Here’s one that came up for sale on mye28.com recently, and I would dearly love to have.
The e23 745i was never sold in the US, so every one of them is a gray-market import; in most every case the car was originally purchased by someone who really wanted one and went to extreme lengths to purchase, import and federalize the car. The e23 735i was the version sold in the US, which is built on the same platform and had similar options available, but never the turbo.
BMW monikers usually follow the engine displacement, although somewhat loosely; the 735i in the e23 lineup means it was a seven series with a 3.5 liter M30 (actually 3,430ccs, but who’s counting?), whereas the 745i had a 3,430cc m106, but BMW reasoned that the turbo added power that was equivalent to about an additional liter of displacement, so it was the 745i.
The 745i was also sold only with an automatic transmission; the current owner of this car converted it to 5-speed, and lowered the suspension. Those two items, combined with the Diamantschwarz exterior & water buffalo interior, and executive package make it pretty tempting. It just pushes all the right buttons. And $3,500 for all that in a rust-free California car? Very tempting, especially with a trip to that neck of the woods in the offing, less than a month away.
Still need to finish a couple things on this, but I wanted to get it out there.
It’s a 1985 BMW 745i turbo with a 5-speed conversion. I have owned it for about a year now and have put a lot of time, money and effort in this car. Selling in order to get a smaller car and a motorcycle.
Specifics are as follows:
M106 engine – stock everything
running 6psi 252bhp (stock). You can upgrade the Chip and install a boost controller which will net ~14psi reliably. All vacuum hoses and lines have been replaced.
Cat has been removed and replaced with dual 2″ pipes (how they came from Germany). You will need some “help” from your smog guy because of this. Sebring muffler out back for a little noise.
Factory trunk spoiler installed.Manual Conversion:
G265 2-piece transmission, very strong.
Resurfaced flywheel.
SPEC stage 2 clutch. Stiff pedal, but holds nicely. Good for daily driving.
Bosch Bypass valve routed to intake boot.
M3 shifter conversion (still need to install).
short shift lever.
wood shift knob from an e39
2.93LSDInterior:
Executive package
Water buffalo leather. Front seats have split. All electric functions work.
Cruise control does not work.
rear armrest with radio controls (not hooked up) and passenger seat controls (which work).
Clarion head unit.
Dash has cracks, like many BMWs of this vintage.
Rear sun shade
Factory first aid kit in the trunk.
TRX spare wheel/tireCustom coilover setup utilizing Hypercoil springs. E28 setup in the rear with bilstein sports (should be revalved or use a softer spring rate as it bounces). Front strut housings are sectioned 2″ with shortened struts (this is one of the things not yet done) and 500lb 5″ springs.
Magnetic boost control valve is upgraded to a volvo unit for Better turbo response. I paired this with 3 ports on the wastegate plugged for quicker spool up.
AC Schnitzer type 2 wheels. 17×8.5 et13 with BFG 235/45 tires. Some curb rash.
The car all around:
Drives great with no shaking or bad vibrations. Engine revs up smooth and does not hiccup under boost. Vacuum at idle is at 18-20hg (solid, no vac leaks). HVAC system was disconnected and plugged. It only blows on defrost. Microswitch needs to be fixed ($4 Radioshack part). Heater does work. A/C belt was removed. Never looked into the system, but from what I’m told it’s just a few vacuum pods and it should be functional again. Started showing signs of worn turbo seals — good escuse to upgrade the turbo wheel. Sunroof guide broken. Windshield is cracked. It was repainted by PO somewhat poorly. May be able to come back with some color correction (wetland, buff, etc). Originally Diamondshwarz. This car is not a show car. Good project while you drive it car.Autocheck is a bit spotty. Shows over 300k miles since 2001. Not sure if this is accurate based on the amount this car has driven since then (~15k in 12 years). Only issues from autocheck are failed emissions tests in 2005 and 2007. Odometer is indicated 336k miles. I performed a valve adjustment this past week and the engine looks to be absolutely spotless. Looks more like a 100k engine than a 300k.
No rust on this car anywhere. Dry as a bone. I have the factory manual and some other paperwork that will come with the car. Spare key included. Turn-key and go. I have driven this car to San Diego and back multiple times without issue. Wouldn’t hesitate to get in and drive anywhere!
$3500
If you have any questions shoot me a PM or Call/text 818.434.2478.
Thanks for looking,
Trey
Very tempting. But speaking of e23s, here’s another that’s similarly priced, and a lot closer to home:
OK, I’ve been through and rectified a bunch issues. Asking $4200 for mye28’ers.
Overall
215k on odometer. M30B34, this is a 735i turbo, not a 745i. It’s a fast, solid, reliable car. Where else are you going to get a roomy 5-speed RWD sedan with great dynamics and 350+HP for this price? Nowhere. Then throw a few hundred $$ at an intercooler setup, a blowoff valve, and spend some quality time with a laptop and this can be a 400HP car for under $5k.The good
Old cartech kit with turbonetics turbo. Looks for all the world like a TCD kit and works great.
MS2 (V3 board) install with wasted spark GM coil setup. Tune to your heart’s content. Runs strong and ping-free at 15psi on 91 octane.
60lb injectors.
Walbro 255 external fuel pump.
New Tial 38mm wastegate from TCD w/1bar spring.
3-gauge pod with A/F, boost, and oil temp. Oil temp is not wired up and no sender is present.
Innovate LM-1 wideband O2.
E34 A/C pusher fan.
16″ electric puller fan with adjustable radiator probe. (not run by MS currently)
Newer radiator.
Custom 3″ turbo-back mandrel-bent exhaust with magnaflow mufflers. Loud but good and no drone on the highway.
New blower motor.
Heat worked GREAT last winter, this was my winter car.
Heated seats work.
Rear sunshade works.
CD/MP3/SD/Bluetooth/2 amps/10″ sub/etc. decent audio setup.
Adjustable swaybars.
Lowering springs. Not cut springs, actual blue-color lowering springs that look for all the world to have been actually intended for an E23.
Bilstein HD shocks/struts.
Go back and read the last 3. Where are you going to find a lowered E23 with adjustable sway bars if you don’t buy this one? I’ll tell you. Nowhere.
3.46:1 LSD (Or is it 3.64? Memory dyslexia here)
25 below zero and icy? 110 and sweltering? It starts and runs well. Much better than when on Motronic, actually.
Replaced all fuel lines, including all vent lines
Replaced odometer gears with odometergears.com upgraded gears.
COMPLETE HVAC box rebuild. New evaporator, heater core, expansion valve, blower motor, and vacuum pods. It works and it doesn’t have vacuum leaks.The bad
Some rust. Front corners of the rear wheel wells, bottom corners of one or two of the doors, one front wheel well edge, some underneath. Not devastating, but present.
No intercooler. You can have the Water/Air unit with the car, but I’ll warn you it’s too small to do much of anything at 15psi.
Power antenna doesn’t work. Ran it up and unplugged it.
Trunk leaks a little water.
Sunroof is inop.
LSD works GREAT when turning left. When turning right, um…well, it spins the inside tire pretty mercilessly.Does NOT come with BBS RS’s. Sorry I’m keeping those for the Corvair. You can have a nice straight set of E31 turbines (Style 9) with no paint and no tires and drive it away on 14″ bottlecaps with Firestone snow tires with lots of tread.
Yes, the headlight has been reinstalled
Come get it in Lincoln, NE for $5000. It’s like buying a turbo kit and getting a pretty decent car for free. PM me if you’re interested in talking more and I’ll happily share my phone #. email is armen DOT badeer AT gmail DOT com.
Not exactly my favorite paint or interior color (even though it’s the same color combination as my e32…) but considering the package, it’s not bad. The black/buffalo car is the more appealing of the two, but I would love to just have the turbo bits to put on my e32, and make my own hot rod 745i… But it would be a shame to buy a car like that just for the parts.