Can’t afford an M3? We look at the next best thing – an M-Technik-spec’d 325i coupé.

When BMW’s 3 Series first appeared in 1975, the range of cars offered had big shoes to fill, being the replacement for the much-loved ’02 models. Indeed, prior to the launch many commentators speculated that the impending new BMWs would take a much softer line than hard-line performance classics such as the legendary 2002Tii. There may have been some truth in these opinions – remembering that petrol-heads would have to wait until 1977 for a true 20002Tii replacement, the hot-shot 323i – but that didn’t really matter to punters, who confirmed BMW’s ascendancy with their money. BMW would eventually produce around 1.3 million E21 3 Series cars between 1975 and 1983 – a landmark for BMW and its first million-selling car.

With the success of the E21 3 Series behind it, BMW launched an evolutionary second series (E30) in 1983. Refreshing the original car’s Paul Bracq-penned lines, BMW produced a winning combination of good looks and modern sporting appeal. And, with a range that stretched from the entry-level, four-cylinder 316 right up to the silky and powerful six-cylinder 325i, BMW firmly established its position within the young upwardly mobile executive market. By the time E30 production had ceased in 1994, over two million examples had been manufactured.

Performance Variants

Ignoring those special cars tuned and modified by Alpina, the six-cylinder E21 323i and E30 325i had taken pride of place as BMW’s top 3 Series performers. However, in 1987 a new model headed the pack – the legendary M3. Eschewing its renowned 2.5-litre six-cylinder engine, BMW’s specialist M-Technik arm chose to power the M3 with its competition-bred 2.3-litre four-banger. As a result, and backed by consequent motor sport success, the M3 rapidly became the ultimate 3 Series car.

As time wore on the M3’s standing only increased, and today genuine E30 M3s are worth big money – well beyond the reach of most classic car enthusiasts. However, fear not, there is a much more affordable alternative to the hardcore M3, the E30 BMW M325i.

Look through books on BMW and you’ll find scant mention of this model and, indeed, there are some who will tell you there is no such thing as the M325i, insisting that it is simply a standard 325i to which an unscrupulous previous owner has simply added an M-Sport badge.

In truth, the M-Sport badges were added by the factory – so the M325i does exist, although in several different guises.

In New Zealand it was badged as the M325i or the 325i Motorsport; in the UK it was known as the 325i Sport.

BMW M325i

So what exactly is the M325i?

Quite simply, it consisted of a series of options that were applied to the standard 325i – although only on two-door, five-speed manual models. The additions – sourced from BMW’s M-Sport parts bin – included a limited slip differential (a choice of ratios being available – 3.64, 3.73 or 3.91, with most NZ-new cars receiving the 3.64 option); sports seats which were effectively Recaro copies; black headlining to replace the more standard beige item; shadow-lined door and window trims; and 15 by seven-inch ‘basket-weave’ BBS alloy wheels. As well, a thicker, 14.5mm rear anti-roll bar was fitted in place of the standard 12mm bar to counter potential understeer, along with the addition of harder springs and either Bilstein or Koni shock absorbers.

Other options also known to exist on some cars were audio system tweeter side-pods and map-lights fitted to the rear-view mirror. Interestingly, two models were produced – the pre-facelift M-Tech1 and the facelifted M-Tech2. You can spot the difference between these two variants by simply examining their rear spoilers – the M-Tech1 has an angular, rather small rear-deck lip spoiler, while the same spoiler on the M-Tech2 is both larger and more rounded.

Otherwise, both variants are powered by BMW’s sohc 2.5-litre, fuel-injected six, which produces 128kW (171hp) – allowing for a theoretical top speed of 220kph.

On The Road

Imbued with BMW’s traditional build quality, the M325i provides a very enjoyable driving experience. One of the key highlights is BMW’s superb six-cylinder engine; smooth, powerful and totally civilised, it’s no wonder this motor has garnered considerable praise from owners and the motoring press.

However, what makes the M325i such a delight to drive are the M additions, which effectively tie down the car’s suspension in order to deliver much sharper handling than the standard 325i.

Larger diameter roll-bars and an LSD help tame the car’s inherent understeer although, driven briskly, the M325i still likes to hang its tail out during hard cornering. It can get a little heart-stopping in the wet, but over dry roads the BMW can still muster up a ton of grip if fitted with a decent set of high-performance tyres.

Combine all this with a snappy gearbox and well-weighted steering, and you’ve got the recipe for a classic sporting coupé – and one that is still capable of transporting four people very comfortably over huge distances. The M325i may not have the competition-honed edge of the M3, but it’s a very close second and, in its favour, the M325i is not only more affordable to buy, but overall running costs will be a whole lot less than those required by an M3.

Bill and Rae Denize’s 1988 M325i

Bill and Rae have enjoyed a life-long interest in classic cars and are currently members of the MG Car Club (Wellington Centre) Inc, Minis of Wellington Owners Group (MOWOG), and have been members of the BMW Car Club for two years.

Previously owned classics include a 1972 MG Midget, a 1968 Mini Cooper and a 1999 Mazda MX-5. As well as our featured M325i, Bill and Rae own a 1967 Morris Mini Cooper which they originally purchased in Canberra around 14 years ago. Bill has been racing this Mini for the last 12 years or so. They also have another BMW in their stable – a 2002 330 Motorsport which Rae uses as her everyday driver.

Bill is a retired banker but still works full-time as Group general manager for the Wellington-based VideoPro Group of Companies. Rae is administration manager for Explorer Graphics Limited based in Whitby, Porirua.

In past years Bill has been part of the organising committee for the MG Classic (formerly Whittaker’s) held in November of each year, as well as the Charity Classic race held in April annually. Bill retired from the Classic Race Committee about eight years ago so he could race at these events!

For the past 20 years Bill has been a competitor in the very successful Intermarque Sprint Series (sponsored by The Surgery) held at Manfeild over the winter months, and has also assisted with race driver training and instruction at Manfeild. Bill has held a National Race Licence for some 17 years.

Bill and Rae’s M325i was originally collected from the BMW factory in Munich as a tourist delivery car in October 1988. It was then driven around Europe and shipped to the UK several months later.

The BMW was first registered in New Zealand during March 1989, with Bill and Rae being the car’s fourth owners – having located and purchased the car through the internet. By the time the M325i came into their hands, it had lost it’s original registration plate – OF9545. Bill was keen to reinstate the BMW’s original registration number and, after contacting Personalised Plates (who confirmed that the original plate had been destroyed), Bill ordered new plates showing the original number.

Interestingly, this BMW has never been resold through a car dealership and has always changed hands privately. The car’s current odo reading is just on 170,000km and it remains in original factory condition – no modifications or extras have been added.

Maintaining the Breed

Bill admits to not being a mechanic, but he obviously enjoys pottering around with his cars and likes to have them in top condition. As such, he’s spent considerable time tidying up the M325i since purchase.

Finished in its original Diamond Schwartz paintwork, this M325i features all the usual factory options – including a limited slip differential, ABS brakes, Recaro-style cloth-trimmed seats, factory sunroof, the correct 15-inch BBS alloy rims and a factory-fitted radio/ tape deck.

The car is also fitted with a full M-Technik body kit. This was an optional extra and not all cars came with it, as it was quite an expensive kit. Today, it is enlightening to know that the original price of these cars, depending on extras, was around $85-90,000.

Since its purchase Bill and Rae have tidied up the paintwork (front spoiler and passenger door), had the wheels machined and repainted, and repaired the worn areas of the front seats with original material (Le Mans Upholstery in Wellington having retrimmed the seats). In keeping with the car’s performance potential, they have also fitted a set of Bridgestone Potenza tyres.

Other than that, the BMW has just been generally cleaned from top to bottom with judicious replacement of any damaged or missing parts. Bill recently had its underside steam-cleaned and completely repainted with CRC Black Zinc.

Last year Bill and Rae entered their car in the MG Easter Concours held at New Plymouth between MG Clubs (Auckland and Wellington) and came fifth overall, with the third and fourth-placed cars only a half point each ahead of their BMW. At the BMW Wellington January 2010 Show and Shine, their M325i was the overall winner.

Buying a M325i

The E30 M325i was a popular choice in New Zealand, and a quick look around will soon reveal several examples up for sale – usually with asking prices below $10,000, although lower mileage cars (if you can find one) usually attract a higher premium.

Although they’re not as highly strung as the M3, it would pay to have a prospective purchase checked over by a qualified BMW specialist. Reliable in service, BMW’s 2.5-litre six-cylinder engine can achieve very high distances if properly maintained, and many of the M325is offered for sale in NZ will now have clocked up well over 100,000km – so it pays to choose carefully. BMW’s five-speeder is also a model of reliability and changes should be smooth, so beware of cars with clonky-sounding transmissions. Naturally, a full service history would be of considerable value.

Only severely neglected cars will display major outward signs of rust, but it pays to inspect wheel-arch trailing edges (which can trap road sludge), sills, door bottoms (to ensure that all drain-holes are unblocked) and along the lips of the bonnet. Interiors are generally hard-wearing, although the rarer, leather trimmed examples can get a bit tatty if not properly cared for. Also, inspect the BBS alloy wheels for kerbing marks – they won’t be cheap to replace if badly damaged.

Spare parts are not really an issue with these cars and, due the popularity of the 3 Series, dismantlers can be a good source of replacement body and interior trim panels. As well as authorised BMW dealers, there are a number of independent suppliers who can assist you with new and second-hand BMW replacement parts.

1988 BMW M325i – Specifications

Engine Six-cylinder, in-line
Capacity 2492cc
Bore/ stroke 84x75mm
Valves Two valves per cylinder/ sohc
C/R 9.7:1
Max power 127.5kW at 5800rpm
Max torque 226Nm at 4000rpm
Fuel system Bosch ME-Motronic fuel injection
Transmission Five-speed manual
Suspension F/R MacPherson struts/ semi-trailing arms, coil springs
Steering ZF rack-and-pinion, PAS
Brakes Disc/ disc, optional ABS

Dimensions:
O/all length 4325mm
Width 1645mm
Wheelbase 2570mm
Track F/R 1407/ 1415mm
Kerb weight 1190kg

Performance:
Max speed 220kph
0-100kph 8.0 seconds
Economy 12.5l/100km

Words: Allan Walton Photos: Sean Craig

Ashley uncovers the long motor sport career of Targa veteran Gerry Hodges, and takes a close look at his immaculately prepared BMW.

Over the past couple of years I’ve been fortunate enough to follow seven Targa events around the North Island, and if there’s one car in particular that stands out in my mind every time it’s Gerry Hodges’ superbly presented 1984 BMW 635CSi.

Targa is without doubt one of the most gruelling motor racing events in the country, taking a heavy toll on both man and machine, and it’s fairly common that, as the event unfolds, so do the cars and drivers – lapses in concentration often resulting in unforeseen off-road excursions. However, others seem to thread their way through stage by stage keeping the shiny side up and without so much as a stone chip. Which brings me back to Gerry’s BMW. I’ve often wandered around this car midway through Targa events and thought to myself that this car looks as if it’s just been fully groomed. The fact of the matter is, it has. Gerry has a team of dedicated elves – including Barbara, his wife; Jeni Harrington, his co-driver’s wife; and Deb Day, his sponsor’s wife. With Rob Bolland looking after the mechanicals, the team all pitch in to keep the BMW spick and span. At every service stop they can be seen attending to the car before Gerry lines up for the next stage.

With this in mind, I felt sure that Gerry was a seasoned motor-sport veteran and, after a long talk with him, that feeling was confirmed.

Back to the Beginning

When the time came for Gerry to get his first car he remembers his father saying, “Let’s have a look at a Morris Minor 1000.” Gerry was having none of that, he wanted a Mini Cooper S which, as one can imagine, was not what his father had in mind – it was front-wheel-drive, the engine faced the wrong direction and the engine and gearbox shared the same oil. It just wasn’t going to happen.

However, as Gerry was the youngest in the family he did have some persuasive power over his father. After some persistence he eventually got his own way and, at the tender age of 16, he acquired a 1969 Mini 1275S.

Gerry enjoyed driving his new toy, which would sit in the garage under cover all week as he was super-fussy about keeping it pristine – only driving it on weekends. At this stage he was working in the motor industry at a Todd dealership, and soon became involved in club racing with the Mini – at grass gymkhanas and some circuit racing.

His next car was a Ford Cortina MkIII GT followed by a Holden Torana XU-1. From there, his involvement in motor racing became a little more serious and he built up a racing Mini, which is where it all started for Gerry.

He was also passionate about rallying and would often go out and watch the Heatway Rallies but, as he couldn’t stand the thought of having his car pounded by rocks, stones, mud and other debris, any prospects of him becoming a rally driver never really eventuated.

The Holden XU-1 gave way to a 1970 Chevrolet Z28 Camaro that Gerry reckons was a fairly special and brutal beast. Looking back he sometimes wonders how he ever reached the age of 21.

Raising the Stakes

Gerry was still racing the Mini when he met a very talented driver and engineer by the name of Neal Lowe, who was also the Mini Seven Champion at that time. Neal asked Gerry if he wanted to come and help run his Mini Seven. Gerry accepted the offer, and soon after they decided to participate in the B&H Production Saloon car series in a Mitsubishi Lancer, competing in the 1300cc class.

The following year, 1980, they entered a Ford MkIV Cortina that was driven by Neal Lowe and John Morton. The Cortina they’d bought was an ex-rental which had been around the clock more times than Bill Haley, whilst the other five competitors (including Ron McMillan and Dave Slater, both with substantial sponsorship from Auckland Ford dealerships) were running later-model brand new MkV Cortinas.

Gerry admits the starting grid looked rather comical with these smart-looking Ford-sponsored MkV Cortinas alongside their old ex-taxi, complete with Boomerang Motor Camp plastered all over it. However, the team went on to win the class outright, much to the disbelief of its competitors.

By now Gerry had become seriously hooked on motor sport. Neal Lowe then purchased a new VH SS Holden Commodore and turned it into a race car specifically for the B&H Series. As Gerry recalls, they had massive gearbox issues first time out, as did most of their Commodore-driving competitors – although the more affluent teams, those which could afford the very best equipment, including Oxton/ Brock, Crichton and Peter Jansen who drove with Denny Hulme, had no such problems.

After a few years the Neal Lowe Commodore eventually became the Lendich car driven by Robbie Francevic, and was very successful.

First Taste of Bavaria

When Group A arrived on the scene, Neal was keen to get into a Group A car, and after some research discovered that the BMW 635s were doing particularly well in Europe, along with Rover and the Jaguar XJ-S. Neal decided that the BMW 635 was probably the best way to go, and after some discussions received a stack of press photographs and information from BMW Motorsport. Gerry remembers the first time he and Neal looked at the photographs, he was unbelievably impressed by what he was looking at – a real race car, compared to the road cars they had been running previously.

However, the $150k price tag for a one-season-old 635CSi complete with parts package from Schnitzer was out of their price range, and they reluctantly to shelved the idea.

The next plan was to build a Rover because they could buy a car locally, import a race kit and build it up more cost effectively than a BMW. Kent Baigent then approached Neal and Gerry and told them he was thinking about importing a BMW 635CSi race car, and had heard they were interested and would they consider combining forces. The teams joined together and Gerry has fond memories of spending many hours working on the car and having a lot of fun with it.

The BMW 635CSi was sponsored by Tellus Vacuum Cleaners, Kent’s business, and won the B&H in 1984. They then took the car to Macau where, after leading the two BMW works cars, it retired after a strut failed. The BMW was shipped to Australia to compete in the best race of all, the Bathurst 1000, where they finished a credible fifth outright and first privateer team home in 1985.

From the moment Gerry set eyes on the BMW 635CSi he was adamant that he was going to eventually own one at some point in the future. Not only was it his first experience with BMW, it was his first experience with a 635CSi. Alas, shortly after the success at Bathurst, Kent had a bad accident at Manfeild and the BMW was written off.

John Player Special

By this time Gerry had a good relationship with most of the other teams and was approached by Neville Crichton, who asked if he wanted to join his team. As the BMW 635CSi was well and truly dead and buried, Gerry decided to make the move. Even at this early stage in his career, he had a reputation for being incredibly fussy and would usually chase the mechanics round the car, wiping greasy, oily finger marks and handprints off the black JPS bodies.

In fact, the first JPS car Gerry worked on was Dick Johnson’s old Green Stuff Mustang, brought over to compete in a Wellington street race and co-driven by Crichton. Gerry remembers that it was repainted in black JPS livery, and that was the first time he’d met Dick Johnson.

As Gerry’s passion for motor sport progressed, he was fortunate enough to meet many great people including Frank Gardner, Tony Longhurst and Jim Richards.

Gerry was a professional fire fighter trained in the old school – everything had to be kept immaculate, spotless and prepared to go at all times. This attitude put him in good stead when Neville drove for Dick Johnson, and as it turned out, Neal Lowe returned to the fray as Dick Johnson’s team manager during the Sierra era. Gerry got to stay on from 1986 through to 1989 – the team scoring a huge success with the Shell Sierras, winning Bathurst in 1988.

Subsequently, the Johnson team decided to switch to Ford Falcons and Gerry was approached by Frank Gardner and asked if he would like to work on the B&H BMW M3s, which suited Gerry down to the ground due to his passion for the marque and the fact he owned BMWs himself at that time.

Gerry worked alongside Tony Longhurst and Paul Morris, and clearly recalls Tony’s horrific accident at the 1991 Nissan-Mobil 500 Wellington street race. Tony went on to win the same event the following year.

As Gerry was now working for the official BMW works team in this part of the world, he was fortunate enough to meet Charlie Lamm, Steve Soper, Joachim Winkelhock and Emanuele Pirro from Schnitzer, as well as ex-F1 champion, Allan Jones, who was also part of the B&H team. Gerry says he was warned to be  wary of Allan Jones as he had a reputation for being a fairly tough character, and to be careful what he said to him. As it transpired, Gerry and Allan hit it off as soon as they met and soon formed a great relationship.

Hooked on Targa

Still in the back of Gerry’s mind was that niggling ambition to own a BMW 635CSi. Having owned several more cars over the ensuing years – including BMWs – he got back into motor racing for himself after building a BMW 2002 for classic racing. The 2002 then made way for an ex-works JPS Group A BMW 325 that had been raced by Tony Longhurst, and won an AMSCAR Series at Amaroo Park in Sydney. The car had been brought to New Zealand by Bill Bryce and was driven by Denny Hulme and Paul Radisich. Gerry carefully restored it to its original JPS livery, but found it difficult to race anywhere during the late ’90s as it was too new to qualify for classic racing and didn’t quite fit into any specific category. Gerry eventually sold the car back to an Australian owner.

Then he got hooked on Targa. It all happened when Targa NZ founder, Mike John, approached Gerry and told him about this event he was organising. Mike explained that the event was going to be huge, and he wanted the help of keen motor sport men. Gerry agreed to help out, and on the very first Targa he and Barbara were given the job of collecting the arrows, which had to be gathered up at the completion of each stage. Gerry thoroughly enjoyed the experience, as he got to drive through each stage of the event. After a couple of years on arrow duties, Gerry and Barbara were promoted to driving the rear safety vehicle and, in fact, Barbara continued to perform this task long after Gerry decided to go racing himself in the event.

At the time Gerry determined to compete in Targa, he was an Advanced Driver Training tutor for Ford and there was an opportunity to purchase a Ford Ka that had been used in a celebrity racing series. Looking back, it wasn’t Gerry’s first choice – however, it was a way of entering Targa and he teamed up with long time friend, Peter Robinson, as co-driver.

When Gerry showed up at his first event in 2000 he took some ribbing from his friends, as the last thing they expected to see him driving was a Ford Ka dressed up like a Martini works rally car.

Needless to say, they had a great time in the car and decided to enter it a second time as it was going so well. By this stage, Gerry had installed a Link computer and the car was literally humming through the event until Gerry decided he’d be the first driver to try out the ditch at the infamous ‘Cop’s Corner.’ Even now, Gerry reckons he enters that corner too fast. He knows it well, but just can’t help himself, although he has learned to treat ‘T’ junctions with extreme care because if you get it wrong there’s nowhere to go. Luckily, the Ka survived the ordeal with only a few scratches and, after missing only one stage, went on to finish the 2001 event.

The 635CSi Arrives

After some pressure to change from Ford to BMW, Gerry decided it was time to build a BMW and bought a 1990 E30 318i. Gerry still had the desire to own a 635CSi burning away in the back of his mind, and then heard through the grapevine that there was an ex-works 635CSi in Hamilton – a Group N production car built around a genuine ex-works shell. Apparently the car had been static for many years, owned by Martin Fine, ex-MotorSport New Zealand president. Gerry thought it might be worth investigating and managed to track Fine down to ask if he still owned the car. Once ownership was confirmed, Gerry went to have a look at the BMW – a deal was concluded there and then and Gerry finally owned a 635CSi.

Although it was somewhat tired-looking, Gerry knew he had the basis for a good car. The 1984 635CSi was #46 of 49 lightweight body-shells built by BMW Motorsport specifically for racing. According to Gerry, BMW Motorsport built these cars on a weekend away from prying eyes in two production runs, one in late 1983 and another in early 1984. Parts of the car were built from high tensile steel, were seam welded and had no underseal at all. The cars were also fitted with factory roll-cages and, once completed, the bodies were stored on racks until one of the contracted works teams decided to build a car. The bodies were despatched from BMW Motorsport with a kit that included the engine, gearbox, suspension, brakes and everything else required to get the car onto the race-track.

Gerry’s car started life in Group A and was raced in the UK by Gartlan Grace Racing and driven by Frank Sytner. The car lasted only a few races before being crashed by Frank Sytner’s co-driver, Barry ‘Whizzo’ Williams, who Gerry reckons is a larger than life character and is about as close as you could get to our very own ‘Racing’ Ray Williams in virtually every respect. The BMW was severely damaged in the accident – in fact, the tail of the car was virtually flattened almost to the rear windscreen. The BMW was taken back to Frank Sytner’s workshop, but Sytner said he never wanted to drive it again as it would never be the same.

However, over a period of time the car was slowly repaired and straightened by the Gartlan Grace Racing team, and it sat in the workshop as a spare shell for a year or so. By this time Barry Williams had sponsorship to run the British Group N Championship, so the shell was built up as a production car for the series. Subsequently, Barry Williams won the championship in his first year driving the BMW 635CSi.

Gerry thinks that not long after this event the car was brought to New Zealand as a spare shell, still in Group N trim, for the Wellington street races by Sytner and left here – common practice in those days. Such cars were snapped up by locals and some even ended up in Australia.

A local BMW dealer who had intentions of racing the car then purchased the BMW and it sat in the showroom for quite some time before being sold. The new owner installed carpets and trim and used it as a road car for a few years before selling it to Martin Fine. Gerry acquired it in 2001.

Targa Prep

The first thing on Gerry’s agenda was to strip the car back to a bare shell and completely rebuild the front and rear suspension with new bushes, shock absorbers, springs, and a larger adjustable front sway bar. The brakes remained untouched, which later turned out to be a big mistake. Gerry persevered with the brakes for the first couple of Targa events before biting the bullet and installing custom-built AP Racing rotors up front with six-pot callipers, and BMW 540i vented rotors with four-pot callipers on the rear – an adjustable pedal box came courtesy of Andy Culpin. From his Group A experience, Gerry knew the 635CSi would be nose-heavy and, in order to get them to turn into corners, the front suspension needs to be relatively stiff whilst the rear needs to be reasonably soft, which reduces the potential for massive oversteer.

The next step was to rebuild the 3.5-litre ohc, 12-valve, straight six- engine, install a windage tray in the sump to prevent oil surge and fit higher-compression pistons. The head is basically stock standard with a slightly upgraded Schrick high-lift cam and stainless-steel headers leading into a side-exit exhaust.

The engine has been completely balanced and the induction system is standard right down to the air cleaner and runs an Alpina computer, which increases power from 162kW (218bhp) to 186kW (250bhp) as dyno’d. The car still retains its Group A Getrag close-ratio gearbox and a 3:64 ratio LSD. Gerry has plans to upgrade the standard springs and Koni shocks with coilovers during the summer.

Since its initial rebuild, Gerry has competed and finished in nine Dunlop Targas driving the 635CSi, plus Targa Rotorua and Targa Bambina events. During the summer, he also enjoys dusting off the BMW to compete in a few hill climbs. Gerry has raced in a few rounds of the BMW Series but concedes that the BMW is a far better Targa car than track car and, in fact, its performance surprises many people on Targa.

As in most sports, particularly motor racing, sponsorship is a key element in helping teams pay the bills and Gerry thanks his sponsors Dale ITM, Draeger, NZ Refining Company, Jerry Clayton and Motul Oil for their continued support.

My closing advice for would-be Targa NZ spectators is to have a look through the Official Targa Programme in this issue and get along to a stage near you – watching Gerry hustle his beautifully prepared and presented BMW 635CSi will be well worth the effort.

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Adam Croy

This article is from NZ Classic Car issue 251. Click here to check it out.

Some cars from the ’80s and ’90s will soon be approaching classic status and, in this new series, we look at some of these cars — those that may appeal to our younger readers.

During the Second World War German car manufacturer, Bavarian Motor Works, had been struck a near deadly blow — losing a good proportion of its facilities across the iron curtain, and the other half to the allied bombers. After WWII’s end in 1945 BMW was on the brink, and it took six years for the company to claw its way back to a state at which it could actually produce a car — the big 501 sedan. Although viewed as too expensive for most, the 501 and its V8-powered 502 counterpart sold well enough to afford BMW somewhat of a slight foothold in the market, allowing the company to make its next move — one that would surprise many. Debuting in 1957, the 507 roadster used many parts from the big 502 sedan, and in fact it weighed almost the same, despite measuring 406mm shorter in length. Although sales were quiet, the BMW 507 rejuvenated the German brand, with its gorgeous, swooping lines and purposeful looks which contributed to the DNA that would eventually result in the BMW beasts we know today.

Golden Eye

Surprisingly, despite how well loved the 507 was, and in fact still is, it took a good four decades before BMW once again offered the world a mass-produced convertible sports car. Very obviously tipping its hat towards the 40-year-old 507, the aggressively-styled BMW Z3 debuted in 1995, at first on the big screen as Pierce Brosnan’s 007 car in the Bond film, Golden Eye, and then to the public in March that next year. Many similarities can be found between the two cars, from the muscular hip lines to the long, sporty bonnet and, of course, the trademark vents grafted onto the front guards. No doubt helped by its movie star status, the Z3 sold very well, despite many criticisms especially when compared to its much cheaper rivals from the likes of Mazda. Thankfully, a strong second-hand market for these cars has made for a much more appealing price range.

Mr Puniverse

Although the cheap-feeling interior and supposed mismatched styling was a point of contention at the time, it was the Z3’s unimpressive 1.9-litre powerplant that had detractors most upset. Rated at a meagre 103 flywheel kilowatts (138hp), the four-cylinder donk was the only option originally available, and besides the chassis providing a very unimpressive ride, that engine let the rest of the car down — and it sounded like a lawnmower to boot. Sure, it made a bit more power than the contemporary MX-5, but it was also 180kg heavier than the lithe Japanese roadster.  This motor carried on right until 2000, when it was replaced by a much improved 2.0-litre four-banger.

Although BMW at first vehemently denied that a six-cylinder version of the car would be produced, public opinion on the weak 1.9 obviously swayed that thought, and during the Pebble Beach Concours later in 1996 the manufacturer not only announced a 2.8-litre straight six version of the Z3, but also an M car, featuring the 239kW (321bhp) 3.2-litre six-cylinder S50 motor, as found in the M3. By the time the Z3 ceased production in 2002, the convertible had been offered with at least six different engine options.

Drive Experience

Although the 1.9 — litre specced Z3 is grossly underpowered, it can still be amusing to drive — if you don’t mind revving the nuts off your motor, nor the annoying ‘this could be a Corolla’ exhaust note. Handling is tight and nimble despite the use of an older E30 3 Series rear end. When gifted with a higher-rated motor like the 142kW (190hp) 2800cc straight six or the 172kW (231bhp) 3000cc motor that replaced it in 2000, the Z3 comes alive, thriving when given power worthy of the rest of the car.

Essentially, providing your Z is specced with a five-speed manual ’box, it is a whole lot of fun regardless of what is powering it. You may well find yourself taking the scenic way home more often than not — fuel consumption be damned.

M-Machines

First rolling off the South Carolina BMW production plant in 1998, the M Roadster is arguably the ultimate Z3, of course depending on how one feels about its ‘ugly duckling’ brother, the M Coupe, which was released a year later. Although the coupe does perform better than the roadster due to its much increased stiffness, many simply cannot get around the unique styling that has made it such a controversial machine. Both Ms received wider, more aggressive guards and bumpers, big lightweight wheels and a host of performance upgrades throughout most areas of the car, making this variant excellent for the every day commute and the odd weekend at the track.

Buying Guide

Like the purchase of any second hand European convertible, buying a Z3 is an activity that requires a little attention to detail to get right. Most commonly soft tops can be prone to leaking, and the cheap plastic rear window they come with generally needs to be replaced every five or so years as it yellows over time. Underneath the car rust is generally not a problem, but pay special attention to the fuel tank, as it its generally the first point of contact with the ground when the car bottoms out — this is very expensive to replace. Mechanically, it pays to take a good look at the front suspension, as the lower ball joints and inner bushes are very prone to wear.

Other than these small points, very little seems to go wrong with a well looked after Z3, so our only other advice is this; unless all you want to do is zip around town looking good, stay away from 1.9s, especially if specced with an auto ’box. A country drive in a well powered, manual Z3 is an experience one tends not to forget!

Clubs

In New Zealand, your best bet when it comes to Z-related clubs is Bimmersport, found at www.bimmersport.co.nz. Here you will find a wealth of information, classifieds and fellow Z owners.

Parts

BMW Z3s are quite common in New Zealand, whether NZ new or imported from overseas. This means that parts are fairly easy to get hold of via traditional car wreckers or over the internet. New parts, of course, can be obtained through official BMW dealers — just be prepared to pay crazy prices for new.

BMW Z3 – Specifications

Built: 1992-1999
Engine: 1900cc to 3200cc six-cylinder 103kW-239kW (138-321hp)
Bodies: Two-door convertible, two-door hardtop
Performance: Electronically limited top speed 250kph (155mph), 0-100kph 8.2 seconds to five seconds
NZ prices: Expect to pay between $10,000 and $20,000 for a Z3 depending on age, odo reading and specifications. M Roadsters and M Coupes, however, command much higher prices.

Words: Peter Kelly

Ever since the motor sport arm of manufacturer BMW produced its 3.0 CSL back in 1979, any car sporting the red, white and blue stripes has become an instantly desirable hero vehicle, and therefore a genuine future classic in its own right. Since then, BMW Motorsport has produced some of the most well received vehicles of recent years, mixing just the right amount of luxury and performance to create both a comfortable and frighteningly quick car.

Perhaps the best known of all M-cars is the M3, an iconic German hound now well into its fourth generation. Considering the very first M3, the E30, is already well into classic car status, logic would suggest that the following generation, the E36, is next in line.

Blood Lines

After the success of the E30 M3, when the regular E36 3 Series vehicles hit showroom floors in 1990, the public and press alike knew it was only a matter of time before a M3 was produced using the new generation of 3 Series Bimmers. Two years later, in 1992, that became a reality.

Debuting in February, the E36 M3 was very well received, winning various awards for its road-holding abilities and stonking performance prowess.

This first version of E36 came in coupe form only, and featured a 213kW 3000cc straight-six motor, backed up by a five-speed manual gearbox from Getrag.

It wasn’t until 1994 that both a cabriolet and a sedan version of the M3 was offered. These were less popular, and now command higher prices as their rarity is becoming more apparent.

In 1996, all three variants copped a massive upgrade as the 3.0-litre S50 B30 motor was binned in favour of a new 3.2-litre S50 B32, raising power levels by 26kW to 239kW. The five-speed ’box was also replaced with a six-speed item and a year later, in ’97, a SMG sequential gearbox option was offered.

After a long, eight year run during which certain special limited editions (GT, GT-R, R, CSL and the Imola Individual GT2) were sold in small numbers, the E36 M3 was finally replaced with the now quite common E46. During those years, 71,242 examples were sold, of which over half were coupes, while the convertible and sedan versions made up the remainder.

Copy Cats

Of all the four M3 generations, the E36 is by far the most sedate when it comes to appearance. For some reason BMW decided not to beef up the look of the E36 with an aggressive body kit and bulging, pumped guards as it has done with other generations. Although this does make for a great ‘sleeper’ car, it also unfortunately makes it easy for imitators to turn their run of the mill BMWs into M3 look-a-likes. With the addition of a few simple badges, a front bumper, and some off-the-shelf mirrors, it is hard to distinguish a copycat from the real thing, at least from the outside. Obviously, once you pop the hood the lack of M-Power motor quickly gives things away, as does the absence of the leather M-embroidered seats and unique steering wheel.

With so many impostors on the streets of New Zealand the E36 does seem to lose a little bit of its charm, but hopefully as time goes on this practice will become less common, and the flower will outlive the weeds.

Clubs

There are two Kiwi clubs that cater to all things BMW. The first is the official BMW club www.bmwclub.co.nz), and there’s the bigger Bimmersport community www.bimmersport.co.nz). Both have good technical and ‘for sale’ sections.

Buying Guide

In general, the E36 M3 is a solid car, and holds up well to the rigors of time and travel. However, there are a few things one should be aware of when shopping around. First off, the twin VANOS variable valve timing system on the later model 3.2-litre M3 is not without its faults. Most commonly, the VANOS solenoid seals fail at around the 70,000km mark. If the car has done this sort of distance, check to see whether they have been replaced, or prepare to factor the cost into your purchase.

Next, lift the car up and down from the rear guard and check for play in the rear shock mounts — a common problem with E36 BMWs. Also, make sure to have a look underneath the car, as the muffler and catalytic converter assembly is prone to rusting where they mount to the exhaust pipes.

Body-wise the M3 is not particularly susceptible to rot, although it pays to check the M-Sport side mouldings as these tend to rust underneath and come away from the car.

Generally the E36 is a solid, reliable car, so providing you perform the usual checks, along with the ones listed above, you could well be on your way to dependable M3 ownership.

Parts Supply

As with any other high-end European car, parts are available but they aren’t cheap, especially when buying genuine new direct from the dealer. Some second hand parts may occasionally come up through a wrecker, Trade Me or club websites (as listed above), but it pays not to hold your breath.

BMW M3 – Specifications

Built: 1992-1999, 71,242 built
Engine: 3000cc/3200cc six-cylinder 213kW-239kW
Bodies: Two-door coupe, two-door convertible, four-door sedan
Performance: Electronically limited top speed 250kph, 0-100kph 5.4/ 5.2 seconds

Words: Peter Kelly

This article is from Classic Car issue 224. Click here to check it out.

BMW’s latest Z4 might tone down the overly radical looks of its predecessor, but it’s a better car – not least because it’s both more comfortable, and more sporting to drive

BMW are also reducing model complexity at a time when car companies are carefully perusing their bottom line, by introducing a single model with an electrically folding hard-top roof in place of two cars, the Z4 roadster and coupe.

However, an open-topped car can rarely match the dynamic excellence of a roofed one, decapitation reduces stiffness while adding bracing boosts weight. Still, BMW undeniably builds evocative roadsters, all low-slung, with long bonnets and short tails.

BMW’s first, the type 3/15 PS, briefly appeared as a six-cylinder roadster from 1930 — the so-called Wartburg roadster, with its 315/1 successor from 1934.

In 1936 the type 328 Roadster arrived, with 60kW pushing the 830kg car to almost 150kph — insanely fast for the roads of the time.

Perhaps BMW had to pause for thought; the next one arrived two decades later, the 507 V8-engined roadster designed for the US market. Just 253 were built.

Another three decades passed before BMW introduced the Z1, which showcased a variety of prototype tech such as BMW’s ‘Z’ axle and innovative, downward sliding doors. Some 8000 Z1s were built, with production ending in 1991.

Then came the 1996 Z3 as driven by James Bond, who would have spurned the entry-level variants. Small engines led to the ‘hairdresser car’ epithet, a tag intended to insult and definitely not appropriate to the range-topping 3.2-litre cars or the M coupe spin-off. Z3 production ended in 2002 after 300,000 had been built.

Meanwhile BMW also built the Z8 roadster, its aluminium chassis housing a 298kW, 5.0-litre V8 filched from the M5 that took it from zero to 100 in 4.7 seconds. Hot stuff, but rare, with just 5700 built.

The Z4

Then came the original Z4, unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 2002, and driven by us at its launch in Portugal. Though its ‘flame surface’ polarised onlookers where the Z3 had boasted a more traditional format, it was a much better car to drive.

Engine and styling revisions in 2006 added spice to the breed, but not as much as this latest generation can boast.

BMW has toned down the design excesses and the car’s crisp new lines are now as handsome at rest as underway. Notably, the car looks as good roof up or down, the boot compromised less than expected in roadster form.

The smarter cabin is more driver-focussed, the dash angled towards the pilot, the row of easy-to-reach circular dials a neat nod to history. This cabin is more comfortable than before too, and easily accommodates taller drivers.

However, this is no boulevard cruiser. New Zealand gets a choice of three engines, though I drove only the 190kW/310Nm 3-0-litre six-cylinder and the 225kW/400Nm twin-turbo 3.0. The latter delivers the keener soundtrack, and quicker pick-up — with power arriving lower down the rev-range. Most notably, peak torque is available anywhere from 1300 to 5000rpm, thrusting the car out of corners.

Dynamic drive adaptive suspension is bolted to this stiffer body, its ‘normal’ setting a smidge more comfy than the outgoing car’s standard set-up, the ‘sport’ further honing the handling, and ‘sport plus’ suggesting a step too far on the salt-slick tarmac of our Great Ocean Road drive, for it also knocks back the stability control.

In sport, the Z4 delivered nimble handling with just enough squirm from the rear wheels to please. Would the extra weight of the bigger engine prove a liability? No. Quicker pick-up and a hairier – if still over-muffled – soundtrack better suits this car’s persona, the rear’s greater tendency to move an exhilarating footnote to the car’s performance.

Meanwhile the suspension proved sufficiently compliant on the frankly appalling road surfaces of our 600km-odd drive suggest the car will easily handle our conditions.

At least, it will if driving pleasure is your focus. Want to waft attractively about, your elegantly-arranged coiffure barely ruffling in the breeze and you’ll be sadly disappointed. There’s a fair amount of wind buffet in the cabin as standard, and hirsute owners should consider purchasing the $670 wind deflector (which I wasn’t able to try).

If you want a quiet car, you’ll never buy a roadster as even a car with folding hard-top is noisier than a tin-top —but the latest Z4 delivers elegant urbanity, enough dynamism to challenge most drivers on most roads most of the time, and a greater ability to dispatch everyday errands than ever before.

2009 BMW Z4 – Specifications

Engine 2497cc straight six (23i), 3.0-litre straight six (30i), or 3.0 twin-turbo straight six (35i)
Bore/stroke  82.78.8 (23i); 85:88 (30i); 84:89 (35i)
CR 11.0:1 (23i); 10.7:1 (30i); 10.2:1 (35i)
Power 150kW at 6400rpm (23i); 190kW at 6600rpm (30i); 225kW at 5800rpm (35i)
Torque 250Nm at 2750rpm (23i); 310Nm at 2600rpm (30i); 400Nm at 1300-    5000rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual, six-speed auto RWD
Suspension MacPherson strut front, independent rear
Brakes  Ventilated discs all-round, with ABS, DSC, DTC and ABD
Wheels/tyres  17-inch alloys, 225/45R17 front, 225/45R17 rear (23i); 225/45R17 front, 255/40R17 rear (30i); 18-inch alloys, 225/40R18 front, 255/35R18 rear (35i)

Dimensions:
Length/width/height/WB 4239/1790/1291/2496mm
Track fr/rr    1511/1559mm
Kerb weight    1480-1600kg

Performance:
0-100kph (claimed, manual/auto) 6.6/7.3 seconds (23i); 5.8/6.1 (30i); 5.2/5.1 (35i)
Fuel consumption combined (claimed, manual/auto) 9.2/8.9l/100km (23i); 9.2/9.0l/100km (30i);9.8/9.4l/100km (35i)
NZ Price    $86,900-$124,900

Words & Photos: Jacqui Madeline

This article is from Classic Car issue 223. Click here to check it out.

This year, the family-owned Morgan car company celebrates a century of building sports cars seemingly with a hair-shirt public school belief that you had to be uncomfortable to be enjoying yourself

The latest Morgan Aero 8 is a supreme example of keeping the charisma of the marque, with the traditional long louvred bonnet, while incorporating 21st century technology under the skin and new-century cockpit comfort. Power from the 274kW (367bhp) 4.8-litre BMW V8 keeps the Morgan well ahead of the traffic with a catalogue top speed of 274kph (170mph).

New Plymouth enthusiast Bryce Barnett is a Morgan connoisseur from way back, and I am indebted to him for letting Gavin Bain from Fazazz, the amazing motorist’s shop in Christchurch and New Zealand Morgan agent, chauffeur me around Godley Heights for photographer Terry Marshall to capture the style of the new Morgan for this marque memoir.

Morganeering in the ’60s

It brought back the excitement of being at the little Morgan factory in the shadow of the Malvern hills near Wales one August day in 1968 when Morgan announced its first V8 sports car. It was using the 3.5-litre aluminium V8 from the Rover, which in turn had borrowed it from the F85 Oldsmobile of the ’50s.

Bruce McLaren and Jack Brabham had been there earlier in the ’60s when McLaren used an enlarged Traco-tuned version of the alloy engine in his first CanAm sports cars, and then Brabham rescued the concept for Repco to use as the basis for its V8 that would win World Championships for the team in 1966 and 1967.

The words I wrote for the Australian magazine, Sports Car World, 40 years ago still apply to the spirit of the Morgan and its followers around the world. “The Morgan Plus 8 is probably the newest old car in the world. It’s been said that if you like the idea of vintage motoring but don’t like vintage fragility, you should buy a Morgan. Over the years they haven’t changed a great deal — they just get faster.”

A Century of Motoring

In his splendid three-volume encyclopaedia published for Lord Montagu of Beaulieu in 2000, editor Nick Georgano writes that vicar’s son, Harold Frederick Stanley Morgan, started in 1908 to build a single-seater three-wheeler. “It was powered by a V-twin Peugeot engine, transmission being by dog clutches and two chain drives of various ratios. Its most remarkable feature was the independent front suspension by coil springs and sliding pillars, the basic principle of which is still used in Morgan cars today.”

The new Aero 8 has Formula One-type front suspension with a bonded and riveted aluminium monocoque chassis, but the other models in the range still use the historic suspension medium.

In 1910 Morgan formed the Morgan Motor Car Co Ltd, and in November of that year he exhibited two versions of his prototype single-seater at the Moor Cycle Show, powered by 961cc JAP V-Twin engines. A year later he was building two-seaters. In 1912 a Morgan covered 58.96 miles (94.87km) in an hour at Brooklands, setting a new cycle-car record. The first major success came in 1913 when WG McMinnies won the Cyclecar Grand Prix at Amiens, though he was subsequently disqualified as the Morgan three-wheeler was deemed to be a sidecar! Morgan immediately began to offer Grand Prix production models. At the outbreak of WWI in 1914 annual production was nearly 1000 cars! The first Morgan Aero appeared in 1921 with a Blackburne engine and the latest BMW-engined model recalls marque history.

You could only have three wheels on your Morgan until the company got radical as late as November 1935, and produced a new model with four wheels and four cylinders with a Coventry Climax 1122cc motor to compete with the MG.

Those sports cars were famous for their woodwork. In my 1968 feature I wrote — “A walk around the workshops takes you back. The body frames are built up by joiners and carpenters working in an air of sawdust and shavings. You could be in a furniture factory. But you get that personal pride-in-their-work feeling. If you bought a Morgan you wouldn’t just be a customer — you’d almost be a friend of the family. Maybe that’s not the way they work, but that’s the feeling you get.”

You weren’t just buying a sports car when you bought a Morgan, it was a way of a chap recapturing the memory of his good old days when sporty meant Spartan. The hood might as well have been offered as an option, because you rarely saw one driven with the top up, even in foul weather.

Bending Tradition

When Morgan bent its tradition and introduced what Georgano refers to as ‘a curious coupe’ in 1964, the customers voted with their wallets and only 26 coupes were built before the model was withdrawn three years later.

The new Aero Morgan BMWs are built in a modern factory facility behind the original works at Malvern. In four-cylinder days there could be a customer waiting list of four years and production of the two-seater sports cars was strictly scheduled to on a Monday-to-Friday basis — unless there was a four-seater on special order — and it was said that the ladies who sewed the leather upholstery worked on the Saturday morning to complete the extra seating!

The production Morgans from the original factory still use the original sliding pillar front suspension.

“It’s not a company gimmick,” Peter Morgan, grandson of the founder, told me as he strode along the rows of waiting chassis/body units in his tweedy houndstooth suit in 1968. “The front suspension works so well, we don’t see why we should change it.” Morgan said that Morgan customers generally knew the shortcomings of the car before they bought it — and, indeed, that these draughty vintage shortcomings were usually the reasons why they bought a Morgan in the first place!

Original and Modern

Bryce Barnett’s new Aero 8 is an amazing combination of original and modern. The BMW V8 provides lusty lazy urge and the six-speed ’box is offered with a sporty optional ZF automatic that has ‘blip’ technology — the transmission is programmed to blip the throttle during downshifts! The space age aluminium build processes has kept weight down to 1175kg for quoted performance of 0-100kph at 4.5 seconds, a top speed of 273kph and town/ country combined fuel thirst of 11.2 l/100km (25.2mpg).

The big square doors and the spoilered tail jar the eye of the traditional Morganiste, brought up on cutaway leather-trimmed doors and Perspex side screens that would soon become opaque, adding to the vintage air. The big doors are a concession to electric windows and modern side-impact safety. The boot lid is evidence that there is a sizeable luggage boot beneath it, something that earlier Morgan owners had to do without.

The louvred bonnet (the louvres are an optional extra according to Bain) on this modern Moggy barely covers the muscles of the BMW V8. Sitting deep in the cosy cockpit I notice the engine-turned alloy dash and the three windscreen wipers on the shallow screen. It was chilly out on Godley Heights overlooking the ocean, but the blast furnace heater coped easily.

Bracing Stuff

Forty years ago I noted that the first V8 Morgan had used weighed almost the same as the Triumph TR engine it was replacing, an untuned 137kW (184bhp), but giving an extra 56kW (75bhp) over the TR. I was impressed at the performance then: “Acceleration is bracing stuff. Woofle the V8 a bit, drop the clutch and you’re steaming down the road with a soprano shrilling from the rear tyres and twin tracks of rubber being left on the road. Peter Morgan talks of the possibility of getting a five-speed ’box but I don’t see the need for five cogs.”

The new Aero 8 has six speeds, but the torque of the big BMW is such that you don’t really need them all, and Bain says many new customers are requesting the automatic option — “Now that people don’t regard auto as wimpish any longer!”

Back in 1968 I was awed at the cost of the Plus 8 at more than double that of the TR version. ¨”You could tell yourself that it might be shaking the fillings out of your teeth and freezing your girlfriend half to death, but at least it’s cheap. The Plus 8 isn’t!”

The new Aero 8 is around $170,000 depending on the options ordered, but Morgan aficionados still queue for the privilege of ownership. Fazazz has a limited number of centenary year cars available for delivery in 2009.

Forty years ago it was the same. “Peter Morgan probably doesn’t mind about the price of the Plus 8. He’ll sit back in his ’30s-style dusty office with its varnished panel walls, piles of magazines and photographs of Morgans pinned all round, and keep on filling the order books half a year ahead. You get the impression he doesn’t want customers who are liable to make a fuss if their order is late, or if the car is too Spartan. Peter Morgan is doing the man a favour by selling him a car — with every other motor company in the world it’s the other way round, but it seems to be the right way to buy a Morgan¦”

I don’t suppose much has changed.

Words: Eoin Young Photos: Terry Marshall

The ’80s was a decade best remembered for The Cosby Show, shoulder pads, yuppies, Pac-man, the birth of the CD and let’s not forget the mobile phone.

It was during that time as well that a new beast was being born in Germany — one which would dominate the sports coupe market for more than 20 years.

In 1986, BMW’s Motorsport division was champing at the bit to take its E30 3 Series racing in the world touring car championship, which was open principally to stock production cars. At that time the popular German and European touring car championships were held under the Group A regulations, which stated that a car could only be homologated if at least 5000 examples had been built within a 12—month period. This meant BMW not only had to build a new racing car, but also a homologation special for the street. And while the rules dictated that race cars had to be designed as street-legal as possible, the M Division developed and unleashed a legitimate track monster — the original E30 BMW M3.

Most car manufacturers during that period entered cars that had been heavily modified for competitions, while some built completely new vehicles from scratch to represent a particular make and model.

The challenge then was for manufacturers such as BMW, Ford (Europe) and Lancia to find buyers for the 5000 high performance specials.

Motoring Icon

The German engineers stripped the standard E30 3 Series body to its foundation and set about creating a motoring icon. The E30 M3 differed from the rest of the E30 line-up in many ways. For a start, both front and rear track were widened to give the car better handling, the body shell was stiffened and made more aerodynamic, featuring those famous box-flares. Larger brakes borrowed from the 5 Series replaced the standard 3 Series items.

Under the bonnet, the M3 was initially fitted with the S14, 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine — chosen as a derivative of BMW’s then current Formula One racing engine.
Designed in just two weeks, it’s not surprising that the S14 was basically a combination of engine components assembled from the BMW parts bin. It was simply the M1 3.5-litre six-pot engine with two cylinders cut off. The block was derived from the 2.0-litre engine found in the 320 model, equipped with a dohc, 16-valve head and Bosch fuel injection. Sharing its bore and stroke with the bigger six cylinder engine, the new S14 displaced just over 2.3 litres. In stock form it produced a respectable 149kW, with the competition spec engine putting out a healthy 223kW at 8000rpm.

While the power figures aren’t exorbitant in today’s world of fire-breathing monsters, the lightweight and track-focused E30 BMW M3 soared to touring car success, winning over 50 international racing championships, and it remains the most successful touring car of all time.

With the five-speed Getrag gearbox coupled to the new S14 2.3-litre powerplant, the M3 was a real autobahn stormer rather than a mild mannered cruiser, and it showed in no uncertain terms.
Stripped down with racing in mind, the M3 performance machine weighed in at just 1200kg. Steering was power-assisted but tuned for high speed while the high-compression, race-bred powerplant sounded ready for action at anything above the 3500rpm mark, begging to be pushed beyond this point, relishing the upper rev limits.

Standard features of the M3 included a premium stereo system, air conditioning, leather sports seats and a trip computer, and given this combination of superb performance and on-road behaviour, blending everyday usability and uncompromised driving composure, it is regarded by many as one of the ultimate road cars.

Rex and the Bug

Rex Alder started racing his Vauxhall Magnum back in the late ’70s before stepping up to a more competitive 2.3-litre Vauxhall Chevette, which he gravel-rallied for about six years. At about this time Rex chose to take a break from the rigours of rallying, and he went boating as he figured that fishing was a far more relaxing and cheaper exercise than motor sport.

But they say that once you’ve been bitten by the racing bug it stays with you forever, and clearly that applied to Rex as a few short years later he was behind the wheel of his restored lime green Grinnall TR7V8, which was affectionately known as ‘Kermit’ due to its gruesome shade of green. Rex circuit raced the TR7V8 competitively for about three years and, when new regulations were introduced for the installation of roll-cages, he decided the car was too good to be hacking up the interior, so the Triumph was sold.

Rex then decided to race a Toyota AE86, which he had developed with the help of Malcolm Clark of By’Gone Auto Services. Rex campaigned the Toyota in many rally and Targa events for a couple of years.

Circuit racing in classic car events is also one of Rex’s passions, and as he believed the Toyota wasn’t really acceptable to the classic racing fraternity he decided to make another change.

M Power

Eighteen months ago Rex purchased a Japanese imported, European-spec E30 BMW M3. The European version was chosen for its additional power over the US models, which were hamstrung by the modifications required to reduced their emissions. The European cars also had better gearbox ratios for increased performance. The BMW was soon with Malcolm Clark for a complete make-over.

Malcolm, a well-known identity amongst the motor racing fraternity, has been racing cars longer than he cares to remember, having started By’Gone Auto Services 20 ago. Since then, he has built dozens of successful race cars and has personally competed in 11 Targa NZ events. Currently, his bright orange Rover P6 is a common sight around the country. He also races a BMW 320 in the BMW E30 Series events and, like Rex, is also looking forward to competing in the Tourist Trophy next year.

As Rex also had the urge to compete in circuit and BMW Open Class events, the first thing for Malcolm and team to handle was the fabrication and installation of a homologated roll-cage.

The M3’s standard 2.3-litre engine received forged pistons, a Schrick cam set, larger valves and a Group A exhaust manifold. The fuel system was left standard, but plans are afoot for a Group A carbon fibre air-box and mass air flow meter. For extra safety, an aluminium fuel tank was fitted — this also provided additional fuel capacity. As well as the roll-cage, the interior was fitted with Racetech seats along with full rally and auxiliary instrumentation.

Due to an illness in 2007, Rex was not able to compete in the BMW until this year’s Targa Rotorua, and he’s looking forward to clocking up some hours behind the wheel this season.
Rex is looking forward to the Tourist Trophy because not many events head North and, as far as Rex is concerned, fresh roads can only mean a new, exciting and challenging experience — not to mention three days of camaraderie within a large group of rev-head motor sport enthusiasts.

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Dan Wakelin

Ever dreamed of heading off for a spot of motor racing, only to come crashing back to reality as you stare into empty garage space? Well, here’s your chance to realise that dream

Turnkey Motorsport Limited now has a fleet of race-prepared BMWs available for enduros, club days, tarmac rallies and the BMW Open Class racing series.

There’s even an opportunity to have your name and company logos emblazoned down the sides of the car so they can be flashed before the eyes of spectators, business owners and team members at major motor sport events throughout the year.

The brains behind the operation are David Taylor of Motorsport Services, Peter Martin, Targa NZ’s main man, and Greg Paul of Rally Tours NZ. These three men have pooled their talents and resources to create Turnkey Motorsport.

The philosophy behind the venture was born from a need to increase the number of international competitors in Targa events, given the current economic climate and the effect it would have on the number of local competitors. As the concept of increasing international interest was expanded it became obvious that the biggest obstacle would be the shipping of overseas competition vehicles into and out of New Zealand — a potential drawback for those wishing to travel to New Zealand to compete in Targa NZ.

With this in mind, the idea was born to build a number of identical cars that could be used in Targa and other events.

As such, they looked towards the BMW E30 class, which continues to be a real success story in NZ motor sport. The goal of this series is to allow new people to participate on an equal footing to more seasoned competitors at an affordable level. The natural progression of this class was to the E36 BMW. So, Turnkey Motorsport’s decision to settle on three BMW 325i M-Spec E36s was a no-brainer.

Each car is basically identical, and received a major make-over courtesy of the world-class automotive team at Motorsport Services. In order to make the cars safe, reliable, and as competitive as possible the interiors of each BMW received a fully homologated roll-cage, six-point harnesses and race seats, a Monit trip meter and Stilo intercom system. The handling department was taken care of with the installation of fully adjustable coil-over suspension with single way adjustable shocks, adjustable shock mounts and adjustable camber bars. DTM 17 by eight-inch wheels shod with Dunlop tyres round off the package very nicely.

Under the bonnet, performance was significantly enhanced with the addition of an ECU chip, larger throttle body, modified headers and exhaust system, a lightweight flywheel and race-style clutch.

Lightweight bumpers were also added to keep things as light as possible.

Cheque Book Racing

The cars have been extensively tested in the North Island endurance series at Pukekohe and Taupo before they where debuted at Targa Rotorua in June 2009.

With the testing now complete, the target audience is initially aimed at US enthusiasts. Ex-pat Kiwi, Gavin Riches, is on hand to test and promote the overall ‘turnkey’ concept with small groups of potential customers in the USA. The total experience is important, not just the vehicle and competition. Each member of the team, David Taylor, Peter Martin and Greg Paul, brings a level of experience from their chosen field, and together they have provided a full turnkey experience — from accommodation to transportation — allowing clients to focus on enjoying themselves.

Basically, turn up with your cheque book, drive and have fun.

During the testing of these BMWs, the Turnkey Motorsport team discovered there was a lot of interest from within New Zealand, and so another market was identified — one accommodating those who don’t have the time or inclination to own and prepare their own vehicle, but would like to participate occasionally in weekend track events. Turnkey Motorsport can now provide packages for most budgets.

Dunlop Targa NZ

In February 2008, Peter and Vicki Martin took over the reins of Dunlop Targa NZ, with the intention of taking the event to the next level by increasing its profile and adding to the enjoyment for everyone involved. Regarded as being one of the country’s premier motor sport events, this year’s Dunlop Targa NZ is shaping up to be another action-packed affair, and not to be missed. The team from NZCC is looking forward to providing our readers with a full, blow-by-blow account of each day’s activities on (and off) the circuit, so keep an eye out for next month’s issue.

Comprehensive Package

Turnkey Motorsport Limited has put together an outstanding ‘come and go racing’ package tailored specifically for the Dunlop Targa NZ. Not only is it aimed at international competitors, but also local drivers wishing to have a go, without the expense of owning and maintaining a Targa car.

These comprehensive packages, which can be tailored to suit individual requirements, include a variety of options such as Dunlop Targa entry fees, one-day driver tuition and local track familiarisation, including MotorSport NZ licensing and testing. All vehicle servicing and running costs are met, and drivers get a dedicated support crew and a chance to be part of a larger team with other local and international competitors.

For those keen to capture actual footage of the event, in-car cameras are also available. After all, where else do you get to push a car to its limits on fantastic roads as you blast past some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world without having to worry about police or speed cameras.

It doesn’t just stop there either, five star accommodation is offered on the days leading up to the event, three star accommodation during it, and higher where available to rest up after a gruelling day’s excitement. All meals during Targa are provided in the package. You even get to keep your own commemorative jacket and shirts as a permanent memento.

You don’t have to worry about your ‘handbrake’ either — if your partner is not in the least bit interested in watching you haring around the countryside at break-neck speed, then there’s the opportunity for them to be whisked off and pampered and indulged in high style.

Driving Experience

The morning we arrived at Motorsport Services the first thing I noticed was not only the line up of its M-Spec Beemers — which we were about to get behind the wheel of — but the fine array of other cars at various stages of build. It was abundantly clear that these guys were on the ball, creating race cars for people who want to concentrate on their racing, leaving the preparation, logistics and infrastructure in very capable hands.

I also learned that this team has over 20 years of experience running race cars, at all levels from club to Formula One. Sports and GT cars, in particular Porsche, Audi, BMW and Nissan are its specialty, with first hand experience running multi-car endurance teams in such events as Sebring and the Daytona 24-hour.

So, it was hardly surprising that these M-Spec BMWs were flawlessly prepared — ready for Targa action.

I wandered over to the first car in the line thinking to myself, I wonder which is the best one, only to discover that I couldn’t really tell the difference between them, so I just climbed into the first one. It took a while mind you, I’m not as flexible as I once was, and I’m a little wider in girth as well, which didn’t help either. However, once I had everything positioned, arms and legs where they should be and safety harness buckled up, I hit the starter and the in-line six snapped into song immediately. From the throaty exhaust note, I knew that this was going to be fun, as we headed off in convoy to a nice quiet reserve for some photographs. To say we caused a few sideways glances along the way was an extreme understatement as the three bright orange, fully Targa prepared BMWs trundled though Whangaparaoa township. It must have been a fairly impressive sight.

Controllable

The car I was driving felt supremely comfortable, even though the interior was stripped to the bare bones and yes, it had the odd shake and rattle, but I felt I could have stayed in it and driven to Wellington. The engine was well tuned and responsive, especially in the lower gears as the fairly rapid acceleration caught me unawares on more than one occasion. Handling was superb; the Motorsport Services team had obviously done its homework here, as the car felt totally controllable even in the short bursts I was able to experience. The complete suspension, wheel/ tyre combinations really made me feel I was driving a seriously competitive piece of kit.

Okay, you’re probably not going to take out overall Targa honours in one of these cars, but I can guarantee that the drivers of these BMWs will have the best time of their lives trundling these puppies around the North Island.

Turnkey Motorsport has definitely filled a gap in the market and, given the tough economic times over the past 12 or so months, has provided an outstanding opportunity for anyone keen enough to participate in what many consider to be New Zealand’s premier motor racing event — with or without all the trimmings such as service crews, pit crew support and hospitality.

So — you don’t have to stare at that empty garage space and dream any longer!

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Adam Croy

An excellent soft-cover offering from reprint specialist Brooklands. However, this is not a series of reprints but a specially commissioned restoration and maintenance guide for the E30 cars. And, with the E30 BMWs now becoming very affordable, many of these cars are now within the scope of enthusiasts who would rather maintain their cars at home rather than through the expensive BMW service agents.

Everett identifies all the models within the E30 range, then starts with tips on selecting a sound car and how to set up a proper maintenance schedule, before embarking on a series of comprehensive chapters covering suspension, brakes, electrical, engine and interior restoration. There is even a section on engine modification. A very useful adjunct to a standard service manual, the strength of this book is in its detailed explanations — anyone who has read the phrase, ‘installation is a reverse of the removal process’ in their official service manual will instantly be able to gauge the value of the additional information contained within this book’s pages.

BMW E30 3 Series Restoration Bible by Andrew Everett
Review book supplied by Techbooks
Review by Allan Walton

A prolific author, Robson delves through BMW’s archives to produce a really interesting book and, instead of dealing with the marque’s history on a car-by-car basis, instead he concentrates on BMW’s factories. It may seem like a pretty dull idea, but Robson manages to bring it off with a certain sense of style.

The early chapters are easily the most interesting part of the book — dealing with BMW’s beginnings, its early career building aero engines, motorcycles and its forays into license-built Austin 7s and Isettas. From the ’80s onwards the books loses its classic interest, although the sections on BMW’s acquisition of Rover and its flirtation with Rolls-Royce are useful additions.

However, the main core of this book is a collection of rare factory photographs — Herman Goering and Adolf Hitler touring the Milbertshofen factory; lines of BMW apprentices in their Hitler Youth uniforms; Dornier and Junkers aircraft assembly; and a whole series of photos that chart the growth of BMW’s massive industrial might. Fascinating stuff, indeed.

BMW’s Bavarian blue and white propeller logo harks back to its early 20th-century roots as an aircraft engine manufacturer. How this venerable company weathered two world wars, moved from aircraft to motorcycles and, finally, to the cars that would provide its greatest glory is the remarkable story recounted in this book. With unique access to BMW’s factories and archives, author Graham Robson gives readers an inside look at how the great German automaker works and how its methods have evolved over the decades. Visiting factories throughout Germany and in the United States, he offers readers a rare, behind the scenes, nuts-and-bolts account of how BMW produces its famed models. Illustrated with rare photographs from BMW’s own archives, this book constitutes an unprecedented tour of the history and culture of one of the world’s great automakers.

Inside the BMW Factories: Building the Ultimate Driving Machine by Graham Robson
Review copy supplied by Techbooks
Review by Allan Walton

A very handy reference book for owners of E30 and E36 cars. Dempsey covers everything from engine rebuilding to replacing the BMW nose badge on your 3 Series. With lots of good illustrations accompanied by easy-to-follow instructions, this manual should be a real aid for owners who would like to handle their own maintenance chores.

Dempsey includes a skill guide for each of the 101 projects — so a useless spanner-hand, such as this reviewer, can select projects even he could handle, leaving the more technical stuff for the specialists. Recommended.

By Wayne R Dempsey
Review book supplied by Techbooks $80
ISBN 13-978-0-7603-2696-4
Review by James Black

In 1977, Roy Lichtenstein turned a BMW 320i into a piece of his art which was driven at the prestigious Le Mans 24-hour race in France by Frenchmen Herve Poulain and Marcel Mignot, who finished 9th overall and first in class.

When Lichtenstein was drafting his Art Car, he spent a long time thinking about all the things that happens to a car. The result of this critical examination of the car is an amazing blend of aerodynamic qualities on the one hand and artistic skill on the other.

When Lichtenstein created the third BMW Art Car, he said he used “painted lines as a road, pointing the way for the car. The design also shows the scenery as it passes by. Even the sky and sunlight are to been seen….you could list all the things a car experiences – the only difference is that this car mirrors all these things even before it takes to the road.”

Taking a closer look, the car’s design casts a picture of passing scenery in which both the car and it’s movement are one single entity. And although Lichtenstein’s comic art was already a thing of the past by then, his Art Car is clearly influenced by it: the long-drawn colored strips act as “speedlines” – a feature used in comics to suggest speed. Even the oversized dots used by Lichtenstein, the “Benday dots”, are reminiscent of his famous comic-strip pictures.

The harmony achieved between predetermined aerodynamic features and free composition is pure Lichtenstein. It is an expression of his artistic credo: art must be an element of everyday life – its themes and inspiration must come from the lives of ordinary people.

Background on the BMW Art Car Program

Roy Lichtenstein was the third artist to join the BMW Art Car Collection. He was followed by Andy Warhol, 1979; Ernst Fuchs, 1982; Robert Rauschenberg, 1986; Ken Done, 1989; Michael Jagamara Nelson, 1989; Matazo Kayama, 1990; Cesar Manrique, 1990; A.R. Penck, 1991; Esther Mahlangu, 1991; Sandro Chia, 1992 and David Hockney, 1995. Alexander Calder created the first Art Car in 1975 followed by Frank Stella in 1976.

The concept of the BMW Art Car was conceived in 1975, the year that French auctioneer and race driver Herve Poulain first entered Le Mans. Searching for a link between art and motorsports, he asked his friend Alexander Calder, to commission a rolling canvas on the BMW 3.0 CSL he would race.

The BMW 3 Series

BMW’s art cars have always been from the 3 Series range. Like other manufacturers, BMW has refined its engine technology to be more powerful, yet more fuel efficient and less polluting. It’s interesting to note different stages of like in an engine’s development and to track the progress through the years as new technology filters down from the top-of-the-line models.

Milestones in BMW 3 Series engine development:

While BMW has used model numbers beginning with 3 since for decades (see the pictures in the gallery of the 1939 335), the modern 3 Series began in 1975.
1975: World premiere of the BMW 3 Series featuring four four-cylinder engines.

1977: BMW 323i and BMW 320/6 — the first six-cylinder models in the BMW 3 Series.

1982: Presentation of the second generation of the BMW 3 Series.

1984: BMW 325e with a six-cylinder eta engine for particularly good fuel economy.

1985: Premiere of the BMW 324d, the first diesel-powered model in the BMW 3 Series.

1989: Introduction of four-valve technology to high volume production with the launch of the BMW 318is.

1990: Launch of the third generation of the BMW 3 Series.

1992: VANOS featured in the BMW M3 and six-cylinder versions of the BMW 3 Series Coupe.

1994: BMW 318tds with the first four-cylinder diesel engine in the BMW 3 Series.

1995: Six-cylinder petrol engines with aluminium crankcase.

1998: Launch of the fourth generation of the BMW 3 Series.

2000: Six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines each with a 3-litre cubic capacity.

2001: BMW presents throttle-free load control VALVETRONIC featured on the four-cylinder engine of the BMW 316ti compact.

2004: BMW 320Cd Convertible — the first open top BMW to feature a diesel engine.

2005: Presentation of the fifth generation of the BMW 3 Series, new six-cylinder petrol engines with a composite magnesium-aluminium crankcase.

2007: BMW 335i Coupe with Twin Turbo and High Precision Injection. Direct petrol injection for lean burn operation in the six-cylinder models BMW 330i and BMW 325i as well as the four-cylinder models BMW 320i and BMW 318i, four-cylinder diesel with aluminium crankcase and third-generation Common-Rail Injection.

2008: Five models from the BMW 3 Series with a CO2 emission level of between 123 and 131 grams per km.

Progress in figures:

1985: BMW 324d, six-cylinder diesel, 63 kW/86 bhp, 6.9 litres/100 km (average in an EU test cycle).

2008: BMW 335d, six-cylinder diesel, 210 kW/286 bhp, 6.7 litres/100 km.

1994: BMW 318tds, four-cylinder diesel, 66 kW/90 bhp, 5.9 litres/100 km.

2008: BMW 318d, four-cylinder diesel, 105 kW/143 bhp, 4.7 litres/100 km.

1978: BMW 323i, six-cylinder petrol engine, 105 kW/143 bhp, 7.9 litres/100 km (measured at a constant speed of 100 km/h).

2008: BMW 330i, six-cylinder petrol engine, 200 kW/272 bhp, 7.2 litres/100 km.

1985: BMW 325e, six-cylinder petrol engine, 90 kW/122 bhp, 8.4 litres/100 km.

2008: BMW 330i, six-cylinder petrol engine, 200 kW/272 bhp, 7.2 litres/100 km.

2001: BMW 316ti compact, four-cylinder petrol engine with VALVETRONIC, 85 kW/115 bhp, 6.9 litres/100 km.

2008: BMW 318i, four-cylinder petrol engine with High Precision Injection, 105 kW/143 bhp, 5.9 litres/100 km.

The star came in pure white: When the 64th Paris Motor Show opened its gates in autumn 1978, sports car fans and lovers had only one destination – the stand of BMW Motorsport GmbH. There they were able to admire a super-low, extremely dynamic new model making it quite clear at very first sight that this was Germany’s fastest road-going sports car: the BMW M1, 1,140 millimetres (44.9″) high, 204 kW (277 bhp) strong, and well over 260 km/h (160 mph) fast.

“Everybody was crowding around BMW’s new mid-engined sports car”, wrote the press. And: “The list of orders coming in exceeds even the wildest expectations – an American fan of BMW, just to mention one example, has already put in an order for three M1s.” That was indeed quite something, considering that BMW’s super-sports car had a price-tag back then in 1978 of exactly DM 100,000, enough for four BMW 323is plus a couple of optional extras.

It is indeed fair to say that few cars have ever been expected with such excitement and anticipation as the BMW M1 representing all of BMW’s know-how in motor racing. Project E 26, as the then still nameless M1 was initially called within the Company, had started in 1976. This was to be the first really unique car built by BMW Motorsport GmbH, BMW’s motor racing subsidiary established in 1972. Having already made a great name for itself in the international racing scene with the fast BMW 2002 and the truly superior BMW 3.0 CSI, the racing company now planned to lift this success to an even higher level with a competition car specially built and prepared for the Group four and five racing series.

According to Group four regulations at the time, a car qualifying for entry required a production run of at least 400 units in 24 successive months, it had to have two seats and bear a distinct resemblance from outside with its production counterpart. And that made it quite clear that the E26 h ad to be not only a thoroughbred racing car, but also a street-legal sports car.

A Bavarian with Italian blood

The problem was that BMW Motorsport GmbH totally lacked the capacity to develop and build such a car all by itself. After all, this team of specialists had concentrated so far on “simply” turning series-production cars into racing cars, making the chassis and suspension tauter and the engine more powerful.

In its lines and design, the new coupe was intended to clearly boast that special Italian style. It was modelled around the gull-wing turbo, a turbocharged concept car created in 1972 by BMW designer Paul Bracq. Proceeding from this design study with its rounder lines, Giorgio Giugiaro created the sharp profile of the M1 with its distinct, almost jagged edges and corners.

Indeed, Bracq and Giugiaro had already cooperated in the past in creating the BMW 6 Series coupe.

First choice in the engine department: a straight-six power unit

Choosing the engine, BMW Motorsport GmbH initially focused on two concepts: Advance studies of Formula engines had led, inter alia, to a ten-cylinder code-named the M81, a V-engine with its cylinders at an angle of 144°. Suitably modified, this engine was also examined for its possible use in a sports car. But then the team around BMW’s Motorsport Director Jochen Neerpasch quickly opted in favour of a new straight-six, an engine concept supported by the excellent experience BMW had gained in the CSI races.

After all kinds of rumours with the grapevine running wild, BMW unveiled the secret in spring 1977, officially confirming the development of the new super-sports car. Then, in autumn of the same year, BMW published the first photos of the M1 in production trim, the car then making its first public appearance again half a year later.

Together with TV presenter Dieter Kürten, Jochen Neerpasch proudly introduced the Group four version in the colours of Motorsport GmbH in a prime-time Saturday evening sports programme on Channel Two of German Television. And although this racing machine bearing starter number eleven was not yet ready to go, the first test drives were scheduled for April 1978.

277 bhp in a purebred sports car

The big day finally came in autumn of the same year, the public being able to admire the first E26 at the Paris Motor Show. By that time the car bore the model designation M1 standing for the first car developed and built by BMW Motorsport GmbH.

Measuring 4,360 millimetres (171.7″) in length, 1,824 millimetres (71.8″) in width and 1,140 millimetres (44.9″) in height, the M1 exuded a genuine flair of power. And indeed, this mid-engined sports car was driven by a 3.5-litre straight-six fitted lengthwise in front of the rear axle and developing maximum output of 277 bhp. Code-named the M88, this engine was based on the volume-production six-cylinder combined with the four-valve cylinder head carried over from BMW’s CSI racing engines. Within this two-piece cylinder head, the lower section formed the combustion and coolant chamber, the upper half comprised the camshaft bearings and cup tappets.

The fuel/air mixture was delivered through three double throttle butterfly manifolds featuring six 46-millimetre individual throttle butterflies to the cylinders through two intake ducts per cylinder measuring 26 millimetres (1.02″) in diameter. The all-electronic digital ignition system also reflected the latest state of the art.

Dry sump lubrication bore clear testimony to the sporting genes of the M1, the car being able to achieve a very high level of lateral acceleration. Fuel was supplied to the engine from two tanks right and left in front of the rear axle, each with a capacity of 58 litres (12.8 Imp gals). From the engine power was transmitted through a ZF five-speed gearbox connected to the engine by a two-plate dry clutch. The final drive differential came as standard with 40 per cent locking action.

264.7 km/h (164.1 mph): Germany’s fastest sports car

The six-cylinder power unit was smooth and free of vibrations throughout its entire range of engine speed, even remaining quite docile at lower speeds. But this changed instantaneously once the rev counter hit 5,000 rpm, the M88 pushing the M1 forwards up to its top engine speed of 7,000 rpm with power and energy making even the most jaded car testers wax lyrical: “Once the throttle butterflies are fully open you feel a tremendous kick from behind continuing well beyond the 200 km/h-mark. There is no need to shift to fifth gear, for example, until you reach a speed of 213 km/h (132 mph) and from there you continue to accelerate up and up to the car’s top speed.”

Which, as recorded by Germany’s leading car magazine in autumn 1979, was 264.7 km/h (164.1 mph). Acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 5.6 seconds also looked very good, which is not surprising considering the power-to-weight ratio of 4.7 kg/PS, making things relatively easy for the 204 kW (277 bhp) engine.

The M1 was conceived and built for racing right from the start, the elaborate suspension with double wishbones on each wheel, gas-pressure dampers and two anti-roll bars remaining in command throughout the car’s entire speed range. With the exception of the more comfort-oriented response of the moving parts and the modified spring/damper setting, the road suspension was identical to the chassis and suspension on the Group four racing version.

Four inner-vented brake discs ensured phenomenal stopping power from any speed and the front axle came with 30 per cent anti-dive minimising body movement even when applying the brakes all-out. Tyres measuring 205/50 VR 16 at the front and 225/50 VR 16 at the rear, finally, were certainly very big and muscular in those days.

A low centre of gravity of just 460 millimetres (18.5″) above the road, track measuring 1,550 mm (61.02″) at the front and 1,576 mm (62.04″) at the rear, together with the mid-engined concept providing weight distribution of 44.1:55.9, made the M1 a genuine performer in bends, even though the car called for an experienced driver when pushed to the limit.

Typical of a mid-engined performance car with a low level of inertia around its vertical axis, the M1 required quick and forceful counter steering as soon as lateral acceleration exceeded a reasonable limit and the rear threatened to break away. But the rack-and-pinion steering without power assistance and with a direct transmission ratio was simply perfect for this kind of control. Displaced castor and a small steering roll radius served at the same time to combine ease of control with supreme road contact absolutely essential for the active driver. The twin-joint safety steering column, in turn, was adjustable for reach.

A racing car with crash-proven passive safety

Although the M1 was a sports car par excellence, both the driver and passenger enjoyed a certain standard of comfort. For whilst the suspension was firm and taut, it nevertheless absorbed bumps on the road without requiring the occupants to take any heavy jolts. Indeed, the driver and passenger were safely cocooned in a rectangular steel-profile space-frame complete with a bonded and riveted plastic skin free of distortion. The luggage compartment beneath the front lid was sufficient for a weekend for two, and even air conditioning was available. And the BMW M1 was safe. Since the new sports car received general homologation for the entire production series (as opposed to individual approval of each single model one-by-one), BMW was required to substantiate the passive safety of the M1 in a series of crash tests – a precaution which later benefitted many a racing driver.

But whilst the public was admiring the new super-sports car from Munich, with orders coming in one after the other, production of the M1 suffered a nasty setback: Lamborghini was unable to assemble the new car as planned and the order instead had to go to Baur, the coach-building specialist in Stuttgart. This made the M1 a genuine challenge in the production process with the space-frame being built by Marchesi, the glass-fibre-reinforced plastic body shell by T.I.R., both in the Italian town of Modena, and Giorgio Giugiaro’s company ItalDesign assembling these two basic units and adding the interior trim and equipment. From there the car went to Stuttgart, where Baur fitted all the mechanical systems and components.

A big attraction in Formula 1: the Procar Series

Facing these delays and re-planning requirements, BMW suddenly became hard pressed for time. After all, 400 units of the new car had to be built within 24 months for homologation as a Group four competition car. And other companies were also pressing forward. So to get the M1 on to the race track faster, Motorsport GmbH Director Jochen Neerpasch, teaming up with Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley, launched the Procar Series, with races held just before most of the European Formula 1 Grand Prix events in the 1979/80 season.

The big difference versus the road going car was the engine of the Procar racing version. The first step for motor racing was to tune the M88 six-cylinder the classic, conventional way, with new camshafts, larger valves, forged pistons, optimised flow ducts, slides instead of throttle butterflies and a modified exhaust system boosting output to 470-490 bhp.

With this kind of power, the Procar version weighing just 1,020 kilos and fitted with the longest transmission ratio had a top speed of approximately 310 km/h (192 mph). Goodyear racing tyres measuring 10.0/23.5 x 16 at the front and 12.5/25.0 x 16 at the rear, together with a mighty rear wing, served to provide the right kind of grip on the road. Driving one of these Group four BMW M1s, Marc Surer lapped the Northern Circuit of Nurburgring in just 7m 55.9s.

Built to Group four regulations, the M1 was not only placed at the disposal of five Formula 1 drivers in each race for the Procar Trophy, but was also sold straight from the factory as BMW Motorsport GmbH’s first ready-to-go racing car at a price of DM 150,000. And indeed, some of the most renowned racing teams quickly took up this offer, Schnitzer and Heidegger racing their own M1s on the track, just like Osella in Italy and Ron Dennis in Great Britain.

Putting up a unique show for the crowd: Driving skill was the decisive factor

Benefitting from this combination of BMW M1s prepared for racing by Motorsport GmbH and those entered by private teams, and with the cars driven by the big names in Formula 1 as well as ambitious racing drivers in other categories, the Procar Series gained unique popularity. This is where the world’s best drivers faced the old hands and newcomers in the scene, comparing their skills with cars virtually identical in every respect. The crucial factor, therefore, was driving skill – and this really caught the attention of the crowd. The Procar races proved just as popular as the ensuing races for the Formula 1 World Championship.

The recipe for success was perfectly prepared. The fastest five Formula 1 drivers in the Friday practice sessions were placed against 15 touring car specialists. With the Procar races being held on the Saturday, the first five places on the grid went to the stars, the remaining places were shared by the touring car cracks lined up according to their practice times. And they all joined in. Drivers and racing teams were happy to participate in the Procar Series, provided they were not barred from doing so by their contracts.

“Maybe I was so fast because I just wanted to drive a BMW.”

This is why on 12 May 1979, the Saturday before the Belgian Grand Prix in Zolder, the two fastest drivers in practice were unable to take their seats in the M1: Gilles Villeneuve and Jean-Pierre Jabouille had exclusive contracts with other car manufacturers. But Jacques Laffite, the third-fastest driver in the practice sessions, was just as happy to start his engine in BMW’s mid-engined Gran Tourisme as Clay Regazzoni, the reigning World Champion Mario Andretti, as well as Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet.

Nelson, later to become Formula 1 World Champion with Brabham BMW and at the time No. 2 in the Brabham Team after Niki Lauda, was unable to anticipate his great career back then when he said, grinning: “Maybe I was so fast because I just wanted to drive a BMW.”

But Nelson’s competitors also had great names and a great reputation. Hans-Joachim Stuck, who a day later came eighth in the Grand Prix racing for the German ATS Team, the then reigning Formula 2 European Champion Bruno Giacomelli, BMW Motorsport drivers Toine Hezemans and Dieter Quester, as well as Elio de Angelis, another star in Formula 1. And when the lights switched to green in this truly outstanding line-up of Procar drivers, Hans-Joachim Stuck and young Austrian star Markus Höttinger pulled away from the rest of the grid after just a few laps.

But in lap twelve the two of them got a little too close for comfort and ended up in the fences. So to quote a report on the race summing up the 20 laps, “Italian driver Elio de Angelis proved to be the superman in the first M1 race, not only winning the event, but also completing the fastest lap. And this was after starting from 15th place and ploughing his way through the entire field.” Second place went to Toine Hezemans, Clay Regazzoni finished third.

The Procar Champions: Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet

Ultimately, however, the initial results started to change in the course of the Procar season, Niki Lauda, already two-times Formula 1 World Champion back then, scoring the largest number of points by the end of the season: In eight races in the M1 Procar Series, Niki scored three wins and finished second in one race. So whilst Hans-Joachim Stuck was able to bring home victory in the last two races, he ended up five points behind Lauda when the season finished. Only Clay Regazzoni held on to his third place until the end of the season.

Winning the last three races in the 1980 series, Nelson Piquet brought home overall victory in Procar racing a year later, followed by Alan Jones and Hans-Joachim Stuck. And maybe this was no coincidence, since Alan Jones, later to become Formula 1 World Champion, was a dedicated fan of the M1, anyway, being one of the first customers to buy this sports car for private use.

These spectacular events more or less marked the end of the M1 in Group four racing for a simple reason: The M1 was only homologated for racing on 1 April 1981 and the regulations were changed just nine months later, making it virtually impossible for the M1 to compete any more.

Boosted by up to 1,000 horsepower: Group five M1 with biturbo power unit

Even the success of the M1 in Group five was unable to match the overwhelming Procar Series. Group five was for special production cars derived from cars homologated in other racing categories – and that was virtually the only restriction. The first M1s to enter Group five were powered by normally aspirated engines developing a maximum output of almost 500 bhp.

To cope with engine torque of up to 800Nm (almost 600 lb-ft), these cars featured a Hewland FG 400 five-speed gearbox, with locking action on the final drive ranging from 75-100 per cent, depending on the racetrack. Later, the engines of the Group five M1 were boosted up to 1000 bhp by two turbochargers. And to get as much of this huge power on to the road as possible, the body of the car was modified by all kinds of spoilers turning the M1 into real “wing monsters”. This was also when Team Schnitzer, the leading BMW tuning specialist, turned a Group five M1 into the then most powerful racing car in the German Motor Racing Championship, using a kevlar body on a specially reinforced chassis. With this kind of power, Hans-Joachim Stuck came home first on both Nürburgring and Salzburgring.

The IMSA GTO Champion in the USA: BMW M1

1981 was a spectacular year of success for the M1 in the USA. Any driver wishing to play an important role at the time in the popular IMSA GTO Championship simply had to drive BMW’s mid-engined coupe. After forming the Red Lobster Team, Dave Cowart and Kenper Miller finished the season first and second, naturally both at the wheel of a BMW M1.

Indeed, the white M1 with starter number 25 won twelve out of 16 races in the Championship. Only one driver among the top ten in the 1981 Championship drove another car, not BMW’s mid-engined coupe. And the driver finishing seventh, incidentally, was US racing legend Al Unser Jr.,
naturally at the wheel of an M1.

Presenting art on fast wheels: M1 Art Car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans

The M1 was not only an outstanding racing and sports car, but also an equally unique work of art. In 1979 world-famous pop art idol Andy Warhol tried his hand on a ready-to-race M1 coupe, using his brush and paint to turn the M1 into one of the fastest works of art in the world.
This was BMW’s fourth Art Car, a series of artistic achievements based on various BMW models. Warhol was the first artist to paint the body of the car directly with powerful swipes of his brush: “But the car is better than the art”, Warhol said himself afterwards in a rather dry comment.

Boasting starter number 76, the BMW M1 Art Car subsequently struggled for the title in Le Mans throughout the whole 24 hours, ultimately finishing the race sixth.

Transplanting the M1 six-cylinder into production cars: the M5 and M 635 CSi

Production of the M1 ended in 1981 after a production run of 445 units, 399 for the road and 46 in Procar trim. But the heart of the M1, the M88 six-cylinder 24-valve power unit, was far too good to retire from the scene. In particular, it was much too progressive, powerful and superior. So in 1984 Motorsport GmbH once again hit the headlines, making aficionados of high-performance cars wax lyrical once again when the 255 km/h (158 mph) M 635 CSi coupe and the M5 brought back the M1′s fast-revving power machine.

Particularly the hand-built M5 quickly became a real legend: This was truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing, with maximum output of 286 bhp almost three times as powerful as the 518i. And whilst at first sight it almost looked the same as its large-volume counterpart, top speed of 245 km/h (152 mph) quickly captured the attention and admiration of countless owners of large saloons and sports cars having to give way to the M5 on the Autobahn even with the gas pedal pushed right down to the floor. Not surprisingly, therefore, this marked the birth of the “Businessman’s Express”.

Click through to the next page to see the full specifications of the BMW M1 in road, Procar and Group 5.

Specifications BMW M1 – production model

Engine: Water-cooled straight-six in mid-engine arrangement

Four valves per cylinder, two overhead cam-shaft with double roller chain drive

Capacity (cc) 3,453

Stroke (mm/in) 84/3.31

Bore (mm/in) 93.4/3.68

Max output (kW/bhp) 204/277 at 6,500 at rpm

Max torque (Nm/lb-ft) 330/243 at 5,000 at rpm

Max engine speed (rpm) 7,000

Mean piston speed at max output (m/sec) 17.4

Compression ratio 9:1

Fuel supply: Kugelfischer system mechanical fuel injection three double throttle butterfly manifolds with six throttle butterflies, dia 46mm

Fuel grade (RON) 98

Fuel tank capacity (ltr.) (2 x 58) 116

Lubrication Pressure-circuit lubrication with dry sump oil system Triple suction pump next to crankcase, pressure pump in the oil sump

Electrical system

Battery voltage (V) 12

Battery output (Ah) 55

Alternator 14 V/65 A

Ignition: Magneti-Marelli contact-free, all-electronic digital ignition system controlled by the flywheel

Spark plugs: Bosch x 4 CS

Chassis and suspension

Frame: Spaceframe with plastic body

Front axle: Double track control arm (wishbone) with light-alloy wheel mounts Independent suspension

Rear axle: Double track control arm (trapezoid arm at the bottom) with light-alloy wheel mounts Independent suspension

Dampers/springs: Bilstein gas pressure dampers Concentric coil springs adjustable for height

Anti-roll bar dia (mm/in) front 23/0.91, rear 19/0.75

Brakes: Inner-vented fixed-calliper disc brakes in two-circuit system with brake servo pressure reducer on the rear axle

Brake disc dia(mm/in) front 300/11 rear 297/11.69

Brake disc width (mm/in) front 32/1.26 rear 26/1.02

Swept brake area (cm²) front 96/wheel rear 69/wheel

Parking brake: Operated mechanically, acting on separate brake callipers on the rear axle
Steering: Rack-and-pinion steering, two-joint safety steering column adjustable for reach

Steering wheel dia (mm/in) 360/14.2

Wheels Cast light-alloy wheels front 7″x 16″; rear 8″ x 16″

Tyres: Pirelli P7, front 205/55 VR 16, rear 225/50 VR 16

Power transmission

Clutch: F + S hydraulically operated, double-disc dry clutch

Gearbox: ZF five-speed manual gearbox with integrated final drive

Transmission ratios, manual gearbox:
1st 2.42

2nd 1.61

3rd 1.14

4th 0.846

5th 0.704

Reverse 2.86

Final drive 4.22

Dimensions (mm/in)

Wheelbase 2,560/100.8

Track, front 1,550/61.0

Track, rear 1,576/62.0

Length 4,360/171.7

Width 1,824/71.8

Height, unladen 1,140/44.9

Ground clearance, laden 125/4.9

Turning circle 13,000/512

Technical Description BMW M1 Group Four Grand Tourisme based on international motorsport regulations.

Grand Tourisme cars are built in a small series and must have at least two seats. They may be improved and modified in the interest of enhanced performance. The modifications allowed for this purpose are specified in detail in the International Motorsport Regulations.

In their looks and appearance, Group four cars bear a close resemblance to the production model.

Engine

Six-cylinder in-line power unit, water-cooled, four valves per cylinder, mechanical fuel injection, dry sump lubrication, oil cooler at the front end of the car, 94 mm/3.70″ bore, 84 mm/3.31″ stroke, 3,500 cc capacity, max output 345kW (470 bhp) at 9,000 rpm, max torque 390Nm (287 lb-ft) at 7,000 rpm.

Power transmission

Hydraulically operated double-plate clutch, ZF five-speed gearbox, differential and gearbox cooling system.

Chassis and suspension

Double track control arms on the front and rear axles, magnesium wheel mounts, aluminium wheel hubs with central bolt, Bilstein dampers with bolted spring plates, anti-roll bars front and rear, exchangeable and adjustable, ATE brake system, swing callipers and vented discs front and rear, twin master brake cylinders, brake forces adjustable while driving, rims 11.0 x 16 at the front, 12.5 x 16 at the rear, tyres 10.0/23.5 x 16 at the front, 12.5/25.0 x 16 at the rear, rack-and-pinion steering with direct transmission ratio.

Technical Description BMW M1 Group Five special production car based on international motorsport regulations

Special production cars do not require a minimum production volume, but must be derived from cars homologated in Groups one, two, three or four. All modifications allowed on Group one to four cars as well as additional Group five modifications are admissible, as specified by the International Motorsport Regulations.

Greater freedom in the shape and dimensions of the flared wheel arches as well as the use of aerodynamic improvements front and rear significantly change the looks of the body.

Beneath the body shell the manufacturer is able to choose and configure the various systems (engine, transmission, suspension, brakes) with hardly any restrictions.

The Group five BMW M1 features a 3.2-litre six-cylinder 24-valve power unit with an exhaust gas turbocharger developing up to 850 bhp at 9,000 rpm. Boost pressure is between 1.2 and 1.4 atmosphere.

The Group five version benefits from technical optimisation of all units and systems. The car’s final specifications will be published at a later date.

Source: BMW

Words: Darren Cottingham Photos: Adam Croy

The E30 M3 put the fear of the devil into Mercedes-Benz and Ford in 1987, but how does it compare with the fourth-generation E92 M3?

Back in 1985, Eberhard von Kuenheim, chairman of the board of management of BMW, was itching to use BMW’s success in Formula 1 with the BMW Brabham to create a 3 Series that would put the fear of the devil into Mercedes-Benz and Ford in Group A racing.

Paul Rosche, BMW’s technical director, was the man for the job — he’d designed the turbocharged engine that helped Nelson Piquet win the F1 World Championship in 1983.

Rosche wasted no time in checking the right components were available to create a high output 2.0-litre engine that would be strong and reliable in long distance races.

Top-of-the-line 3 Series cars at the time sported a six-cylinder engine, so the decision in favour of four cylinders must have puzzled many. But it made sense; four cylinders are lighter than six, the engine block could be taken straight from the Formula 1 programme, and the crankshaft on the six-cylinder engine suffered vibration at the engine speeds Rosche knew he’d need to maintain reliability.

The design team engineered a crank on the M3 so stiff it could run in excess of 10,000rpm. BMW set the rev limiter at 6750rpm on the road cars to give a wide tolerance for heavy use. The cylinder head also came from BMW’s existing line, but this time they simply cut two combustion chambers from the four-valve six-cylinder unit. This was possible without complications due to the same distance between cylinders in both versions. Finally the engine was bored out to 2.3 litres.

Many car manufacturers would take months to achieve what Paul Rosche and his team achieved in 14 days. The prototype engine was delivered with the proud moniker ‘S14’, and at the time the engineering team couldn’t have predicted the success yet to come.

Waxing lyrical

Contesting Group A meant 5000 cars had to be created for homologation within 12 months. To Rosche’s chagrin, turbocharging wasn’t an option thanks to both the homologation rules, and the need to keep it driveable on the road.

In summer ’85, Germany’s motoring writers were ecstatic with this 149kW prototype that had a top speed of 230kph and accelerated to 100kph in just 6.7 seconds. They waxed lyrical right up to the Frankfurt Motor Show in the northern hemisphere’s autumn, where the car made its debut to the public with its box-flared fenders, large rear wing and air dams. Then they waxed some more.

BMW had decided to include a fully controlled catalytic converter. Despite being installed on cars since 1975, catalytic converters weren’t often used with performance cars as they increased fuel consumption and robbed the engine of power. Also BMW correctly assumed that the varying quality of unleaded fuel throughout Europe would cause destructive engine knocking for some clients. Rosche and his team found the solution by reducing the engine’s compression ratio from 10.5:1 to 9.6:1, only sacrificing 3.7kW.

In summer ’85, Germany’s motoring writers were ecstatic with this 149kW prototype that had a top speed of 230kph and accelerated to 100kph in just 6.7 seconds

Extensive testing commenced at the Nürburgring — where the exhaust pipes got so hot they expanded by 25mm and burst as they pushed against the suspension units. The engineers found a very simple solution; they used different rubber units on the suspension, which created more play and flexibility. A final test was 150,000km of full throttle, full speed testing at Nardo in Italy. Passing with flying colours, the E30 M3 was put into production with the first units delivered in spring 1986.

The BMW’s dry weight of 1200kg was achieved in part by the front and rear bumpers, side sills, boot lid and spoiler all being made of plastic. The aerodynamics reduced front axle lift by almost half and rear axle lift by two-thirds over a standard 3 Series, and the car’s drag coefficient of 0.33 was impressive for such a boxy shape.

BMW had no problem selling the 5000 units required for homologation despite the DM58,000 price tag, which was a full DM14,000 more than the top of the line 325i. Demand was so high that cars were on-sold at a premium by those lucky enough to have a contract in their hands. But would it perform on the track?

Virtually unbeatable

With a World Touring Car Championship being held for the first time in 1987, the racing M3 received a power boost to 224kW. BMW decided that rather than field a works team it would support a number of private teams such as Linder, Schnitzer and Zakspeed.

On March 22, 1987, the racing debut of the M3 was marred when all the cars were disqualified for allegedly illegal panel thickness. BMW’s appeal came too late, but this minor hiccup did not have an effect on the championship result, with Roberto Ravaglia ending the season on top of the podium.

In 1988 BMW unleased the Evo — a special series of even more powerful M3s with 160kW (with catalyst), and an increased top speed of 239kph, up from 230kph — followed the by M3 convertible, the fastest production open four-seater of the time.

BMW’s racing M3 was virtually unbeatable, racking up the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), other national titles in France, Australia, Britain and Italy, and the Corsica Rally (BMW’s first WRC race win in 14 years). For five years the first-generation M3 lead the way to become the most successful touring car of all time.

The various race series the M3 competed in required different engine sizes. In Britain the engines were limited to two litres, but in Germany and France they increased to 2.5 litres, giving the four-cylinder a maximum output of 268kW. Further revisions were introduced to comply with homologation rules, including the 162kW Evo 2, and the 175kW Sport Evolution (which featured larger arches to accommodate 18-inch wheels).

By the time the second generation M3 (E36) was launched in 1992, BMW had sold over 18,200 units (including 786 convertibles).

The devil is popular

Where good should triumph over evil, the devil nearly won out on the day of our photo-shoot. First off, it was pouring with rain in the morning — not good for taking pictures — and traffic was terrible, so our photographer was held up. That meant we were slightly late getting to BMW, but the E30 M3 was delayed by two hours due to a misunderstanding. Then, 10 minutes into our drive, the E30 got a flat tyre. The wheel would not budge with the wrench in the car, and the E92 doesn’t come with a wrench at all, but an air compressor which was no use because it was the tyre’s sidewall that split (and we wanted to do some serious motoring, not just limp around).

We waited for the AA and eventually the angel won through. The skies cleared, and we drove the glorious roads out through Clevedon to Maraetai.

Arguably, it is virtually impossible to spot the lineage when these two M3s are side by side, and even harder on the inside as the E30 in no way is as luxurious as the E92 M3.

The angel is a pillar of technological luxury. BMW’s iDrive system controls most of the settings in the car via a dial and an in-dash screen. It is possible to spend several hours setting the car up so it’s perfect for you, from the power delivery to the multi-channel graphic equaliser. Should you need a break from the monotony of customising your $170,000 ride, you can watch TV on the screen, or simply recline and let the 16-speaker 825W sound system wash the day’s worries away.

The multimedia functions of the car are impressive. Not only will it synchronise with your BlueTooth mobile phone so you can make calls using buttons on the steering wheel, but the BMW Navigation Professional will direct you and three passengers to your destination with street number accuracy.

The E92 is an angel to drive, too. You would almost be forgiven for thinking the car senses where the road is going; it nurtures and encourages you like your mum did when you first learned to ride a bike. Every corner you can push it that little bit further, leaning in, and there’s just endless grip. And that’s because the training wheels are on. The E92 M3 has a biblical number of acronyms describing the various driver aids. Dynamic Stability Control constantly monitors your driving and, should you flirt with the limits of tarmac friction, intervenes individually in the wheel brakes and reduces power to correct an oversteer or understeer moment.

There are additional functions — ABS, traction control (ASC), Start-Off assistant to stop you rolling back into the fires of hell when on an uphill gradient, Cornering Brake Control to prevent you spinning when applying the brakes hard when cornering, hydraulic pre-loading of the brakes for emergency stops (which doesn’t have an acronym), and the optional Electronic Damper Control (EDC) that adjusts damper forces to reduce roll in corners.

The devil is in the details

Contrast this with the E30. In the earlier M3, you feel every detail of the road, unencumbered by electronic nannying. If you drive it as you would the E92, it’s like juggling daggers. The complete absence of anything that will assist you other than sheer mechanical grip, extreme wheel camber and intestinal fortitude is exhilarating.

There’s more play in the steering wheel and, being 20 years old, it doesn’t feel as precise as the E92, but you cannot help but smile corner after corner.

The E30 is for drivers with sizable quadriceps, as certainly the brake and clutch pedal were used as inspiration for the cross training machines you find in a gym

The E30 is for drivers with sizable quadriceps, as certainly the brake and clutch pedal were used as inspiration for the cross training machines you find in a gym. It’s race-car heavy, but fine once you are used to it. Of course, changing gear also requires that you remember first is down and to the left, second is up and middle, third is down and middle, etc. I arrived at a corner thinking I had selected second only to be thankful not to have exceeded the rev limiter when I brought the clutch up into first.

E30 BMW M3
Specs
Engine    Four, in-line
Capacity    2302cc
Bore/stroke    93.4/84mm
Valves    dohc, 16-valve
Max power    149kW at 6750rpm
Max torque    238Nm at 4750rpm
Fuel system    Bosch Motronic fuel injection
Transmission    Getrag five-speed manual
Suspension    Front Independent by MacPherson struts; Rear independent by trailing arms, coil springs, Boge gas-filled dampers and anti-roll bar
Steering    PAS rack and pinion
Brakes    Disc/disc — ABS anti-lock
Track F/R    1412/1424mm

Dimensions
Wheelbase    2562mm
Length    4360mm
Width    1675mm
Kerb weight    1252kg
Height    1365mm

Peformance
Max speed    234kph (146mph)
0-96.5kph    6.0 secs
Economy    11.7l/100km (24.3mpg)

After driving the devil, the dark and evil side captivated me. I was disappointed with the angel’s heavenly disposition. Sure, it’s supremely comfortable and has an orchestra of bells and whistles, but it’s just too good. I didn’t get the instant smile of ‘ooh, that was exciting’ when I drove it.

Then I figured out why: we tend to change gear based on engine tone, so most of us would change at about 6500rpm. But that’s really where the angel gets its wings. Between there and 8300rpm it builds to 309kW, and the redline is only 100rpm further up the dial! I felt the smile coming on, but it still wasn’t right. Until I threw all preconceptions of cornering grip out of the window.

Where the devil has your soul at 70kph around a corner marked 40kph, the angel offers redemption and spiritual ecstasy at 100kph — the fun is there, just a paradigm shift faster. I could now believe the 4.8-second 0-100kph time — hell hath no fury like the angel scorned.

E92 BMW M3
Specs
Engine    V8
Capacity    3999cc
Valves    dohc, four per cylinder
Max power    309kW at 8300rpm
Max torque    400Nm at 3900rpm
Fuel system    Fuel injection
Transmission    Six-speed manual
Suspension    Front aluminium two-join spring strut axle with tie-bar; Rear five-arm axle with anti-squat and anti-dive
Steering    Rack and pinion with hydraulic assistance and Servotronic
Brakes    Ventilated and cross-drilled discs
Track F/R    1538/1539mm

Dimensions
Wheelbase    2761mm
Length    4615mm
Width    1804mm
Kerb weight    1580kg
Height    1418mm

Peformance
Max speed    250kph (155mph) (electronically limited)
0-100kph    12.4l/100km (combined)

Tim road tests two top-selling sporting coupes, and examines the history behind each car and marque.

Words: Tim Nevinson Photos: Jared Clark

Whilst we tend to get caught up in the design attributes and competition pedigree of cars of the past, the real art for motor manufacturers was selling them — any other aspects simply being a means to an end, either helping or hindering the cars’ sales success. For the record, BMW sold 86,219 6 Series cars between November 1975 and April 1989, and Jaguar sold 115,413 XJ-S units between 1975 and 1996.

The basis for the two cars is very different in that Jaguar used the floorpan and basic mechanicals from the larger XJ6/12, which had been in existence since 1968, whereas BMW used the mid-size E12 5 Series sedan floor pan (less than a year old) for the 6 Series, and fully updated it after the new E28 5 Series sedan came out in 1981. BMW only produced the 6 Series as a coupe, and only used the M30 series of engines (apart from the low volume M-power car). Jaguar made cabriolet and convertible versions of the XJ-S in addition to the coupe, and two very different engine installations. The Jaguar and BMW both received major facelifts during their production run, which were more apparent under their skin.

Two sports coupe rivals — one from Great Britain and one from Germany FIGHT OVER KIWI TARMAC

In retrospect, looking at these bare facts you would have to say BMW came out on top, but you’d be forgetting that the XJ-S made such an impression on BMW that it introduced a completely new range to replace the 6 Series (the 8 Series), more akin to the XJ-S in size and using a brand new V12 engine. However, it was a total flop sales-wise, while the XJ-S became Jaguar’s longest-running sports car ever.

It is very interesting to see that both manufacturers looked longingly at their competitor’s products, and each produced something to match. What marked these two manufacturers apart, at the time, was the speed with which they could develop totally new models. Jaguar, originally hamstrung by Leyland’s bureaucracy, chronic lack of foresight and investment in development, had very long cycle times and reacted slavishly to American regulations and trends, which, of course, could have changed by the time any given model hit the streets.

E-type replacement

Code named XJ27, Jaguar’s XJ-S was a slow starter. Jaguar was in no position to tackle the fuel crisis, having recently put most of its eggs into the V12 basket. The XJS was 45kg lighter than the XJ12 sedan, and excellent as a GT in the truest sense; a car made for Grand Touring. Fantastic value, there was nothing to touch it. It was a one or more steps further in the evolution of what the E-type had already evolved into.

The reason behind the E-type’s demise, upcoming American crash legislation, meant solid hard tops and bulbous bumpers simply had to be part of a product aimed primarily at the US market. Taking the styling aside, the press, which influenced the market greatly, wanted the E-type to go back to its roots, but its replacement emphatically took it the other way. Jaguar had a problem on its hands impressing on the market the abilities of its new GT, something it couldn’t address until it had shaken off the shackles of the Leyland empire.

Bob Tullius in the US was making a good job of it by winning TransAm and SCCA races with his privately entered XJ-S, but there was no money in the coffers or inclination on the part of BL to repeat the sorry episode in Europe with Broadspeed’s V12 coupes.

We have got used the old bird now, but there is no denying that in direct contrast to BMW’s sporting product of the time, the XJ-S was striking rather than beautiful. Regardless of their capabilities, cars in this class are not bought from a practical standpoint, but rather as a statement about their drivers. Jaguar made life difficult for itself by using very unconventional styling. Whilst there is no doubt that an early XJ-S would immediately catch the attention, the BMWs of the time were easier on the eye. Interestingly, later versions of both designs have, in retrospect, a timeless quality — particularly for the Jaguar once the roof had been lopped off.

BMW’s big coupe

Where the styling of the XJ-S owed nothing to any of its predecessors, the launch pad for the 6 Series was the undeniably well proportioned BMW CSi , which was a reasonable seller and made BMW a great reputation on the race tracks. The CS series was itself a slow starter, with rather odd frontal styling on the first 2000CS coupe of 1965, which in turn owed its style to the Bertone BMW 503 built on the V8 chassis from the very old fashioned ‘Baroque Angel’.

BMW tasked Karmann (which would much later handle the XJ-S convertible) to create the 2000CS, using totally different Neue Klasse BMW running gear, but with a strong family resemblance to Bertone’s 503. The questionable feature on these cars was the large amount of painted steel at the front flanked by headlights set into a wrap-around, oblong glass housing. It was also hugely expensive for a 2.0-litre four-cylinder car, but once these styling features were deleted for the Giugiaro inspired E9, and the engine uprated to a six-cylinder 2.8, the CS was up and away.

The XJS was 45kg lighter than the XJ12 sedan, and excellent as a GT in the truest sense; a car made for Grand Touring

The ultimate CS, the 3.0CSL Batmobile — king of the tracks in the hands of Hans Stuck and Ronnie Peterson — provided the BMW sporting heritage we see today. BMW’s track reputation was formidable, and it replaced the CSL before it got too old with the new E24 6 Series in 1976. BMW’s pretty E9 CSi coupes had been pillarless, but the Germans’ interpretation of future American regulations meant that the 6 Series E24 could not be built in this manner, so it had a strong B-post and roof section, making it considerably heavier than the outgoing E9. It was so heavy that a weight saving programme was quickly initiated. In contrast to the XJ-S, the 6 Series is considered by many to be the most aesthetically pleasing BMW of all time. Paul Bracq’s aggressive front forward styling and airy glass-house was exactly what the doctor ordered.

The E24 range was initially comprised of 630CS and 633CSi models. The 137kW (184bhp) 2986cc 630CS and 149kW (200bhp) 3210cc 633CSi both used the sweet M30 in-line six from the 7 Series BMW sedan. Standard transmission on both models was a four-speed Getrag 262/9, with an optional three-speed ZF HP-22 auto transmission. The suspension was from the E12 5 Series, and the first cars were built by Karmann, although the project was quickly brought in-house once its sales potential was realised.

Whilst it did not break much new ground in its entirety, the E24 used many features that became BMW’s feted trademarks, such as the dashboard layout and the ‘check control’ test panel.
To the untrained eye the 6 Series always looked much the same, but development was constant. In 1978 the Getrag five-speed came in, and 1979  electronic engine management and ABS braking were a option. In mid-1982 the E-28 5 Series sedan platform was placed under the coupe. The suspension, engine, interior and engine management came in for a refit, the obvious difference from outside being increased wheel arch flares and different spoilers. A four-speed automatic became an option in 1983, the last year of production for the 633CSi version.

On April 6, 1989, the last E-24 coupe rolled off the assembly line. A convertible was never officially offered, although Crayford and Bauer produced a few to special order.

Motorsport

The real collector’s piece was BMW Motorsport’s 213kW (286bhp) M635CSi with a four-valve cylinder head, along with road cars developed by specialists Alpina, Hartge and Schnitzer, which raced alongside the works cars. Not only was the 6 Series a success in the showrooms, it continued where the CSL left off in motor sport. The coupe ranges of Jaguar and BMW would not have been seen as direct competition for each other until they started to knock seven bells out of each other on the world’s race tracks. BMW was an up and coming brand, marketing small and medium class cars which now had a rock solid reputation on the race track, whereas Jaguar was resting on its laurels as a manufacturer of big luxury cars with a slightly distant, old-world racing pedigree.

There are many reasons the two manufacturers butted it out on the track and thence became bitter rivals in the luxury car segment, but there was one central character, a canny Scot, Thomas Walkinshaw, an opportunist if ever there was one. Son of an East Lothian market gardener, Walkinshaw broke both his legs whilst driving a works March, ending any further aspirations to be a single-seater champion.

Hired by Ford to drive a Capri, Tom won his class in the British Touring Car Championship. Building on that, he formed Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) in 1976, and that year scored his first major victory in a BMW E9 CSL at Silverstone. TWR then began preparing BMWs, including all the cars for BMW GB’s one-make BMW County Challenge in 1979 and 1980, whilst ‘Wee Tam’ himself continued to race other machinery. His Mazda RX-7s won the British Touring Car Championship in 1980 and 1981 with Win Percy.

Wee Tam

Top of Wee Tam’s agenda was winning race championships, but he realised that by doing this he could generate income providing value-added cachet to the manufacturers’ brands by building their race cars and reputations. Subsequently he hoped to get into design, development and manufacturing partnerships with them, and this would become a familiar pattern.

Whilst there is no doubt AN early XJ-S would immediately catch the attention, the BMWs of the time were easier on the eye

His racing expertise came from an ability to read regulations and find the right car to exploit them. Walkinshaw recognised that the new ETCC regulations could suit the Jaguar XJ-S (a real long shot considering the perceived failure of the respected Broadspeed Company to make the heavy XJ12C work as a racing car). Whilst failing to twist Jaguar’s arm into an outright works team, for 1982 TWR did gain support to build two cars as a private Team Motul entry, with a view to works support later.  The difference in success between Broadspeed and TWR’s Jaguar race programmes was in the regulations, TWR’s willingness to explore their limits, and Walkinshaw tolerating no interference from corporate nobodies. His first season brought a win and a second placing in the Tourist Trophy Race at Silverstone.

At the time Jaguar had just emerged from a very tight spot, production of the XJ-S having stopped completely for a short time in 1980. The whole enterprise was threatened with closure by then new chairman John Egan, who had previously rescued Unipart and Massey Ferguson from oblivion.

Hard times

Jaguar’s customer satisfaction was low, and the fuel crises of the ’70s had bitten hard. Egan badly needed to polish a tarnished image. After TWR’s first season, an arrangement with Walkinshaw made total sense. Egan presided over a strong resurgence of demand, helped in no small way by Walkinshaw’s racing activities. In ’83 the 1400kg Jaguars took five wins to the BMWs’ six, and Walkinshaw won the European title in 1984 with the XJ-S, including victory in the Spa 24 Hours. As with BMW and Mazda, he formed a specialist offshoot, JaguarSport, then made manufacturing arrangements for the XJ220 and later Aston Martin DB7 using XJ-S running gear.

As a postscript, it was decided to bring the TWR V12 XJ-S out of retirement for the prestigious Bathurst 1000 race in Australia in October 1985, as well as the Wellington Street Race and Pukekohe in 1987. The Jaguars finished first and third in Australia’s Great Race, and on February 1, 1987, the works Group A XJ-S finished its career with a second placing at Pukekohe. Private entrants also had a go with the XJ-S down under. In Australia, there were John Goss — with his Group C-turned-Group A car — and Gary Wilmington while, in New Zealand, Mike Hourigan also flew the Jaguar V12 flag.

the BMW 635 coupe won the European Touring Car Championship in 1982, 1985 and 1986

Despite its light alloy construction Jaguar’s AJ6 engine was never used for serious competition, in direct contrast to BMW’s six-cylinder, which dominated for nearly 10 years.
Having won the ETCC five times with the CSL, the BMW 635 coupe won the European Touring Car Championship in 1982, 1985 and 1986. In 1985, Jim Richards’ 635 took the Australian Touring Car Championship. At the Bathurst 1000, the BMW-backed Johnny Cecotto/ Roberto Ravalglia car was second to John Goss and Armin Hahne in their TWR V12 Jaguar, with Richards fourth. Around half a dozen works and quasi-works BMW 635 Group A cars came to New Zealand.

Ogle, May and AJ

Back in 1980 Jaguar chairman Egan had commissioned a facelift on all Jaguar models to an Ogle design, and coinciding with the V12’s High Efficiency, May ‘Fireball’ cylinder heads. With a new wood-look inside and undoubtedly a better-looking exterior, the XJ-S HE was now capable of 250kph. Jaguar could claim the fastest production car in the world fitted with automatic transmission.

Going back to Jaguar’s yawning product development cycles, the ’70s fuel crisis had prompted Jaguar to a policy of eventually only building small engines, and in planning its new XJ40 sedan, Jaguar resolutely fought off Leyland’s bid to fit the Rover V8, obstinately designing the XJ40’s engine bay so it would not accommodate a V-formation engine, whether it be a twelve or an eight. It also made life difficult for itself by opting for an all-alloy construction straight-six, something no one else had produced in volume. Compromising further, the engine had to have the same bore centres for production reasons as the V12, so it was a lengthy unit. However, the new AJ6 was around 30 per cent lighter.

Accepted practice at Jaguar was to test new concepts on the public in relatively low-volume sports cars. The XJ27 spawned the XJ57, a 3.6-litre AJ6 version of the V12 GT. Spurning the excellent two-valve May head, a bulky alloy four-valve arrangement was placed atop the long alloy six. Inclined at 15 degrees from the vertical, the AJ6 still necessitated a large bulge in the XJ-S’s bonnet. With the 24-valve head the output was 168kW (225bhp) compared to 121kW (162bhp) for a 3.4-litre XK, but well short of the V12’s 223kW (299bhp) — this was probably the first time a power bulge had indicated less power.

Shrinking pains

In unit with GM’s 200 four-speed auto the Jaguar’s powertrain was so flimsy that development was halted, but far too late. Rover’s 77mm five-speed manual had been thrown out early on in favour of the Getrag unit used by BMW, but work with the GM auto went on far too long before the ZF’s 4HP22 auto, also used by BMW, was tried. ZF’s unit was much more suitable than the GM transmission, but had to wait until well after XJ57 production started for its introduction.

the six-cylinder version came into its own, an agile, relatively economical, genuine competitor to the BMW 6 Series

The six-cylinder XJ-S was announced as ‘manual only’ at the same time as the cabriolet. Sixty miles per hour could be reached in 7.6 seconds, and a genuine 233kph (145mph) was attainable. But it couldn’t possibly be as smooth as the V12, and, in truth, wasn’t particularly smooth for an in-line six. Jaguar’s fuel injection technology at the time could not deal smoothly with fuel cut-off and reinstatement, and with a compliant, softly set-up drive-line the new six gave an unpleasant jerkiness on trailing throttle. It did not get great press, and first impressions are lasting impressions.

Once the infinitely more suitable ZF auto was phased in, the jerkiness evident in the manual drive-line dissipated, and Jaguar later changed to digital fuel injection which solved the problem at source. After many detail improvements to the engine — and an optional revamp of the suspension, tightening it up to ‘Sports pack’ configuration — the six-cylinder version came into its own, an agile, relatively economical, genuine competitor to the BMW 6 Series, and sufficiently different from the 5.3 V12.

The V12 was a similar price to the 635 BMW, the AJ6 version much cheaper. The Sports-pack became standard on AJ6-engined cars, a 4.0-litre version in 1989 further improved it, and a convertible and a full facelift enhanced the car inside and out. The AJ6 is mechanically unburstable, with the same crank dimensions as the V12. It never became a true classic like the XK or V12 before it and gave way to the AJ26 V8, but two out of three ain’t bad. Because of its shaky start the AJ6 XJ-S was a real sleeper in the new car market, and now in the classic arena. Generally speaking, buying policy is the later the better, but later models equipped with an airbag were compromised in the driving position.

The same applies to the BMW. The later the better, as they were relatively slow initially, the fast 3.5-litre 635 not becoming available until mid 1978. The Getrag-equipped manual BMW never suffered from the shunt associated with the early manual AJ6 Jaguar because its driveline was torsionally much stiffer, and Motronic Digital fuel injection was available to them much earlier.

Rivals on the road

With the auto option on both our featured cars, there was nothing to choose between them. Both cars make sublime tourers, and when fitted with the Sports-pack the Jaguar can stay with the BMW when the windy bits get tough. With a light alloy six and tight suspension the Jaguar confounds its critics — it is as fast as the BMW, turns in and handles just as well. The starter on the Jaguar sounds really crude, spoiling the ambience somewhat, and once on the run the sound of the BMW is definitely sweeter than the XJ-S, but this is only an issue when the throttle is wide open. On the BMW the power unit feels fixed to the car, whereas on the Jaguar you can’t feel it but you can hear it when it’s being worked.

With a light alloy six and tight suspension the Jaguar confounds its critics

The interior of the Jaguar is more gentleman’s club compared to the BMW, but the BMW has easier access, considerably more space, better all-round visibility and ergonomics. Both have acres of leather, with the Jaguar’s seats more comfortable and supportive. It would have been a tough decision at the time. The size of the cheque book should have made the difference in favour of the Jaguar, but in all likelihood the BMW 635 had considerably more cachet at the time — enough even to make it more desirable than a V12 Jaguar.
Today, any rust free XJ-S is exceptional value; early 6 Series cars are reasonably priced too, but a tidy late model 635 like this one is highly prized.

1988 BMW 635CSi  Auto

Engine: alloy head, iron block 12-valve sohc in-line six cylinder
Capacity: 3430cc
Power: 162kW (220bhp) at 5700rpm
Torque: 315Nm (232lb/ft) at 6500rpm
Transmission: ZF 4HP24 four-speed auto
Brakes: vented disc/solid disc, ABS
Front suspension: MacPherson struts
Rear suspension: semi-trailing arms, coil springs
Steering: ball and nut, PAS
Tyres: 240/45VR15
Wheels: 15 x 6.5 aluminium alloy

Dimensions

O/all length: 4870 mm
Width: 1725mm
Height: 1365mm
Wheelbase: 2625mm
Weight: 1576kg

Performance

0-100kph: 8.5sec
Top speed: 216km/h
Economy: 81/100km (34.9mpg) at 90kph

1988 Jaguar XJS 3.6 Auto Sports pack

Engine: all-alloy 24-valve dohc in-line six-cylinder
Capacity: 3590cc
Power: 165kW (221bhp) at 5100rpm
Torque: 337Nm (249lb/ft) at 4000rpm
Transmission: ZF 4HP22 four-speed auto
Brakes: vented disc/solid disc, ABS
Front suspension: wishbones, coil springs
Rear suspension: radius arm, lower wishbone, driveshaft top link, four coil springs
Steering: rack and pinion PAS
Tyres: 235/60VR15
Wheels: 15 x 6.5 alloy

Dimensions

O/all length: 4764mm
Width: 1881mm
Height: 1261mm
Wheelbase: 2591mm
Weight: 1680kg

Performance

0-100kph: 8.4sec
Top speed: 220kph
Economy: 7.8l/100km (36mpg) at 90kph

Acknowledgements

Stuart Collingwood is a North Shore business broker now, but in Christchurch he traded an A40 Devon for his first Jaguar (MkVII) at the age of 15. His father nearly belted him when he got home, and insisted he take it straight back to Archibald’s. Fifteen years ago he bought a Mk2 and just continued collecting more Jaguars, up to five at the moment including our featured XJ-S. It was an English car originally, travelling through Singapore before coming to NZ.

The Jaguar was tatty when Stuart bought it in 2000, and it took him three to four months to get it looking as nice as it is now. Stuart is a stalwart of the Auckland Jaguar Club, which we thank for locating the car. Our featured BMW comes from a private collection.