1998 BMW

1998 BMW E36 328i M Sport Touring (Manual)

188250 miles

MOT until March 2022 (only failures ever for a bulb, tyre and brake pad wear)

Avus Blue Metallic

Firstly let me quickly introduce myself as I have learned over the years that the person you are buying from is almost as important as the car itself. I run a fleet of 3 (now 4) interesting modern classic cars and these are my hobby and passion outside of my full time job as a photographer. I have never skimped on maintenance for any of my cars, and always sell them honestly when I move them on. I don’t buy to flip cars. I buy to enjoy them and to give them the very best care.

My very recent purchase of a BMW Z4 Coupe forces the very reluctant sale of one of my favourite cars ever. It does everything well, but I also have a classic car, a winter hack, and a sports car that all fill very specific roles, and only 3 parking spaces here.

Extremely high spec E36 Touring in amazing condition. Factory Options:

• Factory Sport Pack added at time of build (car is officially an SE Touring – only 323i Sport Touring’s were official)

• Light Grey Montana Sport Leather interior

• M Sports Package

• M Sports Suspension

• M Sports Steering Wheel Multifunction

• HiFi Speaker System

• Automatic Air Conditioning System (blows cold)

• On Board Computer

• Parking Distance Control (works intermittently – possibly replace a sensor?)

If you are after the ultimate E36 Touring and prioritise condition and maintenance history over mileage, then this is the car for you. These only come along once in a blue moon in this spec and condition so read on!

Subtle Modifications done to the car to improve it but not tarnish it’s originality too much:

• Genuine M-Contour 17” Alloys from an E36 M3 Saloon (in excellent condition)

• M50 Manifold conversion (original included with sale)

• Just Deutsch Performance Cams fitted with Vanos rebuild

• Car Live Mapped at Derv Tech, Manchester to obtain 239bhp at 6200rpm and 225lb/ft at 4800rpm

• Raised rev limiter to 7000rpm

• Purple Tag Steering Rack

• Eibach springs all round (1 inch drop)

• Kenwood DAB Bluetooth Stereo

I have a thick lever arch folder full of receipts for work under my 2.5 year stewardship and the previous owner (Alex Jupe Motorsport) who owned it since March 2011. The car has always been kept under cover during both of these tenures. It comes with 2 working keys and 2 original remote fobs that need batteries and possibly coding.

Under my stewardship I have paid for the following maintenance work (in addition to the performance improvements listed above. Everything has been carried out by one of the Midlands best known E36 experts, Sam Carpenter:

• Rear subframe replaced with a powdercoated one, and new Powerflex rear subframe bushes

• Powerflex front diff bush

• Goodridge front braided lines and new front brake pipes

• Serviced in Feb 21 including filters and brake fluid (all above plus cams and mapping Feb 21)

• Fix broken window regulator arm and brake light switch (Nov 20)

• Replace brake discs, power steering pump and OBC (Sept 20)

• Oil Service, Coolant Flush, Steering Rack, Tie Rods, Power Steering Fluid & Alignment (July 20)

• M50 Manifold swap, coolant intake leak, oil service Squeaky clutch pedal (Aug 19)

• Bonnet respray and front wings blend (Aug 19)

• Air Conditioning Regas (May 19)

Other significant work prior to my ownership:

• New Battery, discs, pads and handbrake shoes (Feb 19)

• Inspection 2 Service (Mar 18)

• Detailing & Dinitrol Cavity Waxing (Feb 18)

• Wheel refurb (Feb 17)

• New clutch, dual mass flywheel and starter motor (Sep 16)

• New Bilstein front struts, lower wishbones, M3 offset lollipop bushes & tie rods with 4 wheel laser geometry set up (Feb 14)

Stayed with me this far? Good. Now for the bits that may need attention (depending on how good you want this car to be):

• Some wear to the drivers seat bolster and door card leather

• Scratches to the inside of the boot

• Very slight signs of rust on the tailgate at the bottom of the rear window. Hasn’t changed much since I bought the car in early 2019 and I am nitpicking here.

So to summarise – this is not your usual drifter, stance nation E36 that’s had a rough time. It’s only been used on roads, and has been set up and maintained to give driving pleasure for years to come.

Yes – performance BMW values of cars of this age and in this spec have gone a bit silly of late. You need £10k+ to get into a decent manual Sport Coupe these days. This car is clean underneath and on the sills, arches and jacking points. It’s been maintained to the highest standard, modified tastefully and is a very rare machine.

It also had a 6 page feature in BMW Car Magazine in June 2020 and I am part of the BMW Car Club, attending regular meets with it locally.

The car is in Hitchin and I encourage viewings. I have been thorough and honest with all of the above, and welcome serious enquiries.