethaZ4

Smit VehicleEngineering's uniqueOletha projectfuseswhat aZ8coupécould havebeenwith507Roadstercues –we drivethiscaptivatingcreation.

018 PlantMunichat100

BMWhasbeenbuilding cars at itsfamed Munich plantsince1922.Nowthe birthplaceofthe 3Series iscelebratinga milestoneanniversary.

FirstDrives:G42BMW

Evenwithdieselpower, whichis seeminglyin thetwilightofitslife, the BMW2SeriesCoupéis abrilliant additionto theline-up.

2002 TurboVsE34M5 Touring

Thesetwocompelling BMWs comefrom verydifferenteras –whichmakesthe betterclassicbuy? That'sthismonth's £65,000question...

049 E39528iSE

TheE39 5Serieswas longconsidered the'bestcar in theworld'.Nowa modernclassic,it remains apopular choice forBMWenthusiasts –ably demonstratedby thisexample.

theworld –twoinAustralia, wedrive 1,000-kilometersto meet oneofthem.

NeBMW ws

HYDROGENX5 ENTERS PRODUCTION

BMWiscontinuingtotest hydrogenasanoptionforelectricdrivetrains, nowtheiX5Hydrogenhasenteredsmallseriesproduction.

BMWiscontinuingitsexplorationofhydrogen technologywiththesmallseriesproductionof theiX5Hydrogen. Fuelcellsystemproduction atthecompany’scompetencecentrefor hydrogeninMunichgotunderwayrecently, theiX5Hydrogencarsproducedwillenter servicearoundtheworldfromtheend of this yearfortestanddemonstrationpurposes

BMWhasbeenexploringhydrogen technologysince2013,andpridesitself on playing apioneeringroleinitsuse. For many industryinsiders,fuelcelltechnologymakes themostamountofsenseforthefuture ofmobility.And,sincethe BMW5Series GT HydrogenCellof2015,fuelcell technologyhasbeensteadilyrefined.

“Asaversatileenergysource,hydrogen has akeyroletoplayontheroadtoclimate neutrality.Anditwillalsogainsubstantially inimportanceasfaraspersonalmobility isconcerned. We thinkhydrogen-powered vehiclesareideallyplacedtechnologically tofitalongsidebattery-electricvehicles andcompletetheelectricmobilitypicture, saidOliverZipse,ChairmanoftheBoard of Managementof BMWAG.“Bycommencing small-scaleproductionoffuelcellstoday, we aredemonstratingthetechnicalmaturity of thistypeofdrivesystemandunderscoringits potentialforthefuture.

“Ourmanyyearsofresearchand developmentworkhaveenabledustoget theverymostoutofhydrogentechnology,” added Frank Weber,MemberoftheBoard ofManagementof BMWAG,Development. “Wehavemanaged to morethandoublethe fuelcell’scontinuousoutputinthesecondgenerationfuelcellintheiX5 Hydrogen,while weightandsizehavebothdecreased drastically.”

ThetechnologyintheiX5Hydrogen generates ahighcontinuousoutputof 125kW/170hp.Itteams-upwithan electricmotorand ahigh-performance batterydevelopedspeciallyforthevehicle, thisenablesthepowertraintodeliver

6 BMWcar NEWS Now, you might be wondering how it all works Inn essence a chemical reaction takes place in the fuel cell between hydrogen from the tanks and oxygen from the air a n i i a steady supply of both elements f

275kW/374hp. Thesystemcomprisestwo hydrogentanks,fuelcellandanelectricmotor, thisisintegratedintotheexistingX5platform enabling the small production run The iX5 Hydrogen already underwent extreme weather testing in icy Sweden at the start of this year

cell’smembrane is ofcrucialimportance fordrivesystemefficiency.Inadditionto thetechnologicalequivalentsof featuresfound on combustion engines, such as charge air coolers, air filters, control units and sensors, BMW has developed special hydrogen

componentsforitsnewfuelcellsystem. These include thehigh-speedcompressorwithturbine and high-voltagecoolantpump,for instance.

BMWsourcestheindividualfuel cellsthemselvesfrom Toyota. Thetwo companieshaveenjoyed apartnership since2013,collaboratingonfuelcelldrive systemdevelopments. Fuelcellsystems aremanufacturedintwomainsteps. The individualfuelcellsarefirstassembledinto afuelcellstack. Thenextstepinvolvesfitting alltheothercomponentstoproducea completefuelcellsystem.

Stackingofthefuelcellsis afullyautomated process.Oncethe individualcomponentshave beeninspected forany damage,thestackis compressedbymachinewith aforceoffive tonnesandplacedin ahousing. Thestack housingismanufacturedinthelightmetal foundryatBMW's PlantLandshutusing asand casting technique. Forthis,moltenaluminiumis pouredinto amould madefromcompactedsand mixedwithresinin aprocessspeciallydesigned for thislatest small-seriesvehicle. Thepressure plate,whichdelivers hydrogenandoxygentothe fuelcellstack, is made from castplasticpartsand light-alloycastings,alsofrom theLandshutplant. Thepressureplateforms agas-tightand watertightsealaround thestackhousing.

Final assembly of the fuel cell stacks includes avoltagetestalongwithextensivetestingof thechemicalreactionwithinthecells.Finally, allofthedifferentcomponentsarefitted togetherinthe assemblyareatoproduce thecomplete system.Duringthissystem

assembly stage, further components are fitted,such as thecompressor,theanode andcathode,thehigh-voltage coolant pump andthewiringharness. Whether ornot BMWwillrollout this technology on alargerscaleremainstobeseen.

TheBMW

FollowinginitialshakedownrunsinItalyandSpain, BMW'snextLe Manschallenger,the BMWMHybridV8,hasenteredfurtherintensive testinginthe USA. Aheadofitsdebutatthe IMSAWeatherTech SportsCarChampionshipseasonopeneratDaytonanextyear,the newracerwilltestatvariousracetracksinthe US where BMW's focuswillshiftfromclimateanalysis,dayandnightrunning,tosheer performanceandreliability.

BMWreportsthattherehavenotyetbeenanyfundamental teethingtroubles,worksdriversConnorDePhillippi,Sheldonvander Linde,Marco Wittmann,Augusto Farfus,BritonNick YellolyandPhilipp Enghaveallhadoutingsbehindthewheel.Sotoo,the BMWJunior TeamofDanHarper,Max HesseandNeil Verhagen,newsigning RenéRasthasalsocompleted anumberoflapsinthenewcar.

ALL-ELECTRIC

BMWMhasstartedtestdriveprogrammes for anextgenerationofelectriccars.M engineershavebegunputtinginnovativedrive andchassiscontrolsystemstothetest,the hardwareandsoftwaresolutionsaredesigned forfuturefullyelectrichigh-performanceM cars. Thetestingfocuseson afour-wheel drivesystemfeaturingfourelectricmotors andanintegrateddrivingdynamicscontrol system,togetherthesearesaidtoprovide anunprecedentedlevelofperformanceand experience. With thiscompletelynewdrive concept, BMWMisaimingtotransferthe essenceofitscurrentcropof Mcarsintothe worldofemission-freemobility. Thisanniversaryyear,marking50yearsof M,hasalreadyseenthemarketlaunchofthe all-electrici4M50(pictured)performancecar andtheiXM60. Thei7M70,thefirst BMW Mbasedonanall-electricsedanplatform,will follownextyear.

"Onouranniversary,wearenotonlylooking back,butaboveallalsolookingforward,”said FranciscusvanMeel,ChairmanoftheBoardof Managementof BMWMGmbH.“Beforethe endoftheyear,productionoftheXM,ourfirst high-performancecarfeaturing aV8Mhybrid drive,willcommence. Togetherwithourfans allovertheworld,wearealsolookingforward toourentryintotheLMDhcategoryofthe NorthAmerican IMSAenduranceracingseries, inwhichwewillalsobecompetingwithan eight-cylinderhybridturboengineinDaytona andatothereventsin2023,aswellasinthe WECracingseriesatLeMans ayearlater.”

BMWMtechnicianshavedevelopeda testvehiclebasedonthei4M50,itcarries theappropriatekittotestthenewdriveand suspensiontechnology. Themulefeatures amodifiedbody,withwidewheel arches, allowingfortheintegrationofdifferentfront andrear axledesigns. Thefrontendfeatures anadaptedbodystruttakenfromtheM3/ M4,designedforparticularlyhightorsional rigidity.Thetestmulealsoreplicatesthe arrangementofthe Mcar'sradiatorunits.

Therevolutionaryhigh-performancedrive systemisdescribedasanelectric MxDrive four-wheeldrivesetup. Thefourwheelsare eachdrivenbyanelectricmotoropeningup newpossibilitiesforinfinitelyvariable,precise, andveryfast,distributionoftorque. Within millisecondsthepowerandtorqueofthe electricmotorscanbesentpreciselywhere requiredon alevelthatwouldbeimpossible using aconventionsystem. Thisissaidto give

thedriveranentirelynewsetofperformance characteristics –Mcharacteristics.

“Electrificationopensupcompletely newdegreesoffreedomforustocreate M-typicaldynamics,”saysDirkHäcker,Head ofDevelopmentat BMWMGmbH. “And wecanalreadyseethatwecanexploitthis potentialtothemaximum,sothatourhighperformancesportscarswillcontinuetooffer theM-typicalandincomparablecombination ofdynamics,agilityandprecisioninthelocally emission-freefuture.”

Whenitcomestotheintegratedcontrol unit,thesamelevelsofprecisionandspeed arefound. Theelectric MxDrivefour-wheel drivesystemusesthefourmotorsconnected to acentral,highlyintegrated,controlunitthat permanentlymonitorsthedrivingcondition andthedriver'sinputs.Acceleratorpedal position,steeringangle,longitudinaland lateralacceleration,wheelspeedsandother parametersaremonitoredtoensurethe correctlevelofpoweristransferredtothe road.Signalsaretransmittedjustasquickly anddirectlyvia amulti-plateclutchand differentialstothefourmotors.

Developedviaintensivetestphases,initially onvirtualmodelsandthenontestbenches, theconceptisnowbeingtrialledonthe road.Insidethefour-doormule,extensive measuringtechnologycanbefounddesigned toanalyseeverydrivingsituation. Thisallows forthetheoreticalresultsfromthetest laboratorytobecomparedwiththerealitiesof therealworld.

Testingforthenext chapterofBMWM'stransformationtoelectricmobilityiswellunderway.

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It’sthecarwewish BMWhadmade,”admits WillemSmit,who’s onehalfofSmit VehicleEngineering. Theother,hisbrother, Kaess, concurs,andtheresultofsomediscussions afewyearspreviously isparkednearbyaswe grab acoffee. We’reonthecanyonroads around PalmSprings,thebrothershavingdrivenupfromSanDiego, intheircurrentlyone-off,‘prototype’Olethacoupé. Icanseeitfromwhere I’msitting,it’scaptivatingbutunderstatedatthesametime, ashapethat’s familiarbutunique,it,saythebrothers,is ahomagetowhat aZ8coupé couldhavebeen,andbyextension,having507Roadstercuestoitslines.

There’snodoubttheSmitbrothersaren’taloneindreamingup derivativesofexistingproducts,likelyyou’vealldonesoatsome point, IknowIhave. Thedifferencebetweenthemandmyself,and, extrapolatinghere,you,isthecapacitytoactuallydosomethingaboutit. Willem’sanautomotiveengineer,havingworkedwithEVpioneers Tesla, andrestomodroyalty,inPorschecirclesatleast,Singer,whileKaess weighsinwithsomeseriousengineeringnousbasedaround acareer inadvancedaeronauticalcompositesfor acompanythathadBoeing andLockheedamongitsclients. That’sstrongengineeringpedigree, then,whichexplainswhywhen Willemhad asmalloffandsomepanel damageat atrackdayinhisE86Z4 MCoupéanideastartedtoform.

“IwreckedupinSonomaandhadtoreplacetheentiresideofthe car.Doingsomeant Iknewthequarterpanelsboltedonandoff,which waskey,becausewithmanymoderncarsthey’reintegraltothebody side,”explains Willem.“Dimensionally,being amodernplatformand roboticallyassembledmeansthesecarsareveryconsistent,”headds, sayingthattheOletha’sbodyworkisattachedtotheoriginalbody mountingpoints.Obviouslybeforetheygottothatstage,thebrothers hadsatdownandworkedthingsoutproperly,saying:“westartedwith awireframedrawing,andaskedifwhatwewereconsideringdoingwas evenremotelypossiblefrom adimensionsperspective.”

Theyadmittoloving BMWs,and afamilyhistorylitteredwiththeir own,andparents’ BMWand Mcarsunderlinesthat,buttheywanted tocreatesomethingwithelementsofdifferentmodels. AZ8coupé, perhaps,theZ8being afavouriteoftheirs,visuallyatleast,butthey wantedtomakeit acoupé,andmoreof adriver’s carthan agutsy cruiser.Using aZ8asabasiswasnevergoingtohappen,then,that duetoavailability,cost,aswellasthechassisstiffness. TheZ4’smore modernstructure,alliedtothecoupéroof,meanstheOletha’saround threetimesstiffertorsionallythan BMW’sopenZ8,which,usefully, suitedthepair’s dynamicaimsofthecarmoreconvincingly.

Willem’seurekamomentwas aserendipitousresultofnotjustthat off,buttherealisationthattheZ4’swheelbasewaswithin3mmof theZ8.Otherelements,liketherakeofthescreenworked,andthe drawingsevolvedintowhatI’mgawpingatintheparkingarea.Andit’s knee-weakeninglygorgeous.

“Wehadwhat Ithinkmostpeoplewouldsaylookslikethecarwithin acouplemonthsandwespentprobablytherestoftheyearrefining that,”says Willem. Theydoconcedethattofinesseittheydidseekout theskillsof adigitalmodeller,who,dueto otherworkmustremain anonymous,buttheydescribethatclandestinemodelerbeautifullyas: “likeourhands,thesculptor’s hands,”admittingthattheyweren’table todothekindsofsurfacingin CAD(ComputerAidedDesign)thathe could,sayingthatwhiletheyhadsomethingthatworkedproportionally andaestheticallyitneededthatexpertinputtogetitfinishedproperly.

Theresultisgenuinelystunning. TheOletha’sproportionsarespot on,there’samusculartautnesstoitsshape,itiselegantratherthan aggressive,withsomeparticularlyneatdetailingaroundthingslike thelights,doorhandlessideventwiththeintegratedSmitroundel badge.Giventhebrothersdescribeitasa “prototype”theexecution ofthebuildisincredible,thepanelfitsupertight,thedepthoftheir engineeringprowess,andartistryinitsexecutionevidenteverywhere. Lookatsomethingasmundaneasthemechanismandfitoftherear spoiler,which,whilesourcedfromanothermanufacturer,wentthrough aload-testcycleby Willem’sgirlfrienddoing10,000stepupson arig mountingofittomakesureit’dworkasintendedinitsapplicationhere.

Thatcommitted,obsessiveengineering-ledapproachisevermore obviousthemorewediscussthecar.Thepanels,allcarbonfibre,are sourcedinthe UK,froma supplierbasedinSussex,theSmitshaving tried numerouspotential suppliersinthe USAbutnotfindinganyable

c5789ddb-a5df-4b46-9e84-c56e1e8ad27f

tomanufacturethe compositesto aqualitythattheydemanded.Those panels weredesigned specificallytoutilisealltheexistingmounting locationsandfasteners,theirthicknessbeingspecifictotheloadand structural requirements. Theglassiscarried over entirelyfrom theZ4. Aerodynamictestingrevealedthatthenewbodyproducedaround500lb ofliftat therearaxleat 200mph,whichexplainsthatpop-upspoiler, it abletoberaisedmanually,orcomingupautomaticallyataround60mph.

Theycouldhavestoppedwithsimplyre-bodyingit,butbothbrothers enjoydriving,andthethinkingbehindtheOlethawasn’tjusttomakeit looksensational,buttoupthestakesindriverappeal,too. Theoriginal goalwastocreatesomethingsimilarinfocusto a911(996) GT3, whichleanstowardsmorecommitteddrivers,with aleaningtowards occasionaltrackuseandsomecompromisesas aresult.

Forthattheyneededmorepower,andwhilethey’llhappilybuildyou onekeepingtheE86’sS54in-linesix’,they’realsoabletoslot aS65B44 underthebonnetashere.Naturallyithasn’tbeenleftstock,withthe brothersratingtheirengineat450+hp,itcomingwithan8,500rpm redline,thatbeing200rpmmorethanthestandardengine. To achieve thatitcomeswith aforgedcrankshaft,pistonsandconrodsaswellas upratedvalvespringsand acustomcarbonfibreintakemanifold.

Gettingtheelectrics to work, admitstheSmit brothers,was abitofa nightmare,andheretheysoughtoutsomeexperthelp,fromsomeone theyfoundvia internetforums. An ex-BMWengineer,whoworked previouslyinresearchanddevelopmenthad beendoingsomethingalong thelinesofwhatSmitwereafter.Hewasn’tthetypeofpersontoanswer emails or talktostrangers,sotheyjumpedon aplanetoGermanyto goandmeethim inperson.Theresult wasan electricalkit designed specificallyfortheirapplication,andcrucially,onethat usesthefactory enginemanagement,underliningthatitwasn’ttheworkof amoment, Smitexplains theentireprocesstogetitall toworktooktwo-years.

Naturallythatengineisnot astraightdrop-injob,either,the tolerancesunderthebonnetareextremelyrestricted. Thehoodscoop isn’tjustfunctional,then,it givesabitofclearance,whilethetightfit betweenthesuspensiontowersmeantthatSmittried25different manifolditerationstofitthemwithoutinterferencewiththechassis. That limitedspacecreatedknock-onissueswiththesteeringcolumn,and wheretoplaceit.Approachingthatproblemliketheengineerstheyare,

The original goal was to create something which leans towards more committed drivers

theSmitbrother’s solutionwastohavethecolumnpassthroughthe manifolds,theduoevengoingtothetroubletoengineeritinsucha mannerthatshould abuyer want aRHD car, thatcanbeproduced,too.

Justabouteverywhereyoulookunderthebonnet,there’sinnovative, methodicalandtestedengineering,withtheOlethafeaturingover100 3Dprintedcomponents,includingthingslikeuniqueenginemounts. SmitisthefirstcompanyonthisscaleI’vevisitedwho’veshownme CFD(ComputationalFluidDynamics)schematicsandhaveopenly discussedthingslikeNVH(Noise VibrationHarshness). Thatunderlines theiradmirable,obsessiveOEMengineeringapproachtobuilding theircar,Willemsayingthatthewhiletheenginemountsareunique, thebushingsareoriginal BMWspecificationtoensurethattheOletha doesn’tproduceanyharshsoundsorresonanceunderthebonnet.

TheZFsix-speedmanualtransmission, alsopinchedfromtheE92 M3,drives therear wheelsvia amechanicallimited slipdifferential,the suspensionbeinga KW adjustable setup,withthebrakes beingAPracing items,withsixpistoncallipersupfront,andfourpistononesatthe rear. Those calliperssitbehindbespoke,forgedandmachinedmonoblock aluminium wheelsof18x9 ET30frontand19x10 ET20rearwith MichelinPilotSport4Styresof255/40/R18frontand275/35/R19rear.

Aftertheexterior,andunderthebonnettheOletharevealsitsZ4 originsand adegreeof‘itworks’pragmatismfromtheSmitbrothers. Thecockpitis allbutidenticaltotheproductioncar.Thereistheoption ofcarbonfibretouringor sportsseatchoices,whilethere’llbesome re-trimminginfinermaterials,butotherwisethechangesareminimal. That’snotnecessarily acomplaint,because,infrontare BMW’ssimple

analoguewhiteonblackinstrumentsnestleddeepinsomecowled covers. Therearenoscreens,nodistractions,which,thesedays,isvery much agoodthing.

Asisthe soundwhenit starts. TheV8’snote is bassyand loud,not obnoxiouslyso, butthere’sa hintof Americanmuscleovertheusual Bavarianculture, and it’s notoutofplace.DespiteSmit’sgoalofthe Olethabeing somethingtorival somethinglike a996 GT3,itfeels differentthanthat,morelike amuscular,butagile,classic GT thana precision,track-biasedcar.Really,it’sall thebetterforit,withfewer compromisesasaresult.Numbers,ifyou care, suggest a0-60mphtime ofaroundfour-seconds,andthe topspeedshouldcomfortablyexceed 180mph.Andprice?About US $450,000,depending on howyou spec it. Anddoyou knowwhat?Itfeelsworthit,too.Beforeyoustartdoing themathssuggestingyoucouldhave aZ8andmore forthat,thesort ofbuyerswho’llbeaddinganOlethatotheirgaragearethekindwho’ll alreadyownthose,andmuchmorebesides. TheOlethatranscends rationalobservationandcomparison,too,itsuniqueness,and theability tohave thembuildyou exactly thecaryou wantbeingkey to itsappeal.

Chatoverandcoffeesdowned,andontheroadwhat’sapparentis there’smoretoitthanmerelyitsbeauty.There’saphysicalityabout drivingitthat’swonderfullyimmersive,theOletha’sthrottleresponse beingsupercrisp,thegearshiftperfectlyweightedandprecise –thanks tosomeSmitdevelopmentsinthelinkagetoimprovethestiffness andaccuracy –itsshortthrowbeingquick,iteasedby aclutchthat’s

lightbutfeelsomeunderfoot. There’sclarityinthesteering,too,the nosequicktoreact,again,itdeliveringfaithfulturninvia asetupthat’s loadedwiththesortofdetailedfeelandconfidence-inspiringweighting that’suncommonthesedays. Thechassisdelivers asimilarlyappealing balanceofaccuracyblendedwithsophisticatedcontrol,thewheel andbodycontrolverywellmanaged. ThatallowstheOlethatoride convincingly,yetnotdosowithoutfeelingoutofitsdepthorlosingits composurewhenyouraisethebarandstartreallypressingon.

Youreallyenjoyitwithoutdoingso,buttheneattrickwiththeOletha isthedualityitdelivers. Thisis acarthat’sabletocover groundquickly andhugelyentertaininglywithaneffortlessnessthatunderlinesits integrity.Askmorefromitanditjustkeepsgettingbetter,exploringthe upperreachesoftheengine’srevrange,abovethe5,000-6,000rpm whereitfeelsnaturaltoupshiftnormally,andwhereit’salreadyhauling alongat adecentlick,andthingsgetevenmoreinterestingandexciting. Itsoundsphenomenal,too.

UpheretheOletha’spotencysubtlychangesitscharacterinto somethingevenmoreboisterousandimmersive,andsomething,which crucially,reveals achassisthat’suptothejobofmatchingthesearing performance.It’sthatwhichimpressesthemost,that,andthefactthat thiscar,theproductfromthetalentedmindsof apairofambitious, hugelyqualifiedand committeddrivingbrothers,isafirstattempt. Itwouldbeanincrediblecarif BMWhad builtit,andit’sevenmore remarkablebecauseSmit VehicleEngineeringhas...

BMWiscelebratingthe 100thanniversaryofits Munichplant.Products stampedwith‘Bayerische Motoren Werke’have beenbornatthesiteinMunich’s Milbertshofendistrictsince1922,since then BMW’smosticonicmodelshave rolledofftheproductionlines –ranging fromtheIsettato 3SeriesandM3. Inrecenttimestheplacehasbeen transformedintowhat BMWcallsits ‘iFactory’,bynextyearhalfofwhatit produceswillbebatteryelectricvehicles. Inthebeginning,aircraftenginesand motorcyclesweretheorderoftheday. Justpriortothesecondworldwar,the Munichfacilitycelebratedthecreationof its100,000 BMWmotorcycle.Between thosedarkyearsof1938and1945 productionofbothbikesandplanes continued,nowstaffedbyforcedlabour. Cometheendofthewarmostof thebuildingswereeithercompleted destroyedorbeyonduse.Occupiedby Americantroops,theplantwasquickly broughtbacktolife,taskedwiththe repairof US armyvehicles, apermitto restartproductionofmotorcyclesand agriculturalvehiclessoonfollowed.

BMWhasbeenbuildingcarsatitsfamedMunich plantsince1922.Nowthebirthplaceofthe 3Series iscelebrating amilestoneanniversary.

Words: Simon Jackson Photography: BMW Archive

In1952thefirstcarswerebuilt. The501 wasbasedheavilyonthepre-war326, perhaps anaturalcombinationofitspast,the Isetta‘motorcoupé’arrivesin1955 –built underlicensefrom ISOinMilan,securingthe futureoftheplant. TheNeueKlasse –the BMW1500 –entersproductionin1962and withinthreeyearssome100,000havebeen built.Attheendofthe1960smotorcycle productionendsafter46-years,leavingthe Munichsitededicatedtobuildingcars.

In1975the 3Seriesarrives,theplantis reconfiguredforthejobathand,andtwoyearslateritisbuildingtheenginesforthe entire BMWrange –3Seriesincluded.In November1978,the500,000th 3Series leavesthepremises. Towardstheendof the1970sthingschangeprettydrastically, oldbuildingsareconverted,newonesare constructedandthesite’sSouthGateon Dostlerstrasse –builtin1934 –istorndown. Thislaysthe groundworkforevenlarger alterations,in1981Building11,theoriginal structurebuiltin1913,makeswayforfurther developmentwork.

Duringthe1990sproductionisheavily automated,partly to meetdemand,partly as aconsiderationfortheplant’s locationrightin thecentreoftheMunichneighbourhood.In 2000 anewenginestoragefacility,IMOLA, arrives.Thesophisticatedenginelogisticssetup streamlines engine productionforthe brand. Justfouryears later,theplanecelebratesthe buildingofits 7-millionthcar,makethatits 8-millionthbysummer2009. The2010ssee acontinual evolutionofcarsandmachinery, in2014all-electrictrucksbeginsupplying parts.In2016,the10-millionth BMWbuilton theMunichassemblylinesis celebrated. One yearlater anewpaintshopisopened,the state-of-the-artfacilityis oneof thefinestin theindustry. At theend of thedecadecomes anewdirection.In2019theplant produced itshighestoutputyet,some230,000cars werebuiltinthecalendaryear,andfollowing thatcamethestartofanotherreinvention –thistimetoolingfori4 productionwithan investmentof 200millioneuros.

For2020engineproductionisrelocatedto sitesinAustriaandthe UK,Munichissetto

Milestones at PlantMunich

1922: Munichsitebecomes thehomeofBMW.

1923: R32–BMW’sfirstmotorcycle, isproduced.

1934: Firstlargeradialaircraftengine isbuilt.

1940: BMW801 double-radial engineisdeveloped and built.

1945: US troops occupy Milbertshofen plant.

1948: R24single-cylindermotorcyclearrives limited by theAlliesto250cc.

1952: Thefirstcarsarebuilt, theBMW501isan evolutionofthe326.

1955: Isettaproduction startsin April.

1962: BMW1500‘NeueKlasse’goesintoproduction.

1975: Munichplantisreconfiguredforthefirst 3Series.

1979: South Gate,builtin1934,istorndown.

1981: Theoriginalbuilding,11, makes wayfor change.

2000: IMOLAenginestorage conceptimplemented.

2015: Foundationstone fornextpaintshopislaid.

2019: Buildings andfacilities arepreparedforthe arrival ofthei4.

2020: Engineoperationsmoved,new facilityisbuilt for electrifiedvehicles.

2022: PlantMunichcelebratesits100thanniversary.

Here:Aerialshotofthe facilityinthe1930s

PLANTMUNICH

becomethehomeofelectrified BMWs and anambitiousschedulelaunchessettoturn thefacilityonitsheadinsidetwoyears. The oldpaintshopisreplacedby anewbodyshop whiletwonewbuildingsareconstructedto enableseriesproductionof acompletely newelectricvehiclefrom2026. With the planrealised,by2021fivedifferentmodels arebuiltinMunich,propelledby amixtureof internalcombustion,plug-inhybridandallelectricpowerunits. Thatbringsusfullcircle, whennextmonththeworkforcewillcelebrate theplant’s100thanniversarywith aspecial two-daypartywithmembersoftheirfamily.

“OurrootsareinMunich. Thisplantisour origin.Andourfuture,”saidMilanNedeljkovic, MemberoftheBoardofManagementfor Productionat BMWAG:“It’sahigh-tech productionsite.Around900top-quality BMWs leavethisplanteveryday.Fivedifferent modelswithalltypesofdrive. Thisproves

NOVEMBER2022 21 1955andlargelysavedtheplantfromfailure.

thehighflexibility,butalsothevastbreadth ofexperienceandskillsofthepeoplewho workhere. Theyarethedrivingforcebehind everythingthathappenshere.”

Ataneventtomarktheanniversary,CEO OliverZipsesaid:“Ourhomeplant –rightin theheartofthemetropolisthatisMunich –hasdefiedtheelementsoftime.Because therehavealwaysbeenpeoplewhokeptthis sitemoving,alwayswiththerightinstinctfor thetimesand,aboveall,with aclearviewto thefuture.”

Inits100thanniversaryyear,theMunich plantisdemonstratingtheleadingroleit playsintheageofelectromobility.Theallelectrici4alreadymakesup aquarterof theproductionvolume –and rising:“The demandamongourcustomersforthe newi4isenormous –sowe’reramping upproductionevenfurther.Nextyear already,everysecondvehicleleavingthe Munichplantwillbefullyelectric.Going bycurrentplans,thatmeansmorethan 100,000i4sfromtheheartofMunichfor customersallovertheworld,”announced Zipse,Nedeljkovicadded:“Thismeansthat, by2023,ourhomeplantwillalreadyhave

achievedthe BMWGroup’s globalgoalfor 2030,namelytoincreaseourproportionof BEVs to 50percent”.

Innovationhassatatthecentreofthe Munichsite’sphilosophy,ithasproduced thefirstseriesofthefullyelectric MINI E, theiconicZ8,andtheelectricspecialedition ofthe1602fortheSummerOlympicsof 1972.NottomentionProjecti,culminating intherevolutionary BMWi3,whichalso originatedattheplant. Thetransformation intoan‘iFactory’isdesignedtomakeit‘lean’, ‘green’and‘digital’.BMWsaysthattogether, theprinciplesensurethatthisspecialsite–BMWGroup’scentury-oldplant –willhave ‘maximumflexibility,excellentprocessesand outstandingintegrationcapacitiesoverthe comingdecades’.BMWanditsMunichplant areseeminglyinseparable

Below:Theadministrationbuildingandbodyshopat plantMunichin2022.

ThesitehasalsobeenhometoBMWGroupClassic since2016.

Left:Thisshotfrom2019showshowtheplantsitsintheMunichneighbourhoodin moderntimes.BelowLefttoRight: R32motorcycle.Themainentranceasitlooks today.1602Electrichintedattheelectricfutureofthe facility.

Thestartofi4production atPlantMunichin2021

Maybeit’s myage, orperhaps it’s simplythatI’vebeenout in thesun for toolongthissummerbut Ihave asevere hankeringfor aconvertible. NormallyI’dgofor themost practicaloptionwhichwouldseemebehind thewheel of a3Seriescabrioandhavinghad aquick lookatthe classifiedsitlookslikethere aresomerealbargainsoutthereifyou’re not tofussyaboutwhichgenerationyougo forandwhichengineyou’ve got underthebonnet.

However,havingrecentlyseen achapzippingalong aCornishback roadinthesuninanimmaculateZ3mythoughtsareturningto BMW roadstersinstead. Thedriverjustlookedlikehewashavingsomuch funthatitwashardtoignorethecharmsofthediminutivesofttop.It’s hardtobelievethattheZ3hasbeenwithusforover25-yearsnow –I wasjustleavingthedealernetworkwhendeliverieswereaboutto start– andwhile Iwasn’t ahugefanwhentheywerenew,todayasan affordableclassictheyhave agreatappeal.

Launchedwith agreatfanfareasthelatestBondcarin GoldenEye it perhapswasn’ttheidealmachinefor asecretagent,packing ahumble four-cylinderengineand arearsuspensionset-upthatwasdistinctly oldhat.Atthetime Iwasn’tenamouredwiththestylingandthepoor oldZ3couldn’tcompetedynamicallywithcheaperormoreexpensive machinery –boththeMazdaMX-5and PorscheBoxsterbeatthe BMW handsdownonthehandlingfront.

Maybe it’s becauseI’moldernowand don’ttendtodriveeverywhere likemyhair’s onfirebut Icouldeasilysee myselfbehindthewheelofa

Z3thesedays.Havingthe ultimateinpin-sharphandlingisn’tatthetopof mylistof prioritiesthesedays butswanningaround withthehood down soakingupthesoundsandthesmells of thecountrysidewouldbe alovely thingtodo. Thestylingthatwasonce abitof aretropastiche hasmatured nicely andthetypical BMWroadsterproportionsnowreallyappeal.

Thegoodnewsisthat adecentZ3shouldn’tcostanarmand aleg torunandwhiletheydohave acoupleofweakspotsthey’renoworse thananyother BMWofanequivalentage.Butwhichonetobuy? Part ofmewouldloveanoriginalearlycarwiththeM441.9-litre16-valve engine –IthinkitreallysuitsthecharacteroftheZ3withitsfizzynature –butit’sthefaceliftedcarswiththeirfullerreararchesthatlookbetter. Sadly Idon’tthinkyoucangetanM44-enginedfaceliftmachinesoI’d probablyoptforoneofthesix-cylindercars.

I’mnottoofussedwhichengineitisthough,the3.0-litremightbe themostpowerfulbutfromwhat Ican rememberofdrivingonehard whenitwasnewthechassisdoesstruggle alittleifyoutrytouseall thepower.SoI’dprobablybemorethanhappywith a2.2 –same sonoroussoundtrackandwindinthehairmotoring.

Forsimilarmoneyyou couldalsobuya laterZ4too,butdespite preferringtheZ4 whentheywere newIthink Iprefertheretro looks of the Z3thesedays –it’sfunny howone’s tastechangeswithtime.Eitherway, Ithink thetimeisrighttobuyoneofthese greatlittleroadsters –it’sfast becomingamodern classic. They’reaffordable, funand most importantly willput asmileonyourface…andthat’ssomethingthat seems increasinglyhardtofind in thissomewhat madworldwe’re livingin.

Bobsuggeststhatnowisthe

timetoinvestin aZedcar...

IdidtheLondontriathlonatthebeginningofAugust,basedat theExcel,whichwas great. Icametenthoutof10,000entrants, whichwasn’t abadresult,andI’venowqualifiedfortheEuropean Championshipsformyage group. Ithink Iwas secondinmyage category.ThatwastheweekendbeforeSnetterton.

Snettertonwasboilinghot.Dealingwiththeheatovertheweekend wastough,wesaw35-degreetemperaturesanditwasballistically hotinthecar.Thecarnormallyoperatesat20-degreesoverthe ambienttemperatureas aroughestimate.Myteammate,JakeHill, saidthatthe ECUtemperatureisnormally15-degreesabovethecabin temperature,thatwasabout75-degrees. That’sprettysmokin’hot!If we’reconservative,it’sprobablysomewherearound50-degreesinthe carwithyouroveralls,fireproofsandonhelmet.

To cope,wecut somemoreholesinthecar.Originally,wewereonly allowedoneairduct,buttheorganisersletushaveoneoneachside justforextradrivercooling. Thedrivercoolingfanthisyearhadbeen divertedtothehybridsystem,tokeepthehybridcold,soweconvinced theteamthatweneededtoaddanotherfan. Thosetwothingsmadea bigdifference. Ialsoran awaterbottlesystemwithiceinit,whichwas great.Icecoldwateris greatwhenyou’rethathot,youcanfeelitgo downintoyourstomachandcoolyoudownfromtheinsideout.

IalsodidheatacclimatisationtrainingatLoughboroughUniversity, whichinvolvesgoingin aheatchamberandridingmybikeforanhour in40-degreesheat,thentheygetmetorampuptheefforttogetmy corebody temperatureuptoaround39.5-degreesandthenholdit there.It’sjusta sortoflevelwhereyoustarttogowoozyinthehead andthat’swhatwewanttoavoidintheracecar.Wedon’twanttogetto thatstagewhereheatishavinganeffectonyourcognitiveperformance, whichithasdoneformeinthepast. Ihad abadexperienceintheheat atOulton Parkinthe BTCC afewyearsago.

Ididsomeworklastyearwhenguysgoingtothe TokyoOlympics wereusingitatthesametime,soitwasinterestingtoseewhattheydo totryanddo amarathonin35-degrees.It’saninterestingthingandyou definitelycangetyourbodyusedtoit. Yourbodythenbasicallyupsthe plasmalevelofyourblood,soyouhavemoreliquidinyourbloodand yourbodylearnshowtoretainmorewater.Thedownsideisyousweat more,soyoustinkmore!

AtSnettertonwedealtwiththeheatreallywell:wehad apaddling pooloutsidetocoolthecoredownafterwards.Itwasmystrongest performanceoftheyear,pace-wise,over awholeweekend,but unfortunately,inracethree, Igottakenout. Thedrivercameand apologised,butitdoesn’t giveme thepositionbackand Iwould have scored reallystronglythere.I’vebeenchippingawaytogetfurther intothetoptenand Iwouldhavebeenclosetobeingabletogetinto maybeseventhplaceandI’vejustdroppedback alittlebit,soI’vegotto dotopullmyfingerout.

Qualifyingat Thruxtonwas apain.It’sacircuitthatdoesn’tnaturally suitthe BMWbecausethefrontwheeldrivecarscanseeminglyfinda lotofperformance,andthehardtyrewerunisjust awoodenblock. Consideringwherewequalified,itwas areallypositiveend. Idon’t knowhowmanypointswescoredbutatSnettertonwehadloadsof paceandwedidn’tgetthepointswedeserved,andherewedidn’t haveloadsofpaceandgotsomepoints.It’ssortoflevellingout,but Iwasreallypleasedtoget apodiumat Thruxtonbecauseit’sbeena bitof abogeytrackformeandit’snot arear-wheel-drivecircuit,soto comeoutwith apodiumis aprettygoodresult.

We’vegot afourweekwaituntilthepenultimateweekendofthe 2022seasonwhichtakesplaceatSilverstone.Hopefullywe’llhave somemorepodiumstotalkaboutnexttime,anditshouldbeanawful lotcoolertoo!

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Month Motorsport

BTCC

Championship battleintensifies

WSRscoreddoubleone-twofinishesatSnetterton, whilethepoints keptrollinginatThruxton.

TheBritish TouringCarChampionship(BTCC) arrivedinNorfolkamid acrucialstageofthe season,and aheatwave. TheSnettertoncircuit transpiredtobe ahappyhunting groundfor the WestSurreyRacing(WSR) BMWs,boosting thechampionshipchancesofdriversand team.Colin Turkingtonled afront-rowlock-out inqualifyingonthecuspofhis500th BTCC careerstart,theNorthernIrishmanbaggedhis thirdpolepositionof2022whilestablemate JakeHillsettledforsecondinhisROKiT MB Motorsportmachine.

Theweekend'sopeningracesaw Turkington resist adeterminedchargefrom Kent-based Hillthroughout,thepairfinishedone-twoin their330e MSportswhileteammate,and BMWCar columnist,StephenJelley,droveto anexcellentfifthplacefinish.

Thebattlewasevenmoreintenseinthe secondraceofthedayasthetwoWSR BMWs ranside-by-sideforhalfoftheopeninglap, TurkingtoneventuallyemergingaheadofHill

beforedrivingontohisthirdwinof2022.In arepeatoftheearlierencounter,Hillfollowed himhomeinsecondwithJelleycominghome infifthoncemore.

Dramaatthestartofthefinalracesaw Turkingtonalmostmissthestartofhis500th BTCC race.Drawnninthonthepartiallyreversed grid,hesuffered ahybridsystem failureleavinghiscarinitiallyunabletostart. QuickthinkingbytheWSRengineeringteam preventedtheneedtowithdraw,Turkington respondedwith adrivetosixthplacewithout hybridpoweravailable –onespotbehind Hill's 3Series. Thefinalracewas alessthan happyaffairforJelleywhowasspunoutof sixthplacebyRoryButcher.Jelleyrejoinedat thebackandfinished afrustrated21st.

Drivers Turkington,HillandJelleyensured adecentpointshaulsforboth Team BMW andROKiT MB Motorsport. Turkington's sizeable55pointhaulincreasedhislead attheheadoftheDrivers’Championship

fromfiveto15points,HillleftNorfolksitting thirdoverallinthestandings,justnine pointsofftherunner-upspot.Inaddition toJelley’sweekend,thetriohelped Team BMWtomoveintotheleadofthe Teams’ Championshipforthefirsttimein2022 aheadofthechampionship'snextstopat Thuxton –the UK's fastestcircuit.

32 BMWcar MOTORSPORT MONTH Attheultra-fast Thruxton,the UK's fastest track,Hillcontinuedhisexcellentrunofform toqualifythirdonthe grid fortheweekend's openingrace –thebestplaceddriverofa rear-wheel-drivecarinqualifying. Turkington wasleft afrustratedin15thplacewithJelley justbehind.ROKiT MB Motorsportdriver, Hill,racedtofourthafter astrongdrivein thefirstrace,followingtheirtoughqualifying

session,bothwith TurkingtonandJelleymade excellentprogressfrom15thand16thspots onthe gridtopickoff theirrivalsonebyone, risingto10thand11thspotsbythefinish–resultstheyrepeatedinRace Two. Arepeatof RaceOnesawHillfinishRace Twoinfourth, acceleratinghimtowithin10pointsofthe championshiplead.

Thepartially-reversed gridforthethird racesawJelleydrawnonpolepositionwith Turkingtonalongside.Runninginthetopthree throughouttherace,four-timechampion Turkingtonfinishedsecondtorecordhis 11thpodiumoftheseason.Jelley'sthirdplace wasthefirst Thruxtonpodiumofhis BTCC career.Race Threewas atrickerprospectfor Hill,anoff-trackexcursionontheopeninglap causedwhenhewassqueezedoffatSegrave by arival,droppedhimfromseventhto16th. Fromthereherecoveredwelltoclimbto 12thbythechequeredflag.

Turkingtonleft Thruxtonwith asix-point

championshiplead,Hill'sresultsputshim fourthinthestandings –23pointsaway fromtheseriesleadwithsixracestogo. Jelleywaselevatedinto atieforeighthplace inthestandings –thehighesthe’sbeenin 2022.Allthreedrivershelpedstrengthen BMW’sleadintheManufacturers’titlerace. Significantly,onlytwiceintheWSR's26-year BTCC historyhasitscoredmorepodium finishesin asingleseasonthanthe22that havebeenachievedin2022.

Thepenultimatetriple-headerweekendof theseasontakesplaceatSilverstonewhich willprovecrucialinshapinghowtheclosing stagesoftheseasonshape-up,though BMW, anditsdrivers,arelookingstrong.

Dick Bennetts, TeamPrincipal,said:“We’ll leave Thruxtonhappy.It’safront-wheeldrivecircuitandwe’vecomeawaywitha coupleofpodiumsandstillleadingallthe championships.Havingverygoodreliability with nine pointsfinishesoutofnineisexactly

whatwe’dwant,andJake’s doneverywellto have theonlyrear-wheel-drivecarinaseaof front-wheel-drives. Theteam’sworkedvery hardtomake allthree BMWs progressively betterastheday’sgoneon andwe’veseen theimpact of thatwiththe pointswe’vescored andultimatelyourwinningManufacturers’ scoreinthelastrace.Wehavetwo rounds leftandwehaveeverythingtoplayfor.”

You Write...

Mark Williamsshouldn’tfeelasthoughhe’sbeingretrogressive orout-of-stepwiththetimesinbemoaningtheapparent “Teslafication”ofdashboards,exemplifiedmostrecentlybythe introductionof BMW’siDrive 8(iD8).

E85Z43.0siRoadster

IthoroughlyenjoyedyourMarket WatcharticleontheZ43.0si,andfully endorseallyoucommentsaboutit.Addingtothearticle,the UK road taxonthe3.0siis£360.00comparedtothe Mversion –£560.00. Withqualityfuelthe3.0siwillcomfortablyachieve30mpg.Grantedwith age,anythingoflowproductiontendstoincreaseinvalue,basedon urrentlyindicatesthereareonly

age,anythingoflowproduction tends to increase invalue, based on thepopularwebsite‘Howmanyleft’,itcurrentlyindicatesthereareonly 53manualversionsremainingon UK roads. Thetimeisnow,grabone whilstyoucan!I’veincluded apictureofmine.

Th ictureofmine.

Ni

NickHollingsworth,email

Thissingle-screeneyesoremaywellbefurtherevidenceof theEV-inspiredhomogenisationofinteriors.ButI’mnotsure Musk’scustomerbaseisprimarilytoblame(though Teslaclearly setthetrendformovingcarinteriorsawayfromthosethat bearanyhereticalresemblancetothegaugesandgearsticksof ICEmodels).Rather,itseemslike BMW’sowndesignershave compromisedbothcreativeimaginationandcommonsensein thecaseofiD8:theyappeartohaveassumedthatprobinga colossaliPadwhilebarrellingalongthemotorwaysimplytoturn onyourheatedseatsissomehowmoreergonomicallypreferable thanreachingacrossto aphysicalbuttonwhoselocationyou’ve cometoknowinstantaneouslyandintuitively.

e,theeliminationofanykindofbinnaclealso trikingdisregardofaestheticnous:compareiD8to eries,forinstance,whereMercedeshasgonetothetrouble ofintegratingthesingle-screenintothecontoursofthedash— somethingnowentirelyabsentonnewvariantsofthe 3and orrytobreakthistoMark)buttheG80,too,whosedashfrom thissummerisnowalsoadornedwiththenewcurveddisplay, teeteringasitdoesonitsspindlyrearlegs. Theyreallycouldn’t amoreincongruousdashfor athoroughbredM-carif

compromised thecaseofiD colossaliPad w onyourheate thanreaching cometoknow What’smore suggests astri an Eseries,fo ofintegrating somethingno (sorrytobreak thissummeri teeteringasit havemadea they’dtried.

Itoowastherefore gratefultohaveiD7inmy M340i;anditwon’tbelong,I’dwager,beforewe’realllooking backatthatprecedinggenerationofinstrumentclustersasa designpinnacle,aheadofthecurrentslideintotouchscreen ubiquityandbanality.

LikeMark,I M340i;andit backatthatpr designpinnac ubiquityand b

iewtoexpressor aburning, BMW-relatedbeein yourbonnet,thenwe’dlovetohearfromyou.Emailusat: bmwcar.ed@kelsey.co.uk, contactusviasocialmediaorwriteto: BMWCar,KelseyPublishingLtd, TheGranary,Downs Court, YaldingHill, Yalding, Kent, ME186AL

BMW Car magazine and Kelsey Media do not necessarily share the views expressed within the letters on this page and accept no responsibility for any inaccuracies they may contain

DavidJames,email

Theconsensusseemstobethat thedaysofdiesel-poweredcars arenumbered.Inthe UK alone, diesel’sshareofthenewcar markethasdramaticallydropped fromover50percent adecadeagotojust 14percentin2021 –anddemandisstillin freefallasmorebuyersoptforhybridsand electricpowerthanever.Byextension,surely thedaysofdiesel-poweredcarswithsome sportingpretentioncanbecountedonone hand.Andyet,againstallodds,when BMW launcheditsnewG42 2SeriesCoupé,itwas offeredwithdieselpowerfromtheoff,with littlesignof aplug-inhybridorelectricvariant forthisgeneration.Doesthatmaketheshiny-

new220dCoupé arelicbeforeithitsthe marketinmeaningfulnumbers,ordoes BMW knowsomethingwedon’t?

To befairto BMW, despiteitsintensive focusoncircularity,sustainabilityand electrificationofitscars,ithasalso,on numerousoccasions,statedthatitdoesn’t believethattheentireworldisreadytoditch internalcombustionengines,soitcontinues tooptimisethemforitscustomers’needs.

The220d’sfour-cylinderturbodieselis acaseinpoint.Ourfirstchancetosample thismoderntwin-turbochargedversionof BMW’svenerabledieselwasbackatthe endof2018,duringourfirstdriveofthe G20 3Series.It’samulti-stagesetup,with

alow-pressureturbofeaturingvariableinlet geometrytoenhancedrivability.Maximum outputshaven’tchangedatallsincethen, withanadequate190hpat4000rpmand achunky295lbftoftorquefrom17502500rpmstillquotedby BMW, butthe high-pressure,common-rail,directionfuel injectionsystemhasbeenfurtherrefined withinjectionpressureofupto2500 bar.Incomparisontoanelectriccar,it’s loud,butbythestandardsofdieselit’s remarkablysmoothandquietinoperation.

Enhancingitsefficiencyinthenew220dis a48-voltmild-hybridsystem. Thisuses a48voltstarter-generatorinsteadof atraditional startingmotoranditcanadd amodest11hp c5789ddb-a5df-4b46-9e84-c56e1e8ad27f c5789ddb-a5df-4b46-9e84-c56e1e8ad27f

G42 220d

boosttohelpwithlow-speedresponse. Moreusefullyitcanstoreenergyrecuperated duringdecelerationinanadditionalbattery (thisoneisunderthebonnet,whilethe regular12-voltbatteryisstillintheboot)to beusedtopowerancillariesmoreefficiently, allowinglongerperiodswiththeengineoff withoutcompromisingonclimatecontrol, forexample. Theenginealsostartsin afar smootherandquickermanner –particularly noticeableinstop-starttraffic.Nolongerare youreachingtoturnoffthestop-startsystem atjunctionsandbusyroundabouts.

Theinterfacebetweenthemild-hybrid systemandtheZFeight-speedautomatic transmission(theforthcomingM2willbe theonlyversionofthe 2SeriesCoupéto

Inthedry,there’snotreallyenoughtorque producedtochallengethewidertrackand tyresofthenew 2SeriesCoupé,thoughit stillfeelsdelightfullyrear-drivenwhenyou dopushiton.Infact,itcomesaliveona B-roadwith apartlybrokensurface,which somewon’texpect.Itistrulybrilliantinthat environment.Such adriver’s car. Itfeelsfirm andimmediatewhenyoustartmoving,but youdiscoverthatitdoesn’trattleyourfillings exactly,atleastnotonthestandard-fit18inchalloywheels. Theshortwheelbase(110 millimetresshorterthanthatofthe 4Series Coupéforexample)meansyouhavetotake yourtimeoverspeedbumpsifyoudon’t wanttoannoyyourpassengers,butatspeed onbadroadsit’sexceptionallygoodandveryc5789ddb-a5df-4b46-9e84-c56e1e8ad27f c5789ddb-a5df-4b46-9e84-c56e1e8ad27f

beofferedwith amanualgearbox)isn’tso impressive,makingit alittlejerkyattimes whencomingto astop. Thisusedtobe anighonperfectautomaticgearbox,but it’snotanymore. Thankfully,whenonthe moveit’sstillbrilliant,smoothlyshiftinggears whenyouwanttotakeiteasy,orspeeding uptheshiftswhenintheSportmode. Youcantakecontroloftheshiftpointsfor yourselfusingthestandardpaddlesbehind thesteeringwheeltoo,ofcourse,but there’strulylittlereasontointhiscar.That’s partlytodowiththetorque-leddelivery ofthedieselengine,ofcourse.Itwillrev outcleanlytoitsredline,butthere’slittle incentivetodosoasallthemeaningful thrusthasdissipatedby4000rpm.

Evenwithdieselpower,whichisseeminglyinthetwilightofits life,the BMW 2SeriesCoupéis abrilliantadditiontotheline-up.

controlled. Thisis afullypassivesystem,too, withnoadaptivedamping.

Bydefault,thetractionandstabilitycontrol systemdoesn’tallowmuchslip,but aquick taponthebuttonmovesitintothe Traction settingandthatallows asmidgenmore leeway.Itcertainlyfeelsrear-drive,andit’s allthebetterforit –evenwhenyou’renot broachingthetyres’limitsof grip.Variable SportSteering(variableratioandpower assistance)isfittedasstandardandthebest thingaboutitisthatyoudon’trealiseit’s anythingotherthan arelativelycommunicative andwell-weightedsystem.Asever,having asimplyroundsteeringwheelis abonus–somethingnottobetakenfor granted given theintroductionofanalternativeshapeonthe BMWiXandnextyear’s XM.

Therestoftheinteriorismoreorless liftedwholesalefromthepre-LCI 3Series, whichmeanshighqualitymaterialsand tactileswitchgearthroughout.Itdoeswithout thelatest-generationcurvedinstrument display(weexpectthattoarriveonthe2

Seriesnextyear),andwe’veneverlovedthe waythedigitalinstrumentsarerendered,but there’slittlewrongwiththeiDriveinterface andtherotarycontrollerbetweenthefront seats,whilethetouchscreenresponds morequicklythanmost.Built-intechnology includesAppleCarPlay(wirelessorwired), AndroidAutoandAmazonAlexa.

Intermsofpracticality,the 2SeriesCoupé isobviouslymoreaboutthosesittinginthe frontseats. There’sloadsofspaceupfront. Forthefewtimesyoudowanttocarryrear passengers,youmaywanttomaketheir livesmorepleasantbyslidingthefrontseats forward atad,as legroomistight,despitethe factthatthenewcar’s wheelbaseissome 50mmlongerthanthatofitspredecessor.And anyoneapproachingsix-foottallwillfindtheir headstouchingtheslopingroof.Atleastthe bootis adecentsize,holding390litres –and therearseatssplit60:40andfolddownto allowloadingoflongeritemswhenneedsbe.

Notthatsuchthings arelikelytobe foremost onthemindsofprospectivebuyers,lured into

aBMWshowroombythe highlydistinctive designofthe 2SeriesCoupé.It’ssurprisingly differenttotherest oftheline-up. Ireallylike thelook,thoughit’squiteoddinsomeways, certainlynot traditionallypretty, butI likehow distinctiveit is.Thedesignappears different from differentangles,too. Therearthree quartersismyfavouriteviewwiththelights, haunchesandrearflip-up built-inspoiler.The stanceisn’tbadontheserelatively smallwheels either,thoughevenbetteronlargerwheelsof course.Thefront grille won’tcausesomany debatesastheupright styleofthe 4Seriesand

iXhavedone,and BMW’sdesignershave made afeatureoutofthevariableopeningflapsin the grilleaswell.

So,whatengineshouldyouhavebehind there? We’d beinclined tosaythatthe diesel –anydiesel –isonlyatitsbestwhen usedonthemotorwayregularlyforlong journeys. That’swhenit’satitsmostefficient andwhereitcanresultinsignificantcost savingsover apetrolalternative. The220d Coupé,forinstance,canachieveashigh as60.1mpgaccordingtoofficialnumbers, whilethemustfrugalpetrolmodel,the220i, returns44.1mpg. Thelatterisonly alittleless expensivetobuy,too,startingat£36,010–comparedwith£37,985forthe220d. The differencetomonthlypaymentswillbeall butirrelevantwhenbuyingthroughfinanceor leasing,whilethedieselmodelattractsless benefit-in-kindtax.Andwhilewedothinkthat petrolpowerbettersuitsthe 2SeriesCoupé, the220ihasconsiderablylessgothanthe 220d.Ifyoucanstretchyourbudget alittle furtheragain,andthelong-distanceparsimony isn’tcriticaltoyourdecision,thenthe230i makes amorecompellingcaseforitselfwitha usefulstepupinperformance.

Nonetheless,there’sclearly aplaceinthe BMWline-upforthe220dCoupé,which meansthere’sstill aplaceintheworldfor diesel. Fornow atleast.

G42220dCoupé

ENGINE: twin-turbochargedinlinefourcylinderdiesel,longitudinallymounted CAPACITY: 1995cc MAXPOWER: 190hpat4000rpm MAXTORQUE: 295lbftat1750-2500rpm 0-62MPH: 6.9-seconds TOPSPEED: 147mph ECONOMY: upto60.1mpg EMISSIONS: aslowas122g/km WEIGHT(EU): 1655kg PRICE(OTR): £37,985

There’s still a place in the world for diesel...

Classic BMWs areenjoying somethingof arenaissanceat themoment,withcarsbuilt inthe1970s,1980sand 1990smostindemand.More affordablethanmanyolderclassic BMWs, findingpartsisoftenlessproblematictooand ifyouinvestin aperformancemodel –like thismonth’stwo engagingcontenders –then youcanenjoydrivingyourclassic BMW everybitasmuchasyouwould amore contemporary BMW. Thesetwostunninglookingclassic BMWs commanddifferentprice tags,butgoodexamplesofbotharesetto appreciateinvalueoverthenextfewyears. AndwhetheryouchoosetheintrovertM5 Touringortheextrovert2002 Turboevery journeywillput asmileonyourface.

CLASSICHERITAGE

Only everproduced in left-handdriveform, BMW’sE34M5 Touringistheirlasthand-built MCarandprovides arelativelyaffordableroute intoclassic BMWownership.ThefirstM5to appearin Touring estateform,BMW’sE34 wasalso thelastsix-cylinder Mcarto be made withan estatebody and it’sa rarebeasttoo –withjust891examplesproducedbetween 1992and 1995.Relativelyunderstated angularstylingwithonlysubtleM5badging meansmanyotherroaduserssimplyaren’t awareof thecar’s potentialperformance –andthataddstotheE34’sappeal.

With a3795ccS38B38inline33bhpsixcylinderengine,originallydevelopedfrom theunitin BMW’sM1supercar,a bespokeM suspensionandanenhancedbrakingsystem,

theE34M5 Touringofferedpoweranddriving pleasurebeyondanythingelseinitsclassat thetime. Topspeedwaslimitedto155mph, whilstthebenchmark0-62mphtimewasjust 5.9-seconds,makingtheE34M5thequickest estatecarinthe Worldatthetime. ThisrevhappyS38B38motorproduced295lbftof torqueat aheady 4750rpm.

Withnoproperproductionlinesetupthe carhadtobehand-assembledinGarching, andcamewith arearlimited-slipdiff,a compoundbrakingsystemand adurable five(orsix-speedfrom1994)manual transmission.Inaddition, BMWalsofitteda bespokeadaptivesuspensionasstandard.

Comparedto lesser E34modelsthe M5 alsoclaimeduniquefrontandrearbumpers andside rockerpanels,plus arangeofinterior

CLASSIC

upgradesincluding auniquegearshiftsurround andrearheadrests.Somefirstownersalso opted foraNürburgringHandling Packwhich included switchabledampers,widerrearwheels, and athickerrearanti-roll bar.Andalthoughthe M5isallaboutperformance,there’splenty of rearpassengerand bootspace,makingtheE34 TouringoneofthemostcapaciousM5s.

Twenty yearsolderthantheE34 M5 Touring –andonlyproducedintwo-doorCoupé form –the2002 TurboiseverythingtheM5isn’t. Unashamedlyoutgoing, itsboy-racerlooks, angularshark-nosed silhouette,gofasterstripes, rivetedonarchextensions,bigkidney grille andbootspoilerallsay“lookatme”.And with a‘Turbo2002’frontbumperstickermounted backwards so that it canbe readbythecarin frontthisCoupe’sintentions couldn’tbe clearer!

Andwoebetideanywaywhodidn’tget outthe2002’sway,because itwasone ofthefastestacceleratingcarsaroundin theearly1970s.AsthefirstEuropean turbochargedproductioncaritsperformance wascomparablewiththe Porsche911ofthe day,andtheturbocharged1991ccfour-pot motorthatwasgoodfor168hpat5800rpm and178lbftat4000rpm.Producedwith bothfour-andfive-speedmanualgearboxes, standstillto62mpharrivedinjust7.3-seconds, whilstthe Turbo’stop speedwas130mph.

Butthe1973 Worldoilcrisisensuredthatthe 2002 Turbo’s productionrun wasshort-lived, withonly1672carsbuiltworldwide. Andthat means it’s nearlyas rareashens’ teeth –we believethereareonly 20 leftintheUK,making it oneof therarest BMWs youcanbuy.And that

scarcityhasdrivenvaluesskyhigh:expect to pay well over 100,000for adecentexample.

BMWonlyproducedthe Turbointwo colours –ChamonixWhiteand PolarisSilver–anditsseminalK,Kand K(Kuhnle, Koppand Kausch)turbochargerkicksinat4000rpm addinganadditional40hptothe2002 Tiisourcedunit,plusplentyofexcitement. BMW alsoaddedanoilcooler,biggerbrakes,a limitedslipdifferentialforbetterhigh-speed cornering,andhigh-speedtyres –butstillkept thekerbweightdowntojust1080kg.

OWNER’SDELIGHT

Bothourclassiccontendersharkbackto yesteryear,wheneverythingwassimpler –and that’sespeciallytrueofthesecars’interiors. Settledownintothedriver’s seatoftheE34

BMWM5Touringandyourfacedwith asea of 1990sblackleatherandhardplastics –with plentyofashtrays!Andthoughatfirstsightit’s notasinvitingasmoremodernfareallthe controlsareobvious,withsimpleinstruments andchunkyswitchgearthat’seasytouseand feelslikeitwilllastforever.

Thedrivingpositionisactuallyverygood, withsupportiveseatsthatkeepyouinplace andtheplainsteeringwheelmeansyourfocus isalwaysontheroadahead.Moreengaging todrivethanmanymodern BMWs in Touring guisetheE34M5isrefreshinglowprofile, whilstthemanualtransmissionwhichredlines at7000rpmisn’treallygearedforlow-down accelerationdoesn’tliketoberushed.Butthe throttleresponseand growlingperformance atthehigherendoftherevrangearestillvery muchthere,withplentyof grip when needed –and arearendthatcanbeeasilycontrolled ifyouchoosetostepout.Andthesteering reallyletsyouknoweverythingthat’sgoingon.

OurDiamondBlack1994shootcar–currentlyforsaleatHexagonClassicsfor £39,995 –isagreatexampleofwhatyou couldbuy,althoughcarslikethisdon’tappear forsalethatoften.Recentlyrestoreditcomes withBlackleather,a sunroof,theNürburgring Handling Pack,heatedseats,thesix-speed manualgearbox,headlightwash, arearLSD, andthosedefinitive throwingstar Malloys,the interiorlightpackage, BMWBusinessradio/ HiFiandwasoriginallysuppliednewby BMW Munich,beforecomingtothe UK in2012.

Ifyoutendtoshunthelimelight,thenthe 2002 Turboprobablyisn’ttheclassic BMW foryou. OneofthemostrecognisableBMW designs theexternal‘boy-racer’styling -with Motorsportstripes,aboot spoiler,widearches andaggressivebumper-lessfrontspoiler –leaves otherroad usersinnodoubtastothecar’s intentions. Butdrivingone on theroadthese days invariablyprovokesadmiration,ratherthan envy. Just43official UK carswereimported.

Theclassic1970scockpitisevenmore rudimentarythanthatoftheE34 BMW

ENGINE: 1991ccfour-cylinderturbo

POWER: 168hpat5800rpm

TORQUE: 178lbftat4000rpm

TRANSMISSION: 4/5-speedmanual 0-60MPH: 7.3-seconds

TOPSPEED: 130mph

PRICE RANGE: £65,000 -£140,000

M5 Touringanddominatedbythered trimsurroundingthethreemaincircular instruments. Therearealsotwoadditional displaysinthemiddleofthedashboard–clocktotheleft,turbopressuretotheright –whilstperfectlyplacedsportsseatsanda leathersteeringwheelwerestandard.

Needlesstosay,youwon’tfind adigitaltrip computeroranydrinkholdersinthe2002 Turbo,andthecontrolsareallsimpletousebutshowingitsagethecardoesclaimthree ashtrays! Therideisfairlyfirmandthesteering quiteheavybutthe2002iswonderfully engagingtodrive,withthewhistleofthe turbochargerdominantasyoupushbeyond

4000rpm.Andyoucanenjoysteeringonthe throttlewheneverthemoodtakesyou.

Ourstunning PolarisSilvermetallic1975shoot car isinmintcondition andclaimsafive-speed gearboxandBlackleatheretteupholstery. Witha lowly 41,000-milesit hasbeen maintainedwith noexpensesparredandiscurrentlyadvertised forsaleatHexagon Classicsfor£109,995. Accompaniedbyanoriginalhandbook, brochure andworkshopcataloguesitisavailabletoviewat Hexagon’sLondonshowrooms.

BUYERBEWARE

Owningeitheroftheseclassic BMWs would be ahighly-rewardingexperiencebutbuying

thebestexampleyoucanisessential -ifyou wanttosee areturnonyourinvestment. Wisebuyersalwaysresearchanypotential problemsfirst(we’ll giveyouallthemajor issuesyoushouldbeawareof)andbefriend atrustworthy BMWspecialisttohelpthem inspectpotentialpurchases. Thelatercanalso provideexpertongoingmaintenance -and adviseyouonhowbesttostoreyourclassic BMWonceyou’veboughtit.Setasidea fightingfundtodealwithanymaintenance andrepairissuestooandonlyeverbuy arustfreeexample,with apristineprovenance.

Thatsaid,ifyouhavethewherewithalyou canpickupanE34M5 Touringinneedof

Touring (1992-1995)

ENGINE: 3795ccsix-cylinder

335hpat6900rpm

295lbftat4750rpm

5-speedmanual 0-62MPH: 5.9-seconds

155mph

RANGE: £25,000 -£65,000

restorationforlessthan£25,000 –butifyou don’thaverestorationexpertisethenstickto mintexamples,whichcurrentlystartataround £40,000.Recommissioning atiredM5can costasmuch,ifnotmore,thanthecaritself, withrustandcorrosionpotentiallyaffecting almostallareasofthecar.

Andit’snotjustthebodyworkthatcouldneed attention,would-beE34buyersshouldalsolook outfortimingchainissuesandfailingsteering linkages,aswellasperishedbushes,warped discsandmisbehavingelectrics.makesure that everythingfunctionsasexpected,including theventilationcontrols,seat adjustment, and checkthatthe M5-specificinstrumentclusteris presentandcorrect-itshouldhaveredneedles andanoiltemperaturegauge.

Propermaintenanceisessential,but routineE34servicingat aspecialistisn’t especiallyexpensive,particularly,butchecking thevalveclearancescanbeoverlooked -they shouldbeinspectedandadjustedevery 15,000-miles,orannually.

Wornbushesandshot balljointscausesloppy handlingand youshouldinspect theradiator and water pumpsforanysignsofleaksor overheating. Arattlefromthefrontoftheengine couldindicate atiredtiming-chaintensionerand thedampersused in theEDCsystemarevery expensivetoreplace –aspecialistrefurbishment isusuallythebestoption.

AswiththeM5,thebiggestpotentialissue for2002 Turbobuyersisrust –lower valuesin the1990smeantsomeolderrestorationswere carried outon abudget, using non-originalparts andpatchingupcorrosioninsteadofrepairingit

properly.So,beware –evenifthe2002you’re lookingappearspristineontheoutside,itmight still behidingallsortsofproblemsunderneath.

Reportedhot-spotsincludetherearspring boxesontheinnerwheel-archhousings,outer arches,innerandoutersills,thefourjacking points,frontinnerwings,thelowerouter andinnerfrontpanels,innerfrontwingbox sectionsandthefloorofthecar.Andalthough mostpanelsarereadilyavailable,itcouldstill proveprohibitivelyexpensivetobuy a2002 Turbowith arustyshelltodo afullrestoration.

Otherknownissuesincludewornvalve stemseals,worncylinderbores,cooling issues –thealuminiumcylinderheadcan crackifitoverheats -blownheadgasketsand wornrockershaftsandrockers. Frontwheel bearingsonthe2002 Turboneedregular greasing,whilstdamperseventuallyleak,and suspensionspringscancrack.Mostofthe electricshowevertendtolastremarkablywell.

Thefinest2002 Turboshavealmost allbeenrecommissioned –socheckthe provenancewithafine-toothedcomb. There shouldbepictures,loadsofpaperworkand evenvideos –plus ahistoryfile.2002 Turbo pricesrangefrom£65,000forcarsinneedof TLC,rightupto£140,000 -withmostgood examplesbetween£100kand£140k.

STYLEMAINTENANCE

COSTS

FUTURE

StillTheBest?

Unlessthere’sarealstepchange inautomotivetechnology– think internalcombustionengineto electricpowertrainbywayofa modernexample,or amarked about-turninmanufacturerdesignlanguage, carmodelstendtoproveevolutionaryrather thanrevolutionary.Prettymuchanyseries model BMWyoucaretomentionwouldlargely provethispointbutherewe’reconcernedwith oneinparticular –theE39 5Series.

Withoutdoubt,eachandevery 5Series beforeandafterhasmovedthestoryon,but theE39was aratherspecialmomentintime for BMW. Consideredbymanytobethe‘best carintheworld’evenlongafteritsintroduction, youmightassumethatithadaneasyactto followallowingittogarnersuchhighpraise. Thatwasnotthecase. TheE34thatcame beforewaseverythingbut,however,bethat asitmay,whentheE39wasrevealedtothe publicinproductionformatthe FrankfurtMotor Showin1995itwasuniversallyadored.

Certainly alarge stepforwardoverits forebear,bothindesignand,formany, aesthetics,theE39managedtoremaininstantly recognisableas aBMWwhile alsoappearing freshandexciting. Thosetrademark quad headlightsupfrontwerejoined by asleeker bodythatwaslargerallthewayaround–read longer,widerandtaller.Thattranslated tomoreroomon theinsidebut thiswas no heavyweightas aresult,infact, somewhat incredibly,itwaslighterthantheE34before

it.Extensiveuseofaluminium,andlighter drivetraincomponents,were largely to thank forthat. Therewasaluminiumsuspensiontoo, therearbeing BMW’sZ-axlemulti-linkaffair, butthematerial’suseintheE39’sengines was perhapsmoreimportant. This 5Serieswas thefirstlarge-scaleproduction carintheworld madealmostcompletelyofaluminium,and itsall-aluminiumenginesaddedlightnessto therecipemeaningweightsavingswereallbut guaranteed.Intheolden days,addinglightness oftencompromisedstiffness,butthanksto CAD (computer-aideddesign)work,theE39’sshell

was afull50percentstifferthanthatofthe E34.Itwas so rigidinfactthatwhenit came timetocreatetheE39’sreplacement –the E60 –itwas madenostiffer.Otherfirstshere? Thesix-cylinderE39swerefitted with rackand pinionsteering,thoughtheV8-poweredcars madedo with the lesspreciserecirculating ball setup –thisduetospacerestrictions rather thanany cutting of corners.Infact,theE39was generallyadvancedwhenitcametotechnology, itsuseof BMW’sfive-speedSteptronic transmission,stabilitycontrolsystems,parking sensors,andsatellitenavigationincluded.

Words:SimonJacksonPhotography:JasonDodd

Engineswereofthefour-andsix-cylinder variety,forthe UK marketeverymodelboasted six-cylinders. Thediesel-enginedcarsare worthyofattentionfor anumberofreasons, notleastbecausetheE39wasblessedwith thefirstperformancedieselengineinthe 530d,butthesedaysit’sprobablysafetosay thatthesix-cylinderpetrol-enginedcarsarethe onestocovet. Thestraight-sixpetrolmodels availableatlaunchwerethe2.5-litre523iand the2.8-litre528i,thesewerelaterjoinedby the2.0-litre520i. Poweroutputsrangedfrom 150to170hp.In1998came amajorchange inengine-lineup. TheupdatedM52engine sawtheadoptionofdouble-VANOSvariable valvetimingandsteelliners –ridding theE39 ofthemuchpublicisedissueswithNikasil-clad engines.Inlate2000theE39received afacelift,thoseiconic ‘AngelEye’headlights,and, perhapsmoreimportantly,theM54straight-six arrived. Theentry-level520imodelremained, albeitwith a2.2-litreenginenowgoodfor 170hp,the523iwasbinnedinfavourof the525iwhilethe528iwasreplacedbythe 231hp530i.

Whenitcomestospecificationlevels,the twosmallerenginedmodelswereavailable inentry-leveltrim,SE(SpecialEquipment) andSport– availableonthe528iand530i. Initially,‘Sport’was apackagethatcouldbe orderedwithanyotheroptions,butitdidnot featurethe Maerokitthatbecamesopopular whentheE39wassoldas aSportinitsown right. Thiscanleadto abitofconfusiontoday whensellerslisttheircarsas‘Sport’models.

It’salwaysworthdoingsomediggingifsuch mattersconcern.

But,withoutdoubt,theE39isoneofthemost popularmodelsin BMWhistory.Whenproduction endedin2004,theE39hadset anew 5Series salesrecord –atotalof1.47millioncarshad beensold. Today,theE39isconsideredbymost tobe agenuinemodernclassic, apopularchoice for BMWenthusiastsand,amongstthosewell qualifiedtoargueitscorner,isRayLucas –owner ofhe528iSEyouseehere.

Rayhasownedthiscarfor13-years,but thereasonthatthe58-yearoldfromHerne Bayin Kenthasanopinionworthvaluingso highlyisnotsolelythankstothelengthof timehehasownedthiscar.Yousee,Rayis anexpertonthissubjectashehasbeena mechanicforsome42-years,theownerof hisownbusiness,hehasbeenworkingon prestigecarsandrestoringclassictwo-stroke motorcyclesinhissparetimefordecades–11atlastcount!Andhiscredentialsgofurther still,asRayexplained:

“Mybackgroundwith BMWs is pretty extensive! IhaveownedthreeE30325iSE–two-doormodels, apairofE36325i,anE46 318iSportandtwoE39528i 5Seriescars,” Raysmiled.“Ihaveworkedon BMWs,amongst mostotherprestigecars,forallofmyworking lifeas amechanic.”

RaywasdrawntotheE39youseehereas he,quitesimply,thinksitis areallynicelooking car.Withthatwe’dhavetoagree.

“Evennowitdoesn’tlooktoodatedandI’m alwaysgettingcommentsonwhat anicelooking

caritis,”Raysaid.“Itisreallycomfortableand thedashlooks greatlitupatnight.”

Ray’syear2000carwasinverygood conditionwhenheboughtit,anditremains thatway22-yearsonfromwhenitrolledoff theproductionline. The528iSEboaststhe fullelectricpack,memoryseatsandsteering column,electricheadrests –it’sfullSpecial Equipmentspecification.

“ThetwoE39s Ihaveownedhavebeen bulletproof,theyareveryreliablecars,” Rayenthused,“Ihavealwayskeptthisone polished, Ihavehad afew bits ofbodywork doneovertheyearsbut,as amechanic,I undertakealltherepairsandservicingmyself.”

Withthatwecan’targueforwhoisbetter qualifiedforthetask?

“Themainaspectsthat Iloveaboutthiscar isthesmoothsuspension,andtheengine sound –youcan’tbeat astraight-sixand

thetorquetheenginehasmeansitisjust alovelycartodrive. Youwouldn’tknowitis 22-yearsold.”

WhenwequizRayaboutwhetherornotthis caris acurrent,orfutureclassic,hisanswer comesswiftly:

“Yes!Itisdefinitely afutureclassic,ifitisn’t already.I thinkit’suptherewithallthebest5 Seriesmodels,”Raysmiled.“Valuesarevery variedso Idon’treallyknowwhatthesecars areworthatthemoment,but Ithinktheywill increase. Iintendtokeepthiscaras Iloveit–if Iweretoreplaceit Idon’treallyknowwhatI wouldbuy,”we’retold.

Rayhastweakedhisexample alittleover theyears,butonlywith afewlittletouchesto personaliseithereandthere –thisishisdaily driver,afterall.

“IhavefittedanM5illuminatedgearknob, agenuine BMWbootspoiler,and asmall

E39528iSE

ENGINE: Six-cylinder,12-valve

CAPACITY: 2793cc

MAXPOWER: 193hp @5300rpm

MAXTORQUE: 207lbft @3950rpm

0-62MPH: 7.5-seconds

TOPSPEED: 147mph

ECONOMY: 29mpg WEIGHT: 1440kg PRICE(NEW): £30,910

lowerfrontspoiler.Thewheelscameoffmy old 5Series, Iamtoldtheyarequiterare.” Raysaid.“Ithas afullleatherinterior,electric memoryeverythinganditismanual,that meansitismorefunsteppingthebackout!”

Inhislineofwork,Raygetstomixwith BMWs ofalltypesandages,sohe’swell placedtocommentonwheretheE39sits thesedaysinthe grandschemeofthings.

“The BMWscenetodayisstillverystrong inmyopinion. Ithinkthereis agood followingwiththeyoungercrowdinthe

oldercarsandclassics. Ihaveafewyounger customersdrivingE46 3Seriesandtheylove them.Alsotheyaresomuchmorereliable thansomeoftheoldercars,”Rayexplained.

“Thenewer BMWs areverymuchmore refined, Iworkonlotsofthem,but Ithink therearetoomanydistractionsinthecar andtoomanydriveraids. IlovemyE39as itisbarebones,andyoucanstillstepthe backendoutandput asmileonyourface!” Verywellsaidindeed,thatman,verywell saidindeed...

Thefullyfettledmotorincludedsix individualthrottlebodiesandintroduced VANOS. Acontinuousvariablevalvetimingon the inlet camshaft capable of choosing exactly the right cam angle instead of flicking from A to B and back like Honda’s V TEC This new tricke y to improve torque and fuel efficiency was governed by the throttle position sensor, a rev sensor and camshaft pickup VANOS could adjust the intake camshaft by up to 21 degrees within 250 milliseconds The ported and polished engine also featured a Bosh Motronic M3 3 management system,

trackarms,reinforcedstub axles,thicker anti-rollbarsandrearwheelbearingsfrom theE31850i.Inperiodthebrakestoowere considerably over sized with 315mm at the front and 313mm at the rear accompanied by a larger brake master cylinder and revised ABS

The aptly named Evolution would arrive on Australian shores in February 1996 after its unveiling at the Frankfurt motor show in the September prior With displacement increased to 3 2 litres, dual VANOS on intake and exhaust, dual sump pickup, bigger inlet valves, lightweight pistons, graphite coated conrods,

TheE36andbyextensionM3was designedbytheemergentPinkyLaiwho alsopennedanotherlessreveredicon –the Porsche 911 996 In the BMW’s case the styling was often criticized for being too anodyne, with the M3 hardly differentiated from the regular 3 series Yet the same attributes are praised on the wolf in sheep’s clothing E28 and E39 M5 and were a proud hallmark of the marque in years gone by The M specific wing mirrors, side sills, front and rear bumper could easily be retrofitted to any 3 Series making M3 wannabes somewhat

adjustmentofthebus-likesteeringwheel–creating asenseofbeingtoofarfromthe wheelwhentheseatisadjustedadequately for your legs and the iconic vader seats headrest is about as useful as a chocolate teapot Don’t mention the quality of the recyclable interior materials, bonded with inadequate period glues

Finally, and above all else The E36 M3 suffers from being the middlle car child lodged between the all conquering legend; The E30 M3 that managed tthe coup d’état of motorsport, lasting four and a half years

ascendedtotheloftysalessuccessesenjoyed overrivalGermanmarquesforthebestpart oftwo-decades,cementingtheM3asthe benchmark by which all other medium sized sports four seate s are measured

Between 1992 and 1995 the sale of 29,000 3 litre M3s had dealerships spinning to meet demand, hardly lukewarm! Especially when you consider its largest sales market the U S A only began sales in 1995 Overall it sold just over 71,000 units in coupé, cabrio and saloon variants

Contemporaneous videos by Motortrend

Driviiing 1000 kilometers southward from Sydney in my own E36 M3 for nine consecutive hours down the galaxy’s most mundane road, with a lack of cruise control and driver aids of the like I found myself engaged and alert in the dense valley at 2am Enjoying the unadulterated hum of the 3 litre straight six in the dead of the night and the practice of driving,, rather than transporting oneself That I arrived without cramp or stiffness is a testamentt

andrediscovertheE36M3inthe Yarra Valley southeastofMelbourne,asitvergesonits 30thanniversary.

goodlightingtocomeoutoftheirshelland OxfordGreenisnodifferent.

Butboyisthiscardifferent! To thetrained eyeatleastanditallstartswiththatcolour. Yousee,thereareonlyeightright-handdrive OxfordGreen3.0coupésintheworld. That’s it,outof70,000 –justeight!

TwoofthoseareinAustralia. Thiscar thoughgoesdeeperinitsuniqueness. Apartfromindulgingin BMW’scatalogueof Individualcolours,thepurchaserspecifiedthis carwithstyle29sor BBS RC041s,whichare around1.5kglighterthanthe Mdoublespoke, equalingroughly3kgofunsprungmasssaving perwheel –unfortunatelythosewheelsare longgone.Alsoselectedwasthemagical919 option,meaningithasaluminumdoors… on a3-litre!Ifsomeonewasthinkingabout cuttingweightitissurprisingthesunroofwas retainedandthereareotherodditiestoo. Withthiscarbeingthe11thfromlast3-litre deliveredinAustralia,itbenefittedfromthe incomingEvolution’spartsbin.Mostnotably withthelatterstylevaderseatswhichhasa bulgedheadrest,theupdateddash,steering wheelandtheZHPshifter,whilstquirkily retainingtheolderstyleseatbeltbucklesand robustmanualclimatecontrol.

Here, IturntoownerCobeyforfurther insight:“My father and grandfatherwere motoringenthusiastsand Irememberalways beingaroundcarsduringmychildhood.Early

MazdarotariesandmultipleV8 Holdens occupiedour drivewayback then.Naturally, beingaroundHoldensmademeaPeterBrock fanbydefault. Thetouringcarsofthe80s were probablywhere my interestandpassionfor BMWs began. IadmiredtheFrankGardiner JPSBMWs inthefamousblackandgold livery. Thesecarswerealwaysextremelycompetitive againstthemuchlargercapacityV8Holdens and Fordsoftheera. Ivividlyremember Peter Brockdrivingthe’88season inan E30 M3 after hisdeparturefrom Holden. Thesecarswere oneofthebest-lookingracecarsonthetrack. Why, Iquiz,didyouchooseanE36M3 whenanE46M3costsaboutthesame?

“Funnily,I was closetopurchasinganE46 M3before theE36 presented,howeverI alwayshad asoftspotfortheE36. Iwas17yearsoldwhen BMWreleasedthe E36M3 here in Australiain’94.BeingthefirstAustralian variantoftheM3,withrelativelylowproduction numbers compared to theE46, Ialwaysfelt itwas abit morenotablethantheE46and wouldeventuallybeseenas acollectorcar.”

Andhow,I ask,didyouendupwiththis car?“HavingsoldanE82135isomeweeks earlier,I startedhuntingforanexamplethat wassolidmechanicallybutneededwork cosmetically.I got acallfrom afellow BMW ClubmemberoneSundayaskingif Ihadseen the greenE36M3listedon Facebook. Ihad notatthatpoint,howeverviewedtheadand c5789ddb-a5df-4b46-9e84-c56e1e8ad27f

spoketotheownerin Perthafewhourslater. Somedetailsandvideowereexchanged,and Idecidedtojumpinandpurchaseit.Just24hourslaterthesalewascompleted,andthe carwasonitswaytoMelbourne.Itneeded someTLCand providedmy15-year-oldson and Iwith agreatprojectwecouldtackle duringtheMelbourne COVIDlockdowns.It hasbeenquite ajourneyoverthelasttwoyears,butverymuch alabourofloveandselfsatisfactionseeingthecarreturntotheroad.”

Truthfullythestylingiscompletelyunlikethe grill-less,roundednoses evidentonso many carsofthe‘90s. Thetough,purposeful frontendwithlargegapingairdam, hardsquared kidneygrillsandenclosedheadlampsperfectly suitedtosharkmusichuntingyoudownshould youseeitapproachinginyourrear-view mirror, whilstthebeautifullysculptedaerodynamic sidemirrors, dolphinlike silhouetteandlaxed

tensionofthelinesattherearcompletethe juxtaposition of thetwoends.

Onthecountryroadsofthe Yarravalley, withtheoilreaching“let’sdoit”temperature, thecarfeelsasifthebalanced,capable chassisisridingshotgun.Allowingtheengine totakecentrestagewhilstfullycommitted toitsowntask.No,thereisnomagical connectednesstoroadthatanaloguecars supposedlydeliverbutyoucertainlyaren’tin anydoubtastowhatthecarisgoingtodo… Pullhardandturninwhenyouwantto,ina glidingmanner.I coulddothisallday,have asipofwaterandgodoitagainandagain. Fasterorsloweritdoesn’tmatter.

TheE36M3hadnopeer.Nonefromrival marquesthatareuniversallyexcepted. With significantstrengthsandweaknessesover thegenerationspostandprecedingtobe considered achampionoftheM3moniker.

Whilst theracingaccoladesoftheE30went unmatched. TheE36 M3 wasdesignedasa cutting-edgeproduction carwith abetterdrive train,a better chassisanda moremodern, understatedbodyandnot atrack focusedscalpel.

AlthoughlesspolishedthantheE46 launched adecadelater,theE36M3was thegenesisofitskind,sharingnothingwith itspredecessor.Theearly2000smodel certainlystakesstrongclaimtobeingthe zenithof BMW’sinline-six –anevolutionof theE36’s3.2Evo,ifyoulike,especiallysince itsaward-winningengineborrowedthecast ironbottomendfromtheS50ratherthanthe castaluminumM54 –furtherdevelopingthe E36’sbreakthrough VANOSsystemamongsta hostofothertechnologiesfromthepreceding car.Howeverthereremainenoughanalog attributeslostonthelatercartoconsiderthe E36M3asthelastoftheMohicans.

Market Watch

Fast, gloriouslysmoothandunderstatedly glamorous, BMW’sE64650iSportCabrioletis now arealbargain,withgoodexampleschanging hands foraslittleas£8,000.Builtbetween2006 and2010,the650isitjustbelowtheV10M6 intheE64rangeandpacksasonorousnaturallyaspiratedV8underthebonnet– whichmost enthusiastsagreesuitsthe Sixbetterthan aV10.

Boasting aplushstandardspec,it’squick and greatvalueformoney,howeveritisa thirstybeastbymodernstandardssoit’sfairly expensivetorun.Andalthoughthereare fourseats,it’sreallyjust agrand2+2.But thestylingworkssomuchbetterthanthatof itsE63Coupesiblinganditlooksclassyand elegant -especiallywiththeroofdown.

The650i’ssilkyN624799ccnaturallyaspiratedV8isgoodfor362hpinstandard factorytuneandproduces amaximum of 361lbftoftorquefromjust3,400rpmand ismatedtoeither asix-speedmanualorsix-

speedautomatictransmissions.Almostall UK carswereautomaticsandalthoughthe650i weighsinataround1935kgbothperformance andhandlingarehighlyimpressive.

Builton ashortenedversionoftheE605 Serieschassisthecontroversialrear-endflamesurfacestylingseemstohavelessimpacton theConvertibleandtohelpkeeptheweight downthedoorsandbonnetweremadeof aluminium,withthebootandfrontwings madeofcarbon-reinforcedplastic.

Andthe650i’simpressivespecalso includesadaptiveheadlights, ParkDistance Control,voicecontrol,activeanti-rollbars, ActiveCruiseControl,head-updisplay,night vision, aheatedsteeringwheel,soft-close doorsandanintegratedwinddeflector.

A2008faceliftbroughtexteriordesign changeswithtweakedheadlights,tail-lights andbumpers,whilstthecabinreceived updatedclimatecontrols,and anewelectronic

gearleverplussteering-wheelpaddles.And Sportmodelshad astifferanti-rollbarandan updatedexhaustfitted.

Worriesoverrunningcostsandfuel economymeanthatvaluesareprettylow,but realisticallytheycan’tfallthatmuchlower –so aswellbeing abargainit’salso agreattimeto buy a650iSportCabriolet.Butmakesureyou buythebestexampleyoucan –withafull servicehistoryand ayear’s MoT.

Notsurprisinglypricesachievedreflect mileageandcondition,startingataround £8,000fordecentexamples.Butwe’dbe waryofpayingmuchmorethan£14,000–howeverlowthemileage.

Andwithcarslikethisstunning89,000mileAtlanticBlueMetallic2006650i goingfor£9,995,there’sreallynoneedto. ForsaleatBoroughGreenGarage(www. boroughgreengarage.co.uk)in Kent,it’s trimmedwith acontrastingexclusivepearl

creamleatherinteriorandlightbirchwood highglossinteriortrim,andcomeswith afull servicehistory,satellitenavigation,Bluetooth, electricheatedseats,dualclimatecontrol, cruisecontrol,19-inchwheels,LEDrearlights, Xenonheadlights,daytimerunninglightsand privacyglass.Soldwith12-month’sMoTanda three-monthwarrantyitlooks acracker.

Ifhoweveryoureallymusthavethevery lowestmileageexampleyoucanfindthen this TitaniumSilverMetallic2007exampleat MichaelStocktonMotorCompany (www.michaelstocktonmotorcompany.co.uk) Londonwouldtakesomebeating.Incredibly ithascovered amere29,000 -hencethe

BMW650iSportAuto2009/0944,991£12,000

BMW650iSportAuto2009/0947,226£8,500

BMW650iSportAuto2009/0949,600£7,915

BMW650iSportAuto2009/0998,742£6,150

BMW650iSportAuto2009/5960,422£8,800

BMW650iSportAuto2010/1077,529£10,200

*Salepricesofgood-conditionexamplessoldrecentlyatBritishCarAuctions

Poor: Under8,000

Good: £8,000to£11,000

Excellent: £11,000+

Specialeditions: None

elevated£14,990askingprice. We’resurethat thereissomeroomfornegotiationhowever andthespecishardtobeat.

As asignofjusthowmuchE64metalyou cannowgetforyourmoneyrightnow,this particularcarisadvertisedfor£2,000lessthan theoriginalcostofitsoptionalextrasalone!

Butthereareothercarswithlower-than averagemileagesadvertisedforless,likethis £10,995Metallic PearlGrey2007example with67,331-miles.OntheforecourtatPPSC Ltd(www.ppscltd.co.uk)inLincolnshire,it’san 07-platerwithdarkredleatherupholsteryand afullservicehistorythatincludesonlymaindealerandspecialiststamps.

Butwhereveryoubuyyour650iyoumust watchoutforanysignsofthemorecommon issuesreportedbyowners,whichinclude faultycoils(whichcancausemisfiresorrough running),heavyoilconsumption,leakyvalve covergasketsandtimingcovergaskets -which areexpensivetochange.Butthebiggest potentialissueiscoolantleaks,whichcanbe trickytofindandexpensivetofix.

However,theautomaticandmanual gearboxesaregenerallydependable–althoughtheSMGgearboxcanwearthrough clutchesquickly.Andyoushouldwatchfor faileddiodepacks,tiredbatteries,electrical glitches,waterleaksintothebootand misbehavingroofmechanisms.

THANKS...

GrantDarlingandDarren Parkerat James Paul(www.jamespaul.co.uk),the BMWCarClubofGreatBritain(www. bmwcarclubgb.uk),BritishCarAuctions (www.bca.com),SilverstoneAuctions (www.silverstoneauctions.com),Bonhams (www.bonhams.com),ClassicCarAuctions (www.classiccarauctions.co.uk),Glenmarch. com,www.bimmerforums.co.uk,Redish Motorsport(www.redish-motorsport.com) andGlass’s(www.glass.co.uk)theirhelp withthisfeature.

RobRichardson

2002

Chapter Two

Robcontinueswithhis WebconDCOE40 installandhitstherollingroad...

Following my DCOE40installlast monthI’d bookedthecarinfora rollingroadsoitwastimetocheck everythingandgetthe carset-up. I’dnotdone alot ofdynotuning beforelastyearwhen Itook my ’76 Toyota1000, afteranengine rebuild,tohavetheDellorto40s set up. Butafter acoupleoftrips togetthecarright(fuelpumpand dizzywoes), I’dquickly learned you leavenothingtochanceas youwanteverythingonthe dayto gosmoothly.

My Webconkitcamewith trumpets, butI’ddecidedtoswap themoutforsome125mmlong bolt-onsandcap-headbolts.I think they’remuchcleanerlooking and reminiscent ofwhatwasfittedto theAlpinacarsI covet.I’dlove tosayI’ddone thepulse-tuning mathsonthem,but Ihadn’t. Longer=moretorque in theory, so we’llseehow it goes. While Ilove the look,I’m notbrave enough for opentrumpets so I’delectedfor sometriple-layermeshfilterswhich shouldprovea goodcompromise betweenfiltration,flow andnoise. Iabsolutelylovethe look ofthis set-upandthetrumpetsare beautifullymade… butwe’renot here to keeptakingaesthetics,let’s get this thingsetup.

Firstcheckswerefloat level:12mm asguidedbya

3/8”extensionofconvenientlythe rightdiameter.Nextwasthefuel systemandlessonslearnedfrom mylast dynoexperience.Ifitteda new Facetsilvertopcompetition pump and aFilterKingpressure regulator(having made asimple brackettomountittomyrearstrut braceandavoidingdrillinginto thecar). Thiswas asimpleinstall asthecar alreadyhad asmaller electricpumpsowasalmostplug andplay.Fuelpressurewasset to 3psiandanother jobwasticked offthelist.

Thedynocanbequitehard onthecar,soI changedtheoil (VR120w50)andfilterasgood practice. Thefinaljobwasgetting abaseset-up;Ifiredthecar upanditranreallywelloutof thebox,so Ihad ahead-start.I balancedthecarbs,settheidle mixtureandthenidlespeed andtookitfor adrive:itwasa revelation.I’dnotexpectedmuch intermsofreal-worldgainsas theenginewasstillinternally standard,butthetip-intorque wasalreadyanincredibleleap

overthe32/36DGV.Noteven jettedyetanditwasshowing massivepromise.Andofcourse thenoise:what anoise.

With thecar running OK(asOK as Icould getit and tobefair, it wasbetterthanexpected) Iwas abletodriveitto thedyno: TTP in Bromsgrove.Malcisknown as the“Weberwhisperer”soit wasingoodhands.Ifyou’venot hadcarbssetupbeforeit’sa brilliantexperienceandyou learn so much,evenifyounormally doyourowntuninglike me.It’s

greattosee howthepros do it. Firstoff,theenginegets aheath check: compression(allgoodwith astrong160psiacross allfour cylinders,furthervalidating this is afreshengineinrudehealth), points set,freshplugsandthen it astimetorun. Firstrunningjob wasthetimingandsettingupthe carbbalanceandlow-endidle jettingandspeedbeforemoving ontothemaincircuit.

Thiswaswhenweraninto anissue:thedistributorwasnot holding asolidadvanceposition atidle,causingtherevstorise anddropandnotrunnicely. We spentsometimeworking aroundthisandmanagedto getto a“safe”positionandthe timingwherewewanteditat fulladvancesothecarcouldbe setup. Thecarwasthenranat severalloadsandrpmstodialin thejet,aircorrectors,emulsion tubesandconsequentlycomplete fuellingthroughthewholerev andloadrange.Oncehappywith thisitwasontothepowerrunsto checkconsistencyandofcourse, togetthemagicnumbers.

IdiscussedwithMalcthiswas aroad carandwhat Iwanted

19732002

YEAR: 1973 TOTALMILEAGE:100 MILEAGETHISMONTH: 3120 MPGTHISINSTALMENT: Whatever COST THISMONTH: £139Faced fuelpump,£85Filterking, £220Rampipesandmech filters, £POADynosession

from it,sothe settingswere tailoredtothatandmydriving styleratherthansettingforan all-outattackrace car. Despitethe distributorissues theresults were astounding.Again, keepinmind thisisastandardengine,witha standardcamanditmade119hp and124lbftoftorque. Versus thestandardfiguresof99hpand 116lb ft that’sanincredibleresult andessentially“Ti” power.I was thrilled. Theproofisinthedriving thoughanditdrivessensationally. It’sengaging,sharpandbarks toanamazingcrescendo at 6000rpm.Thecharacterofthe wholecarisnow somuchmore specialandevendrivingnormally isaneventwith theDCOEs.

But,thereisstillworktodo. To staysafetheidlecircuitisoverrichtopreventanydetonation fromtheunrulyadvancecurve;it driveswell,butthehuntingand highidlespoilstheexperience.I couldhavethedistributorrebuilt, butinsteadI’mgoingdownthe 123Ignitionroute. Abrandnewdistributorwhichisfully electronic,youcanprogramthe advancecurvesfromyourphone, aswellasotherfeaturessuchas arevlimiter,immobiliserandlive dashboard.NexttimeI’llcover theinstallationandset-up,but thesystemisincredible!

JobList

Manicontinuestotickjobsoffhis‘todo’listand meetssomelike-mindedBMW owners.

OnmyE39530iSport ChampagneEdition II,I havehad anissuewiththewindscreen washersystemfailsto,well washproperly.Ipullthestalk andnothingbut adrizzleis allthat Iampresentedwith onthewindscreenwhich doesnotdo afantasticjobof cleaningthewindscreen.

Irememberfromoneofmy earlierE39s Iownedthatitwas thesmallconnectorsunder thebonnetthattendtodetach

fromthemainnozzlejetsin coldweather(thisreportis fromOctober2021)buthaving triplecheckedthatandensured upallofthepipesrelating tothewashersysteminthe enginebaywereallconnected, itmadelittledifference.

Giventhatthecarisalmost 20-yearsoldandhaving aclean windscreenonrequestispretty fundamental, Ithoughtthatit wasthentimetoreplacethe windscreenwashersystemsince

Iwouldimaginethereservoir andfilterswouldbeprobably fullofgunk,hencethepoor showanddrizzleofwaterthatis beingejectedfromthenozzles.

Afterorderingallofthe relevantpartsfrommylocal BMW retailer,I thenhandedtheparts, abottleof BMWScreenwash (which Ialwaysuse)andof coursethecartomylocal BMW Specialistforthemtoworkon.

Afewhourslater,I get acall to saythatthecarisreadyfor collectionandsureenough, as Itestedthesystem,thejets firedintoactiondistributing theconcentratedscreenwash powerfullyandevenlyacross thewindscreen. Ialsodouble checkedtheheadlightwasher system(which Idon’tlike tousethatoften)andthat wasworkingwelltoo.

So, Iampleasedtosaythat thiswasanotherjobtickedoff theto-dolist.And arelatively inexpensivejobinmyopiniontoo.

AlthoughmyE39isoriginally aSytner BMWLeicestercar,it wasactuallytransferredto Sytner BMWNottinghamforitssale backin2003/2004.Sobased onthat, Idecidedtotakethe

cartotheNottinghamcentre forittoreminisceandmeetup withthefantasticMattKidd;the centre’sHeadofBusinesswho verymuchfondlyremembers sellingthese(aswellasthe WilliamsF1editionsoftheE46 330i)backintheday.Wehad areallygoodchatand Ialso hadtheopportunitytotake alookatthecentre’sAlpina collection,includingtheirvery ownandstunninglypresented E21,where Iwasshownround bythebrilliantAlpinaGB BrandManager,GaryLott.

Imentionedinmylastreport that Imetupwith afellowE39 530iSportChampagneEdition II owner(James)andthat Iwas planning amini-meetofother ChampagneEdition II’s atmy

Mani Singh Hayer

local BMWretailer.Well, Iam pleasedtoreportthatinJanuary ofthisyear,ittookplace!Ittook alotofresearchtryingtotrack

downfellowownersandstatus ofallthecars(Imanagedto track22ofthe150),but,in theend,therewerefourofus

whowereabletomakeit.Itwas quite asurrealsight,seeingfour identicalChampagneEdition IIs allwithdifferingmileagesyetall within acoupleofmonthsoldof eachother.As RichardHickling, thesuperaccommodating ManagingDirectorof Sytner BMWLeicestercommented,it remindedhimof asightthatwas quitefamiliarfromallthoseyears agowhenhewassellingthese.

Whilstmycarwaspresentas wasJames’scar(I covereddetails abouthiscarinthelastreport), theothertwobelongedtoSam andDillan. We allknowSam wellsincehiscarwasfeatured inthisverymagazineinthe July2021issue.Andregarding

E39530iSport ChampagneEditionII

YEAR:2003

MILEAGETHISMONTH: 200

TOTALMILEAGE: 39,100

MPGTHISMONTH: 24

COST THISMONTH: £300.00

E46330iSport

Individual

YEAR:2002

MILEAGETHISMONTH: 0

TOTALMILEAGE: 85,300

MPGTHISMONTH: 25 COST THISMONTH: £0

Dillan’scar,ithadjusttickedover 160,000-milesbutitlookedlike acarthathadcoveredhalfthat thanksto alotofhardworkthat Dillanwasdoingtothecar.

Itreallywasanawesome sighttoseefourcarsinsuch fantasticconditionanditwas also adiscussionpointfor manyofthecentre’sstaff andcustomerspassingby.

Inthephotosyousee,the registrationwith AisDillan’s car,FbelongstoJames,J wasSamand Mismycar.

MysincerethankstoRichardandHolly(andteam!)atSytner BMWLeicesterforgivinguptheircanopyforthemorning!

TLC Time

After18-monthsofownership andputting20,000-mileson theM2itwasdueitslatest service,seemsstrangethese longschedulesonperformance carsbutthecarhasn’tmissed abeatandhasperformed exemplary.Withjustover 30,000-milesonthenclock nowit’sstillverylowforafive yearoldcarandcertainlyin

thelastsix-monthsI’vebrought themilesdownquiet abit. IbookedthecarinatBarrett’s BMWCanterbury, onlyafiveminutedrivefromhome!Modern showroomsnowhaveallthe requirementsyouneed;comfy seats, greatcoffeemachines, biscuitsandwi-fi –whatmorecould youneed?Itwas also achanceto catchupwithsomefamiliarfaces

andtake alookatsomeofthe cars in theshowroomandonthe forecourt.Still ashortageofstock, andnotably only oneM caronthe forecourt,aseverthe Mbrandisin demandand valueshavestartedto stabilise alittlenow. But,compared totheeverincreasingnewprices theyappeartobe goodvalue. AnywayontotheM2, niceandstraightforwardwith

technicianCraigcoveringthe requiredservicewhichincluded oilchange,microfilterandbrake fluid,in ashorttimethecarwas readytogo. Acheckoverofthe carshowednoproblemsatall andsincethe PS4swerefitted lastmonththecarisdriving betterthanever,plusthatsixcylinderengineissoundingeven morecharacterfulthanever.

Jason’sM2gets aserviceandsomefurtherTLC...

Jason Dodd F87M2

Thefollowingweekinthe SouthEast ahosepipebanhad beenputintoplace,iflikeme youlovecleaningyourpride andjoythenthiscameas abig blow.I’dalreadyspokentoJoe atCar PolishinginManston,

Kentaboutdetailingthecarfor aclientshootsotimingwas opportuneasthecarhadn’tbeen cleanedsincethedaybefore theservice,twoweeksofdust andinsectsadorningthefront bumperwas averyraresight

asit’saweeklytasktomaintain thesapphireblackpaintwork.

DiamondBritehasbeen aroundfor30-yearsnowand asupplierofautomotiveand marinedetailingproducts, marketingmanagerLancehad

askedmetodo aphotoshoot with adetaileranditseemed onlyfairthattheM2wasthe donorvehicleforJoetoshow offhisskillsandbringthecarup toitsusualstandard.Maybeit’s mebut Idogetenjoymentfrom watchingprofessionalsdetailing cars,alwaysgoodtopickuptips andthefinalfinishwassuperb, thealloysweretreatedtoalloy wheelshield,thisprotectsthe rimsfrombrakedustand grime.

YEAR:

MILEAGETHISMONTH:

TOTALMILEAGE: 883

MPGTHISMONTH:

COST THISMONTH: £329.00

NOVEMBER2022 71 OUR CARS F87M2 Afewcarmeetsareaheadso I’llbeusingthecar afairbitand, withthedryweather,Imight give thecar atopuppolishpriorto eachevent.Nexttime Ishould havemorenewsonthebrand newM2 –specsandprices.

Adetailingsessiongot thecarlookinggood

Oilchange,microfilter andbrakefluidsorted

Engines

Thankfully,the 2Serieswasn’tfittedwiththe 1.6N13 ‘Prince’enginewithallofitsproblems. Startingwiththe smallest,thethreepot1.5litreB38is aprettygoodengine;itgoeswell andisverygoodonfuel.Sofarit’sprovento bereliablealthoughtherehavebeencases ofcrankshaftthrustbearingwearallowingthe crankto machineitswayinto thealloyblock –aweirdnoise whentheclutchisdepressed iscauseforalarm andiftheoillookslikesilver paintwhendrainedthenthereis amajorissue. Carswith afullBMWhistorywillprobablybe lookeduponfavourablyforagoodwillclaim. Therehavebeensomeinstancesof timing chainguidebreakagebutit’snotcommon.

TheN20enginesinthe220iand228iwere quiteshortlived,launchedin2012andgone by2017. Thesehavemuchthesamepotential issuesastheB38 –timingchainguidesand thecrankthrustwasherproblembutagain,it’s notascommonasitwasonearlyenginesin the 3Series. Thechain isatthefrontofthe enginethistimeandthewholelotcanbe replacedwiththeenginefittedandit’sperhaps not abadideatochangethechainandguides at100kas aprecaution.Earlierpre-2015units wereknownforoilpumpchainproblemsso listenoutfor astrangewhiningsound.Bigend (rodbearing)failurecanhappenaswellanda lotofthisisdueto ablockedoilfilterrestricting flow.Youjustcan’texpect aturbocharged 2.0petrolenginetothriveonolddirtyoil. Extendedoilchangesdon’tdoanyengine muchgoodandsodoinganinterimserviceso thattheenginegetscleanoiland anewfilter every10,000-mileswillhelp. Thatapart,the N20isn’t abadengineatallandisfarbetter thanthepreviousN43horrorshowwasfitted tothe 1SeriesCoupé.Injectorproblemsare rareandthenightmareoftheN43NoXsensor banished. Aweirdchatteringnoisecouldbe theinfamousturbowastegateandifleft,will resultinboostloss.Bewareofremapped220i carsaswell -theengineisnotthesameasthe 228iunitandhasdifferentpistonsthatwillnot copewith240hpforlongbeforeitgoesbang.

The220ihas averyhigh11:1compression ratioandthe228ihadthisreducedto10:1for goodreason. BMWcanalsodetectanyremap nomatterhowcleveryourremapguythinks heis –you’vebeenwarned.

TheN47dieselis agoodenginebut the bogeyoftimingchainproblemsis stillthere althoughby 2014problemshad beenhugely reducedtotheextentthatyou’dbeunluckyto have aproblem.Even so,it’s worthpayinga bitmoreand buyinga 2015 carwiththeB47 unit –whilstnothingiseverperfect,theB47 is basicallyanN47 with thechainproblemssorted outandit’sanexcellentengine –makesurethe recent EGRrecallshavebeencarriedoutthough andthinkaboutaninterimoilserviceaswell.

Shouldyouwanttohavethechainreplaced onanN47,thinkintermsof£1300using properOEpartsfrom BMWorfebi –youcan getthisjobdoneforlessbutquestionwhy.

The235iN55engine was thefinalversion oftheN52unitthatarrived in 2005fortheE90 2Series.It’sagoodenginebutyourproblem mightbefinding onethathasn’tbeenabused–it’soneof thosecarsyouwant to buyfromthe

ownersoyoucansee whohasdrivenit,one ownedbyaleadfootedyoofwith Facebook postsofthethingbeingdriftedisnot thecarfor you.Commonproblems arebasicallyoil leaks –cam covergasket,oilfilterhousinggasket andthegasketbetweentheoilcoolerandthe filterhousing.Replacingthelasttwoiseasy,the formerisquiteinvolvedbut be aware that abad oilfillercapsealand/or ablocked breatherwill causeleaks. Thebreathervalve is built intothe camcover but iseasytoreplaceandcostsunder 20quid. TheN55canalsothrowthealternator beltoffinwardswiththebelt being pushedinto theengine pastthecrank oilseal –youread thatright.The cause is awornout belt tensioner but to befair, it’snot acommonproblemanda new belttensionerisnot expensiveatabout60 quidandit’seasyenoughtoreplace.

TheB58sixasfittedtotheM240ihasso farproventobe averygoodengine. Thechain

andVANOSunitsareatthebackoftheengine andwhilstthe VANOSpulleysarereliable(they alsoareontheN55),thesolenoidscan give troubleandtheyareanutterpaintoreplace beingatthebackofthehead.

Slowcoolantloss canbeaproblembut unless there is avisibleleakandveryinfrequent, it’sbest justtolive with itandadd adropof coolantasandwhenit needsit. Apressure test willpinpoint abiggerproblemandsometimes it’sjusttheradcap.Camcovergasketscan leaks (what asurprise)butagain,checkthatthefiller capsealisn’tleaking.Pullthecoilsoutandcheck foroilin theplugwellsasoilintheremansyou reallyneed anew gasketfitting, ajoyoustask.Oil filterscan fall tobitsthankstotheextendedoil changeintervalsandthisiswhywe recommend a10,000-milelimiton oilservices. Theoilcan stilllubricatewhendirty butifthefilterlookslike achocolatecake,it’sintrouble.

Suspension,steering andbrakes

Thisisallprettyrobuststuffwithjustthe usualbushes,dampers andsuspension armsonearlyhigh mileagestuffand eventhenit’sprettygood. These cars haveEPSelectricpowersteeringwhich againisreliableenough. Theonly thingofnoteistheinfamoussteering rackclunkthatafflictssomecars and thisiswearbetweentherackbarand themotor,thisisn’t ahuge issueas specialists suchasGrosvenorMotor Company in Reading(0118958 3481) canrepairtherackfor£299.

Transmissions

Youhaveachoice of asix-speed manualorthesuperbeight-speed automatichere.Botharegood gearboxesbutyoushouldtrytheauto beforedismissingitoutofhand,chances areyou’llneverdrive amanualagain.

Themanualgearboxesfittedtothe218i, 220iand228iareallversionsoftheGetrag GS6-17unitsandtheyaregoodunitsthat rarely giveproblems. Theboxinthe218dis anotherGS6-17unitandisfine.However, the220dusesthebiggerGetragGS6-45DZ unitandthisistheunitthathasproblems includingfailedsynchromeshon aforward gearlikesecondorthirdandalsoonreverse makingthecarverydifficulttodrive –trying todoubledeclutchandswitchingtheengine offtoselectreversesoonwears abitthin. Goodusedgearboxesareveryexpensiveand maynotlastaslongas arebuiltunit.Given thatthe218dgoesprettywellanyway,we’d thinktwiceabout amanual220dunless you’rebuyingonefrom aBMW dealerwithan

Theeight-speedautois afantasticunitand it’ssoreliablethatsecondhandboxesare worthpeanuts.Anoilandfilterchangebefore 100,000-milesis afairideaalthoughmost boxesstillworkingat200,000-mileshaven’t hadone. Personally Iwouldn’tbotherbutit’s downtotheindividual.Propshaftsanddiffs areverystrongandrarely give troublebuton XDrivecars,therearpropshaftoutputflange onthegearboxcanstripitssplines.Repair costsabout£400.

OtherStuff

erwithanycar,lookoutforbadly repairedwrite-offs; alwaysdo aproper checkand checkonlineforthe lastkeeperchange(dateoflastV5) wellasan MoThistorycheck.Cars withpatternbodypanels, smashed Xenon lightsreplacedwithhalogens andnonsenselike thatareabout. The cheapest2 Seriesisstill£7,500,a lot of moneyforsomethingthat’sbeen on itssidein aditchand badlyrepaired.It’s farbettertobuya proper150,000-mile 2015carthan a79,000-mile2014car that’s beenin asmash. Thecloth trim in these carscanlook abittiredafter afew yearsbutingeneral,thecars cosmetically holduptohighmileageprettywell.

JANUARY2022

Reader’s Rides

RichardtellusthathisM635CSi wasmanufacturedat BMW’s Dingolfingplanton18May 1987 –number421of524 right-handdriveM635models. Interestingly,itwasthepenultimatepre-facelift UK-speccartorollofftheproductionline. PaintedinRoyalBlueMetallicwith aPearl Beigeleatherinterior,itboastsfactory-fitted air-conditioning,anelectricsunroof,headlight washersystem,electricseats,rearheadrests, and arearsunblind.Originally,thecarwas soldbyCheyneMotorsLtdto amotorsport enthusiastwhoenjoyedituntil1989,thenext ownerkeptitfor afull21-years!

“IboughttheM635inDecember2020, afternearly ayearofresearch,”Richard explained. “Asachildofthe80swhohas livedinMunichandloves apowerfulmotor, astraight-sixautobahncruiserfromBavaria wastheobviouschoice. Thisstunnerturned uponHorsepowerHangar,freshfroma decadein aprivatecollection,withthe perfectcolourcombinationandlessthan 49,000-milesontheclock. Iwasinstantly

hooked,andtreatedmyselftothemost amazingChristmaspresent.”

TheE24 6Seriesarrivedin greatcondition, needingonlynewTRXtyres(£500per corner!)andthereplacementofsome

perishedrubberhoses.Richardtellsusthat thedrivingexperienceistaut,precise,and wonderfullyanalogue. Thecarhasitsown Instagrampage(@bayern_express)sowe urgeyoutocheckitout.

RichardHeek’sE24M635CSi

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1999, 48,000 miles, £6995. For sale is a fantastic example of an E36 323i Convertible. Complete with factory M-Sport body kit, this car sports the 2.5 straight-six with 48,000 genuine miles and automatic gearbox. The wheels are 17” Style 68s, with four good Michelin tyres. The car is near perfect condition, only the odd stone chip and typical E36 headlight fog (see pic). The interior is almost unmarked, softop roof works perfectly, with no rips or splits whatsoever. Everything electrical works, including air conditioning and the car includes extensive history to back up the fact it has been cherished. T: 07931 173638. Kent

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