E30 325i Rag-Top

Some manufacturers, espcially BMW, have a trademark grille styling - the double kidney grille, and go to extreme lengths to maintain that in some shape or form and also the Ford blue oval as you show the photo of. But the end result is still much the same with a larger air grille in the lower section of the front fascia.Would you believe that the bottom arrangement of the grille mouth and fog-lights as styled on that Falcon is supposed to be influenced by F1 front wings ??

The trend is caused by changes is legislation and the drive for better fuel economy. To make cars more pedestrian friendly (less injuries to people if they are run over) bonnet lines have to be lower and smoother, also a factor in aerodynamics and drag which affect the fuel economy.The end result is that there is less room to get the cooling air through a radiator above the bumper area (as if cars have bumpers anymore!) so grilles and radiators are having to be pushed lower down on the front of the vehicles, giving the smiley face look. It is very interesting to see the changes from what the sylists want as a concept, to what can be made to meet the laws of the land and engineering concerns. Some changes for the better IMHO and some ruin the whole concept.

Hey, would you be willing to deliver to Pukekohe? Very interested if you will. Cheers, JTP.

I'm most surprised that Rick Astley is that well known over here, thought he was a UK only star. Best thing about Rick is that he decided that he hated the false nature of the pop industry and gave it all up and walked away. Not many I can think of would pass up a chance of being famous like that.

Thanks for putting the photos up, but I stuffed the race car yesterday so will have to pass on this.Shame to see another E30 parted out, but you can't save 'em all.

I thought this was due to go under the hammer last week? Would suggest to me it failed to reach reserve, which from the little I know of Turners would be $8k as it always seems to be the middle of their estimate. If it failed to reach $8k there must be a few issues with the car, I would have thought? Has anyone been to view the car in the flesh, can they give an honest appraisal? How long does it take to get from Pukekohe to Turners? I might be interested in having a look at the week-end and bidding by phone / internet on Monday.

Where abouts in NZ are you based? I would be very keen on whole car, if you could post up a picture of the damage that would be sweet. Cheers, JTP.

For this type of car to fetch top dollar it would need to be collectable on the world-wide market, not enough demand or dollars in NZ.Unfortunately this particular car is missing either of the things that would make the real money. It is not original, especially the RHD conversion, and there is no interesting history, racing or otherwise. Still a real nice car, and worth more than I can afford but the GBP25k looks much better value at the moment.

Agree 100%I often refer to compacts as "poor man's BMWs" they were developed purely to move into new market segments, namely the lower price bracket. To reach this objective the cars were made to a cost and this just cheapened the whole brand image through cost-down engineering IMHO. Plus they look fugly and to me look like a Coupe that has been rear-ended. Each to their own, some people like them, but to me it is the antithesis of what BMW is all about.

A great photo of two amazing vehicles, side by side. From the www.classiccar.co.nz web site, after their E30 V E90 M3 article a while back. Got it as my wallpaper at work to try and motivate me! White one for the week, black one for week-ends please.

If that list wasn't so true it would be really funny! All countries have bad or inconsiderate drivers, I guess in NZ it's just the high percentage. Coupled with a lack of two-lane roads where you can easily overtake. I am surprised no-one has mentioned those "knights of the road" the truckies? Whose give way rule seems to be "you only give way to things bigger than you, or at a push things big enough to cause you damage" In the short time that I have been in NZ I have had so slam the brakes on, both in my cars and on my push-bike, to avoid trucks that have just pulled straight out in front of me, or failed to give way, purely because they were bigger than me. Absolute wankers of the biggest kind. Rant over!

To try and give you some more info and my experience:1) Bilsteins are often found on standard 325i, either fitted later or added as an option when ordered from the dealer. 2) ABS was again an option on standard 325i vehicles so can be found on non-MSport models 3) Discs all round I think was standard on ALL 325i models, not just M-Sports. I hope that helps. If you're trying to suss out whether a car is a fake or not, just get hold of the VIN number and check the build sheet. I think you can even do it on-line somewhere, as mentioned in other threads. To do it on the spot biggest clues would be 1) LSD - difficult but not impossible to add and 2) the black headlining. Good luck in your search!

I recognise her! Is she famous??

Hmmm, good one. In the 'vert, summer top down, it's Fun Lovin' Criminals - Scooby Snacks or Prodigy - The Fat Of The Land - especially Diesel Power, Breathe and Firestarter. In 320i no head unit or speakers - so try to get the exhaust to play different tunes to me every day - but normally just get bwaaaaaaap, pop, pop, bang!

And I see his Customer Service skills have not improved at all. Check out the answer to my question on this "OE" M3 rear bumper... http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=170330382

The rocker cover sold for $300!! I ducked out when the price went over $100, looks good, but won't make it go any faster.

Ok genius, which particular bit is a crock of crap? Having worked on a car with a different engine you obviously know all there is about carbs on Alfas. So please enlighten me, I am always open to new learning opportunities.

I have done quite a few carb balances in the past, and while it's not a hard job, there is a certain knack to it.If you get it very wrong there is a potential to cause damage to valves, etc. but this is most unlikely. Worst thing that is likely to happen if you have a reasonable mechanical knowledge is a little rough running under heavy load and poor fuel consumption! Is the 33 ti a boxer engine, with two twin choke weber carbs? Remembering the twin webers I used to try and balance it took a while as there are about three adjustment screws, idle, main jet and secondary jet, and four sets of them. So it can take a while. There are plenty of reference books and web-sites that will give you the basic procedure, and a piece of garden hose is almost as accurate as any carb-balancer that I have ever tried unless you have a CO meter. Good luck!

Edit: The Mrs said no to the purple Diablo.... Put your foot down Mark and show her who's boss! I only arranged two things at my wedding - the suits and the cars. Left everything else to the wife and paid the bill. Attached are a couple of photos of the cars... ..as you can see I like Bimmer 'verts. Silver one is a 323i manual, borrowed it from a friend, the blue-gray one is a 328i auto, from a prestige hire place in London. Luckily we had good weather on the day!

Please excuse my ignorance of 5-series models, but would these alloys fit on an older, 1990 E34 535i by any chance?? I know they are both 5-stud, so that's a good start. If not a straight fit, how much of a hassle is a conversion? Cheers.

Loved the E30 as soon as I rode in and drove one, waited nearly 20 years to buy my 'vert as it was owned by friends and family from new :love: . When the E36 came out, I much preferred it, more modern looks, better specs, more power, quicker, etc. But now the E36 has been up-dated by later versions, I feel the E30 has now achieved a cult, classic status and the E36 is an in-betweener, it's not a classic and it's not the latest and greatest. So it's E30 for me, even if you offered me a mint E36 325 (or even 328) convertible, with all the toys, I would not swap it for my E30. But if it was an E36 or anything of equivalent market value, it would have to be the E36!

Xhibit sure has a lot to answer for!Goes to show, money is no substitute for taste!

Not usually in my nature to help a Gooner, but as it's all in the name of BMW I can make an exception! How many tyres do you want storing, and when are you likely to be up around Palmy? I'm not due down to Wellington for a while. I have room for a few tyres in the garage, but commercial quantities might upset the wife a bit! Cheers.

Don't read too much into the stock production figures, the power would be severly wound back to make sure the engine is rugged enough to survive any punishment in service. There's a 3-year unlimited Km's warranty to get through.One of the biggest frustrations in automotive design is to have to turn things down to reduce the risk of failure and warranty claims to satisfy the bean counters. There would be heaps more power available, even from ECU mapping alone, before you have to worry about changing the hardware, the good old "safety factor" coming into play. When Cosworth worked on the original Sierra their target was 100bhp / litre the only problem they had was keeping the figure LOW enough to satisfy the risk managers - one for engine reliability (even stock 2ltr cossie good for 300+ bhp and reliable for years) and insurance risk. It's still the same today, which is why people like to tune their cars and all the aftermarket boys are out their - shame it voids the manufacturer warranty!

You don't happen to know the towing capacity on the 320i Touring do you? Any idea on cost to fit a towbar on this, with the kit, etc. Cheers, Jon.