It’s been a while since I put up a BMWotD, and when a car comes up for sale that I would love to own, it’s time to break that silence. This car just came up for sale in Oregon; a black over black ’86 535i with Euro headlights & bumpers and the M30B35 swap already done. And it even has a set of Style 32 — one of my favorite wheels on the e28.
The front airdam on this car looks a little goofy, but that’s something easily remedied, or probably something I could live with. I just can’t help but think of how much fun an e28 would be with about twice the horsepower of the M20B27 in my car. Would love to see some photos of the interior on this car; for the asking price, it had better be next to perfect. But with this car, I could live with a little imperfection there!
BMW 535i ’86 rebuilt engine, euro bumpers – $8500 (N Portland)
Date: 2012-04-12, 11:53AM PDT
Reply to: c44fv-2954594276 @ sale.craigslist.org
For sale is a very nice 1986 BMW E28 535i, 227K on the chassis. I am the third owner and have a folder of receipts dating back to the day it was purchased. I have owned it for about six years, and struggled with the decision to finally put it up for sale. The car is Schwartz black, repainted professionally before I bought it, and the interior is also black, which is a hard to find combination. The following upgrades have been done by professionals since I have owned it:
-b35 rebuilt engine swap done last August, rebuild had approx. 40,000 miles on it when I bought it.
-euro bumpers, front and rear, painted to match
-Paul Ladue fiberglass airdam
-Paul Ladue headers connected to a custom-made stainless exhaust system
-euro grill and headlights
-Bilstein Sports all around
-Bavarian Auto lowering springs installed properly
-BMW M-tech 2 steering wheel
-Alpine stereo and power amp in trunk
-LSD installed previously, just not sure which one
Parts replaced since I have owned it: clutch master cylinder, brake master cylinder, trunk gasket.
This car’s cornering abilities are amazing, and with the engine swap it gets much better gas mileage and highway-speed power than the stock motor. The previous owner installed BMW style-32 wheels from a 2001 540i, which look really sharp, as well as a front stabilizer bar. This BMW frequently receives compliments everywhere I go. Please call Jon xxx-xxx-xxx with any further questions. Serious inquiries only, must have cash or other proof of funds on hand to drive it, otherwise you may be a passenger.
That’s pronounced “my-ya” (except the second syllable in Dutch sounds different.) The Meije is the quaint little road that leads to my sister- and brother-in-law’s dairy farm near Bodegraven in The Netherlands. I became very familiar with the road during our visit there in May this year; very beautiful place.
Sorry for the soundless video; I did add a few comments along the way as I drove, but the camera’s mic didn’t pick it up very well. One of these days I’ll take the time to figure out how to add commentary and a soundtrack, but until then the visual aspect is all we get. Use your imagination!
Meije is also the name of a collection of homes, a church, a school, and a coffee shop that could maybe be called “a village” but I’d stop short of that (if you watch through to the end of the video, Meije is where I stopped recording & turned the car around.) But the road is what most people in the area think of when they hear the word. Le Meije also happens to be a peak in the French Alps, but I doubt the folks that live along the Meije in Holland hear much about that one, nor care much about it.
As roads go, the Meije is about as narrow as they get, with barely enough room for one-way traffic, but it still accommodates two-way traffic. Making matters worse more interesting is the fact that many of the houses have hedges & fences right up to the road, and in other places there is a drop-off one one side or the other with water at the bottom; no good-old-fashioned WPA ditches like you find in South Dakota! When another vehicle approaches from the opposite direction, both drivers have to move as far to the right as possible. Often though you’ll find yourself head-to-head with a truck or tractor, and there just isn’t room for both of you; in those cases it’s customary for the smaller of the two vehicles to back up and into a driveway to allow the other to pass by. I had it happen once, but thankfully, most cars are small and there are lots of driveways and several bump-outs along the way to make it a little easier.
This photo features het Potlood, (the Pencil) which is a water tower that services the village and the homes along the Meije. It’s a well-known landmark that can be seen from many miles distant; very unique bit of architecture!
The area is historically a farming community. Most all of the houses along the road were at one time farm houses, but the area is becoming slightly more urban, or bedroom community-ish; with the popularity of the road, many of the houses are no longer occupied by farmers. Even though the working farms are fewer these days, their presence is unmistakable, evidenced by the “dairy farm” odor… There’s no escaping the smell of cows and their, um, byproducts. It’s no wonder when you consider how many head of cattle inhabit the area and how the the farmers deal with the waste from all of them.
From what I gathered, most of the houses along the Meije were built in the early 1900’s, and display similar construction methods; brick exterior, timber roofs with either tile or reed (thatch) roofing. Many of the buildings, while quaint & charming and all that, aren’t much to write home about on the inside. The soil in the area is very soft, and as a result the foundations of many homes aren’t very stable. Dick & Michelle’s house has wall that has settled considerably, and I saw several other buildings along the road that appeared to have off-kilter walls or the whole house was slightly askew. That doesn’t seem to bother the owners though; they keep their places up as would any fastidious Dutchman. Some are definitely nicer than others, and some residents put a great deal of effort into the gardens along the road, which only adds to the enjoyment of the drive. There are few basements, for obvious reasons.
The GPS unit that we borrowed showed that the area was about three meters below sea level. About 27 percent of the Netherlands is below sea level; it’s land that has been reclaimed by the building of dikes to push & hold back the sea. The area around the Meije is part of that reclaimed land, and is about as flat as a pool table. The different properties that line the road are separated by canals rather than fences. Most of the canals I saw were about three meters wide and probably about that deep in the center.
It had been fairly dry in the months preceding our visit, so the water level was down a bit, but there was always plenty of water in the canals and plenty of waterfowl around; ducks, geese, swans and storks. One interesting thing with the canals along the road; on the north side of the road (left in the video) is a larger canal that connects to a small lake, and the water level is several feet higher than the canals on the south side of the road. I suppose the road acted as a levee separating the two. In many places the canal runs right next to the road, which required bridges to be built on many driveways to allow access. Some of the homes even sported drawbridges at the road! How cool is that?
When viewing the area from above, as on Google Maps or Google Earth, you can see that the canals run parallel to one another to form fields in the shape of long rectangles. It was surprising to me to see how many farms & homes were packed along the road; in rural parts of the US there can be pretty large distances between farm places.
The Meije is far from the coast and any sizable dikes, but one day Yvonne & I did trek northward to visit the towns where her mom & dad lived when they were younger. Her mom lived in the town of Andijk, which is pronounced “on-dike” and is very literally built right on — or inside — the dike. I was pretty amazed at the dike; it’s an earthen structure that rises a good 30 feet or more from the road’s surface at its foot, but on the other side the water is only about 10 feet below the crown of the dike.
This is two photos stitched together (rather poorly; the light was very different in the two exposures and I couldn’t get the clouds quite right!) to show the difference between the two sides. The town would be completely submerged if not for the dike. A tremendous degree of confidence in the integrity of the dike is on display in Andijk; there are two 100-plus year old churches within a stone’s throw of the dike as well as several hundred homes.
This is getting a bit long… I started writing the post a month or so after returning, but kept adding a little bit here & there, even though I didn’t intend for it to turn into a travelogue. It really was a great trip, especially our time spent touring Germany. And our day trip to the Swiss Alps… Pretty sure Heaven will look very much like what we saw there! Didn’t enjoy the language problem though; will not be returning to Europe until I know a enough German and Dutch to get by. Will have to post some more photos sometime.
I wonder how different my life today would be if this had been around 30 years ago. My guess? Very, very different.
1.6 Ford Sigma
From £19,450
or less than £300 per month*
Learn to be a racing driver in the world’s most popular racing car
Price includes road-legal car, technical support, race licence and entry to your first season of racing
High spec 1.6 Academy car includes full roll cage
The ultimate package for the novice racer
They require you to have your own Caterham 7, and you even have to drive the crap out of it to succeed in the academy. Somehow my life seems very incomplete… I’ll get over it, but wow does that look like a great idea. Where’s that time machine?
You may be thinking, “That’s no BMW? What the heck is a Triumph TR6 doing in Dave’s BMWotD category?” Yes, at first glance — aside from the Style 5 wheels — it seems very much out of place; not a single BMW Roundel to be seen anywhere, but lift the bonnet and good lordy…
There’s a lot of Bavarian in that there Brit!
I first saw this car up for sale in a most unlikely place — CraigsList — but it didn’t take long for the guys on Bring A Trailer to catch wind of it. It’s alsoIt was listed on eBay with no bidding and a Buy-It-Now price of $40,000. That’s a lot of money, but it’s a pretty sure bet that the seller has way, way more into it than that. (note: the eBay auction/ad ended on Aug. 29; presumably because the car is sold.)
To put it mildly, this it the car of my dreams. The builder/owner’s goal of having “a virtually stock appearing TR6 that performed at insane levels while delivering exceptional reliability” is pretty much what I would have in mind if someone asked me what I would drive if money (& time) were no object. I love the looks of the TR6, but the Lucas electrics and the ’70’s British mechanicals are enough to scare off the geekiest of car freaks. That would include me. Add to that the propensity of the TR cars to rust… Since the beginnings of my infatuation with the Triumph roadsters back in high school, I’ve had a couple of opportunities to purchase a TR6, and have passed on both; neither was the right car nor the right time for me. With this car, I would definitely be on my way to Kansas City to bring this car home if it weren’t for the price tag; still not the right time I guess.
The seller’s description in the ad is lengthy, but a good read, and describes the right way to do a resto-mod to a car like this; keep the original look of the car, but make updates & improvements that will make the car more enjoyable and allow it to spend the majority of its time on the road/track rather than in the shop or waiting for parts.
Up for sale here is my labor of love for the past five years. This project started out as a 60K mile, stock, rust-free 1973 TR6 and is now configured with a BMW M3 Drive-Line with every system brought up to the 21st Century and has been driven 1,650 miles since so it’s completely sorted and ready to roll. Every nut and bolt has been removed and replaced with AN, Grade 8 or Stainless depending on their locations and requirements (I truly mean “every” nut and bolt). Every component on the undercarriage has been Powder Coated or finished with POR 15 to prevent any future degradation issues. This is not your typical Resto-Mod and I’ll try to outline all the Mods that I performed to the beast below :
Body-Off / Nut & Bolt Restoration
Rhino Lined Tub
Significant Frame Strengthening
6-Point Roll Cage
BMW M3 S50 (OBD1 Computer) Engine w/Modificationss
Custom Full Leather Interior w/Wilton Wool Carpets
TR4 Soft Top Assembly
My intentions were to build a virtually stock appearing TR6 that performed at insane levels while delivering exceptional reliability. Various V8’s have found there way into these cars over the years but require many modifications that I was not willing to live with (steering geometry, firewall cutting, weight changes, etc.). While this was no mere “bolt-in” process, the net results lightened and balanced the overall car and required absolutely no changes to the steering and suspension system. It was almost as if BMW had this engine bay in mind when they designed their S50 M3 Power Plant. Engine Mods were held to Head-Work, 8.5lb Aluminum Flywheel, HD Clutch, Cold Air Intake and a custom Chip by Jim Conforti taking into account this particular application with the installed exhaust, no Cats, Intake, Oxy Sensor, Flywheel, Curb Weight and 7000 RPM Limiter. It’s absolutely ridiculous how fast this thing is.
I stripped the entire TR6 down to a pile of nuts and bolts and shipped off the tub and panels to be Soda Blasted before taking them to the body shop. This gave me the opportunity to tackle the frame and drive line. I started by having the frame sand blasted then welded in a lot of additional steel at all the known and unknown weak spots including the TSI Rear Strengthening Kit and ¼” plate added atop the rear spring mounts. Every factory weld was ground and re-welded to insure zero issues with frame cracking, twist or degradation due to the added HP and suspension modifications. I also had a local race car fabricator custom make a 6-point roll cage that ties into the frame directly via the four body mounts in the cockpit and thru the rear bulkhead and down to the aft frame sections (clears the roof). This is probably the most torsionally stable Triumph Frame you’ll ever find and the driving changes it made are very obvious. Next I coated the frame with POR15 along with all the suspension bits as it holds up much better to rock/road debris than Powder Coating. I utilized all of Richard Good’s suspension upgrades which include Lowered Springs, Sway Bars and Adjustable Trailing Arm Brackets. Due to my prior experience with Koni, I selected Spax Adjustable Shocks all the way around which once set-up match the over-all handling perfectly. I also added a new quick ratio steering rack combined with Richard Good’s Aluminum Rack Mounts and a slightly smaller diameter Leather Moto-Lita Steering Wheel. I’m in the aviation business and have access to all sorts of great hardware so all the suspension and brake nuts and bolts were replaced with AN series or Grade 8 at a minimum.
I changed out the front brakes to Toyota 4-Runner four piston calipers mated to Toyota Cressida vented rotors and for the rear I ran across a couple of guys who campaign a full-race TR6 that designed and machined a race-approved disc brake conversion kit to install Wilwood Aluminum Calipers clamping on 280 ZX Rotors. They were in process of commissioning a machine shop to make a few more sets for a new car they were building and were nice enough to have a set made up for me at the same time while sharing their engineering. This is not one of these cheap kits that come around every so often but a serious chunk of machined aluminum that has been approved for use on the track. I also had Classic Tube make a complete set of Stainless Brake lines and sent out the booster for o/h and replaced the master cylinder and filled it all w/DOT5 fluid. I installed a Wilwood lever-style brake bias adjuster which can be manipulated on the fly by the driver if you want to change the proportion of force front to rear. The hardware combined with the Bobcat pads make this TR66 stop on a dime with no wheel lock-up and much reduced fade.
The rear differential is an obvious weak spot along with the rear axles on TR6’s especially when horse power is added. I opted for the Nissan/Infiniti R200 dif as it was extremely easy to adapt to the frame, provided unquestionable strength (the dif of choice in the drifting crowd), super LSD performance and available in a ratio (3.54) between those used by the stock M3 and the full-race M3. I commissioned Kevin at Constant Velocity of Ocalla (FL) to design a set of rear axles utilizing CV-Joints and able to take the added stress of HP I was going to throw at them.
I had the entire interior, fender wells, trunk area and bottom of the tub shot by the local Rhino Liner shop after blasting and priming. This stuff totally encapsulates all the known rust areas for future protection and offered an indescribable reduction in noise and heat and increase in solidity. For the body, I chose a BMW M3 color, Imolla Red II which is a beautiful deep and slightly dark red. The body is completely assembled with Stainless Steel Fasteners to alleviate any future corrosion and they simply look nice and actual DumDum was sourced in the UK to seal the seams between the fenders/wings and tub. I shaved off the front side markers on the fenders and door locks to clean it up a little but left the original front turn signals under the grill to accommodate state laws. New front and rear light assemblies were installed too. Included are two new Bullet Mirrors for the doors which I have not installed as I preferred the look and they are not required in the State of KS. The hood / bonnet cable has been removed in favor of a direct release rod courtesy of Macy’s Garage so no worries about stuck hoods because of broken cables. No other body mods were made as I truly wanted to keep it in stock form to any on-looker.
I contacted Dan Masters of Advance Auto Wire and had him make me a custom harness for my project. The heart of the system is a power block that utilizes individual fuses for all circuits and relays for all heavy load items just as on current vehicles. All the instruments were switched to electric models from AutoMeter and incorporated with the harness. I also replaced all indicator bulbs with high output LEDs. Once I completely ran the new wiring, I removed it before termination and “snake-skinned” the entire thing. Most would have just zip-tied it all but I really can’t handle the mess associated with typical aftermarket harnesses so it truly looks stock. I have wired in a CD/Stereo unit but haven’t felt the need to cut in speakers as the note of the exhaust is all the music I needed. The wires are run so if you desire music, just add speakers. The Optima battery has been relocated to the right rear trunk area mounted in a custom keeper and a main battery cut-off switch is mounted on the firewall with the kill-key extending into the glove box for easy access. Both the fuse block and BMW computer are mounted inside the passenger foot well safe from any contact with exterior water or hazards and out of sight.
The interior is outfitted with Heated Miata Seats. They are trimmed in Tan Leather along with all the other interior panels which are piped in a contrasting brown and complimented with Wilton Wool Carpets. The window regulators, channels and seals were all replaced with new units that, believe it or not, don’t rattle. New seat belts were installed as well and included will be a set of Harnesses for track days. I never particularly liked the TR6 top mechanism as it just sits like a lump behind the seats and detracts from the clean lines of the car. I took this opportunity to modify the bows from an early TR4 as a replacement as it affords for the complete removal of the soft top for stowage in the trunk and the bows tuck out of sight behind an interior panel. I never had the intention of purposely driving the car in foul weather but did feel it important to have an emergency plan just in case I got caught out in the rain. I contacted Randy Keller of Prestige Auto Wood to craft me a custom dash laid out in the stock form but for use with the AutoMeter instruments and LED indicators. I chose Hawaiian Koa Wood for this and he also matched a panel for the switch plinth. The visors, mirrors, crash pads, windshield trim, etc. are all replaced with new. An insulated poly transmission tunnel has also been added to replace the original cardboard unit. Back in the trunk, I replaced the original fuel tank with a 16 gallon custom made aluminum unit that resides in the spare tire well. Lastly, I liberally installed Dyna Mat all over the place. When you close the doors, it sounds like a modern car’s door… solid.
The 17×8 3-piece wheels are BMW Style 5 Composites made by BBS. I sent them out to a shop in CA who specializes in wheel customization and they disassembled them, filled and re-drilled the centers for the TR6 bolt pattern, sent the centers out for powder coat and polished the rims. I was able to remove the BMW emblems from the center caps and with a little modification install the TR6 chrome emblems with red stickers in their place. I wrapped them with 225/45/17 Falken Azenis RT-615 tires which are a new class of DOT and SCCA Spec race approved tires.
Bottom-line, this is definitely one of the most unique sports cars you’ll ever come across. It was built with the idea of supreme performance and to withstand the tortures of daily driving without compromise. I wanted the illusion that this engine was factory installed so you won’t find any “bling” under the hood, all business (with the exception of the polished aluminum radiator cowling). Every single nut, bolt, washer, seal, grommet, clip, etc. was replaced on the car with new equivalents of higher grade and if a part was available new, it was replaced. I’m quite certain I’ve missed a few important points in this description but you really have to see and drive this TR6 to truly appreciate what it’s all about — Beauty — Simplicity — Performance.
FYI, I just shot these pics out in front of my house and down at my office . Also, I have this insured at its appraised value of $50K thru Hagerty’s which runs about $275 yr.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me and thanks for your interest. I don’t answer emails thru craigslist due to their spam issue. If you want more info. . .pick up the phone and give me a ring.
Dave DeWalt
Most Triumph purists will probably cringe when they see what’s been done to this car, but that doesn’t describe me nor my reaction to it. Not at all. While there are a few niggling things that I would’ve done differently (maybe some different wheels or a little more BMW in the suspension & drivetrain) this car is about as close to perfect as I can imagine. As I said, if not for the $40,000 entry fee, I would be all over this thing. Maybe in a few years I’ll try my hand at something similar… Lessee… Maybe a BMW S52-powered Alfa Romeo something-or-other? Or maybe build up a kit car with BMW suspension and drivetrain bits, just to avoid the ire of any purists. Modify a GTM Supercar with a BMW V8 or S52-six in the back along with matching BMW suspension in place of the Corvette bits, just to be different? (that could be worthy of sticking a Roundel on the body front & back, and might even fool someone into thinking it’s a factory BMW model!) Oh, the possibilities! If only I had the time and money and workspace.
… I’m convinced that this is the car he would have in his garage.
No doubt 007 would have it outfitted with all manner of special weaponry and secret agent toys, but I sure wouldn’t turn it out of my own garage even in its current form. Given the fact that my garage space is pretty doggone limited, I would even build a garage specifically for it! The DB5 is a gorgeous machine to begin with, and who could resist a wagon/shooting brake version of the car? And to me, the color combination is perfect; black exterior & red leather… Wow.
This car was featured in a Hemmings Blog post this morning; for the details on the car and their thoughts on it you can click through to their article. The short of it is that the car recently went on the auction block at Bonham’s & sold for an astonishing $704,200 (the full copy from Bonham’s is included below in case it disappears from their site.)
What more can be said about such a gorgeous machine? I think I’ll just sit & stare at the photos for a little while.
Jalopnik has long been one of my favorite online haunts, and one of the features that I enjoy(ed) there was the Project Car Hell challenges;
Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that’s the coolest… and the most hellish!
Basically a game where you get to choose between two hopeless basket-case project cars that were found on eBay, CraigsList or wherever. In 2008 I stumbled across & submitted a pair of oddball cars I saw on eBay, a 1967 NSU Type 110 and a 1985 TVR 280i. They were pitted against each other in a post called Project Car Hell; Alphabet Soup Edition (get it; TVR? NSU? alphabet soup? Yeah, corny, but it was the best I could come up with!)
One of the perks for readers who submit cars for a PCH challenge is a custom-made t-shirt designed & built by Jalopnik contributor Murilee Martin. Not sure exactly what happened, but I didn’t get my t-shirt. I think it had something to do with a shortage of Dave-sized shirts at the time… Like I need another t-shirt anyway (just ask my wife!) Time went on, and I pretty much forgot about it.
Then last September, Murilee announced that he was dropping the Jalopnik gig for bigger & better things. I left a comment on the post expressing my disappointment (as well as my understanding and support for his new endeavors), then the next day I remembered the missing t-shirt & threw a comment on that thread about it. And whaddya know, Murilee offered to make good on the oversight!
A few emails were exchanged (including one that I totally overlooked for quite some time), then yesterday I had a surprise waiting for me at home; a package from Denver with my name on it. Inside was the long-lost t-shirt:
Yvonne’s reaction was predictable; “You’re not really going to actually wear that, are you?” I don’t think that was a question. It was the team shirt for the Tetanus Racing Neon Team from the Laissez Les Crapheaps Roulez24 Hours of LeMons race that was held in New Orleans in November, 2010. Team Tetanus came in 9th overall out of 50 entrants in that race; not bad, especially considering it was a true 24-hour race, using a $500 car!
In reality, the shirt will probably sit on the shelf in my bedroom closet until one of us puts it in a box destined for a thrift store. Still, it’s pretty cool that Murilee made the effort to send it. He also threw in his business card (finally ending my curiosity over what his real name is) and a cool little window/bumper sticker from LeMons. My car will wear that sticker proudly!
I still miss Murilee’s posts on Jalopnik — the PCH and DOTS (Down On The Street) stories were the best. Plus Murilee had a way of putting together great stories. I still follow Murilee’s online stuff from time to time — he maintains a website featuring a catch-all blog, a photo gallery from past LeMons races, and a pile of desktop wallpaper images from the junkyards he frequents. He’s got one book under his belt already and is currently working on another. Yes, Murilee is a true Renaissance man; gearhead, author, blogger, LeMons judge… He’s quite a guy, girl’s name notwithstanding.
Somebody in the San Francisco Bay area signed up as a member on mye28.com last week to post a for sale ad for his 1988 528e. And it looks like a nice, nice car.
For sale is my 1988 528e. 5-speed manual. ETA engine. Royal Blue with Beige interior.
311K miles, and no outstanding problems. Clean title, no accidents, recently smogged.
I’m the second owner and I have all service records since I purchased it 20 years ago.
Other details:
– Non-smoker.
– Garaged.
– The only addition is a Clifford alarm system with keyless entry.
The car is a reliable daily driver, but I’m getting too old so I switched to an automatic.
Located in the San Francisco Bay Area.
PRICE: $2500.
Amazing condition for a $2,500 car. The paint looks good. The interior looks great. No cracks in the dash. Tires look new… And with 311,000 miles on it? Dang.
Here is an outstanding little BMW… A 1967 2000tilux with a mere 12,800 miles on the clock! Judging by the amazing condition this car is in, I don’t doubt that mileage figure a bit. Of course, photos can be deceiving and a closer inspection would be needed if I were planning to buy this car, but still… Very impressive in pictures!
From the photos and the description, the car has gone through some minor refurbishing — new paint, cleaned things up underneath, detailed the interior — but you just don’t find complete 40-plus year old cars from European automakers in the US, much less complete 40-plus year old cars from European automakers that have less than thirteen thousand miles on them.
I don’t know much more about the 2000tilux other than what I’ve read this morning (here and elsewhere), but I do like the styling. The headlights are so otherworldly considering the car’s vintage… US Federalization back in the day would of course have required the trapezoidal headlights be replaced by boring round headlights — as illustrated below in another car that was recently featured on Bring A Trailer.com — so this one was either a gray-market import or converted. My guess is the former.
I dunno; it’s just something about these boxy little European sedans that’s just really appealing to me. And the little details, like the way the fuel filler door blends into the corner of the rear quarter panel… This is one gorgeous automobile!
This car probably weighs in around 2,000 lbs, and with an engine under the hood rated at 135 HP, it’s got to be a screamer. Lots of things to like about it!
Here’s the copy and the rest of the photos from the eBay ad, just for fun. Thus far nobody’s placed a bid on the car, and the seller’s $5,000 minimum bid stands with four days to go in the auction. Reserve hasn’t been met; it’ll be interesting to see where the bidding goes on it.
This car is the ultimate BMW e28; a 1985 BMW 535i that has been modified by Hartge, a renowned third-party BMW tuner. Not only that, it’s been restored by Ron Perry, a long-time e28 aficionado, known for his quality work.
The color combination on this car is perfect, and the work Ron has done to restore it is perfect. The Euro bumpers, Euro lights, driving lamp wipers… An e28 just doesn’t get any better than this, unless maybe it had a turbo under the hood. Nah; then I’d probably just want to drive it around with my foot on the floor.
As much as I would love to have a car like this, it just ain’t gonna happen. This one just sold on eBay for an astonishing $36,463.63. That’s for a 25 year old car. The closest I’ll get is the set of spiffy-looking valve caps with the Hartge logo on them that I got in a Priority Box Exchange earlier this year.
Update: This car is still for sale, and still way out of reach, but I thought it appropriate to update the post with some more photos and info on it. Apparently the eBay sale fell through, and Ron still has it. Price is set at $39,500 with the pictured Hartge wheels, or $36,500 with stock wheels — $3,000 for those wheels! I’d be more likely to spend that much on an entire car than on a set of wheels, no matter how nice! More photos of the finished car — beauty shots and some candid shots from the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance where the car won… something, along with a pile of photos from the build log posted on mye28.com. Truly an amazing car, and amazing that the restoration came together so quickly, getting it ready for the Pebble Beach show.
The old Morgan trikes have always been appealing to me; just the right mix of quirky & sporty. Throw on a leather helmet and goggles, and you’ve got the perfect Sunday drive right there. What’s not to love about them? And the motor hanging off the front end… That is just so cool.
There have been rumors circulating for a while that Morgan was planning to revive the 3 wheeler, and now they’ve confirmed it; the 2011 Morgan Threewheeler is officially for real. The car(?) will reportedly have a Mazda-built transmission coupled with an 1800cc Harley Davidson v-twin motor hanging off the front axle, just like the old timer. This one won’t have the wood frame, but it will be able to get up to 60 mph in about 4 1/2 seconds, topping out at about 115 mph. That more than makes up for the loss of character the wood would’ve brought.
The images Morgan is showing on its website appear to be of a real vehicle, but views of the engine appear to be generic CAD renderings, so it’s not clear that a real car has been built & tested
Building a car LoCost 7-style — using this or that from other production vehicles — has always been a dream of mine, and the three-wheel design has always been in the back of my head; with 3 wheels instead of 4, the vehicle is classified as a motorcycle, so it’s much easier to get registered & licensed & insured. But this thing might turn that dream on it’s head. Why reinvent the wheel? Of course, it all depends on what it will cost.
One thing about the car’s specs that I’m dying to find out is what their ‘Bomb release’ style start button looks like. Hmmm…
