motorsport

[E34er 2]

how can you tell if its a genuine motorsport or its just had all the shiny bits added,is there a serial no or is the engine different

[Jazzbass 1]

.. and what's the difference between a 'motorsport' and an 'M'?

[E34er 2]

i thought m just stood for motorsport

[Gus 5]

for which car exactly?

[drifty325i 0]

motorsports have black headliner,black window trim, standard lsd , mtec body kit, steering wheel, seats etc pretty easy to tell difference

[Guest Andrew]

motorsports have black headliner,black window trim, standard lsd , mtec body kit, steering wheel, seats etc pretty easy to tell difference

but you can put all these bits in a normal 325 -

in short - there is no difference between a m325 and a 325 with all the bits - they are the same car.

[m325i 709]

OMFG! Not again. :banghead:

in short - there is no difference between a m325 and a 325 with all the bits - they are the same car.

would you say that there is no diff between an e36 with all the M bits on it and an e36 m3?

Ok what about the newer 'motorsports'? (eg a e46 318i motorsport)

Are they just a kit?

[Gus 5]

here we go...

i take it we talking about e30's here.....

if it has a black headliner, you can be pretty sure its a motorsport. make sure it has the correct bits like 15"basketweaves, LSD, Kit and sport seats, as these are what make them worthwhile. Whilst i agree that e30's are similar and with these bits are virtually the same, at the same time, a nice motorsport is so much nicer than a standard e30. so they really are diff cars.

Later models, seem to be mix and match, no clear cut factor definition.

[Steve K-B 51]

Anlther question... They do come in four door ahy? pre f/l E30 that is.

[Gus 5]

no pre FL..rumour of a couple of FL 4 doors, but could just be specced up from factory, not an actual production model.

[cainchapman 0]

Given that Benny 535 has an E34, I'd have thought he was enquiring about his car.

Sport seats and Mtech spoilers are a good start. Kiwi535 can post a pic of his car, I'm sure.

[Guest Spargo]

No 4dr 325i Sports, there was a few nz new 4dr 325i motorsports.

[Guest Andrew]

OMFG! Not again. :banghead:

would you say that there is no diff between an e36 with all the M bits on it and an e36 m3?

Ok what about the newer 'motorsports'? (eg a e46 318i motorsport)

Are they just a kit?

there is a difference between an M3 and m325 yes -

But mine and your car? No diff in my eyes (mine is way better naturally because its a race car) but you get the idea.

[m325i 709]

Put ALL the M bits on an e36. Still not an m3 to me. It may be physically identical, there is an added buzz, (for some people), that the car was sold new as what it is.

Later models, seem to be mix and match, no clear cut factor definition.

you confirmed my fears.

But mine and your car? No diff in my eyes (mine is way better naturally because its a race car) but you get the idea.

Its the little differences, like colour coded bumpers and speedo readings that become a pick-up line. "you'll never guess how many km's it's done? Keep going..."

[gmccormack 0]

i thought m just stood for motorsport

M is for motorsport, but that doesn't mean the car is anything special just because the factory stuck an M badge on the back. Plenty of cars got M badges fitted just because the owners ordered something as trivial as a leather covered gearknob from the motorsport parts catalouge. Another problem are cars like the E46 M318 and NZ new E30 325 motorsports, cars with no more power than standard that have been weighed down with extras that actually slow them down, what does that have to do with motorsport?

[rxsumo 33]

E34 is easy check under the hood....look for the Motorsport label on the twin cam tappet cover, the car usually has M5 badges on it

The British got a model in '88 and '89, called the M535, it was, from my investigation a fairly base model with some bits out of the Motorsport Catalogue.

But at the end of the day it was a badge engineered 535 for the British market.

I think you could probably buy a M5xx (insert 20 or 25) in the UK at the time.

In NZ we got a manual 535, that was loaded with some Motorsport bits, BMW know them as the HD12. They were just a special order 535, with no other designation, as I have previously posted.

From the Motorsport Catalogue the HD12s got:

Sports Seats

M-Technic Suspension (not as low as the M5)

Body Kit (got a rear spoiler that the M5 didnt have standard)

Gear Knob and Steering Wheel

These were all available as tick box options on your new 535 (at least according to my E34 dealer catalogue)

The last true non-M5, 5 series Motorsports cars were the E28 M535, like the E28 M5 essentially a hand built car, built in the Motorsport factory rather than on the normal production line.

[martyyn 2]

....what does that have to do with motorsport?

Absolutely nothing, but in the case of the e46 M318, its helped shift lemon of a car from the showrooms.

[Palazzo 477]

And in the case of the E30, lowered springs, bilsteins and bigger sway bars (I think) helped it to handle properly, which I seem to remember is handy if you want to try some motorsport. As the kit was all light anyway, I doubt there is much of a difference in weight either.

15x7 Basketweaves with 205/55 tyres would probably count as a handling upgrade over 14" bottletops in my opinion as well.

Edited March 9, 2006 by Palazzo

[Gus 5]

And in the case of the E30, lowered springs, bilsteins and bigger sway bars (I think) helped it to handle properly, which I seem to remember is handy if you want to try some motorsport. As the kit was all light anyway, I doubt there is much of a difference in weight either.

15x7 Basketweaves with 205/55 tyres would probably count as a handling upgrade over 14" bottletops in my opinion as well.

bigger rear sway, front stayed the same...helped have less understeer

[bravo 35]

Put ALL the M bits on an e36. Still not an m3 to me.

The discussion is not m3 the discussion is "motorsport"-spec 3 series - not "M" car at all. An m3 is a totally different car. We're talking about things like kit, susp. etc, not motorsport-inspired (or in the case of the e30 m3 -homologated) cars.

an 325im or m325i is essentially the "sport" model if you will. the m3 is a race-bred machine. The chassis and body of a m325 is identical to a 325. an m3 is not.

The question I believe was how do you identify between a factory m-kitted car and a post-purchase m kitted car?

And that has been more or less answered. It is possible to pay extreme attention to detail and create a post-purchase m235 that is indistinguishable in every aspect from the factory ones. The thing is, most people don't pay that much attention to detail - it may have most of the bits, but it prob won't have everything. Although further confusion is added by the additional "sport" and SE (Special Equipment) models as well as the little 318iS with it's badass front lip. And then there's the little problem of not all factory motorsports having the same options - so is it genuine or not? - does it matter? And as Angus said - if you look at enough of them you get a feel for it and you can usually tell.

And yes, there are definately 4-door FL m325's - I don't know about pre-FL.

Edited March 10, 2006 by bravomikewhiskey

[Gus 5]

And as Angus said

who is this "Angus" character you speak of?

can't have peeps knowing my real name yo!

[Guest Spargo]

can't have peeps knowing my real name yo!

Sorry Rusty

[E34er 2]

picked up my 535 yesterday drove it home ,man what a car thought i had owened good cars in the past but nothing compares.dont care if its a genuine motorsport anymore i aint parting with it,but i guess you guy know this allready (should of had a beamer years ago)

[m325i 709]

hear that *sic?

[kiwi535 538]

added to rxsumo(i wont mention your real name ........)Side skirts and front lip,mtech steering wheel and gearknob,metric wheels,shadowline mtech suspension may have included bigger bars than stock.

the seats do it for me tho...