Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

How many alpine hairpins will it manage?

No, but I know of a place where I can rent a transporter for a day.

can you whatsapp the deets? churs

I have had 3 Coopers (not S) and personally I always prefer them with a sunroof as it makes the inside lighter and more spacious in a small car. Also the chrome mirrors are nasty (but easy enough to change).

Hadn't considered the sunroof! Good shout.

Yeah the wing mirrors are a minor point right now, more interested in the mileage.

More speedholes!

On the topic of YouTube car guys back a few pages there are a few I've been really enjoying recently...

Hoonigan Autofocus

Larry Chen does good interviews, they're just long enough to get into a good amount of detail and the content he gets is second to none, some truly incredible modified cars.

Albo

This is a channel of a Canadian guy living in Japan, there's a lot of proper touge content, JDM cars and Initial D references abound. Some of them are a bit blogger-ish but a lot of the content is really interesting and features lots of cool cars.

JDM Masters

This chap is a friend of the Albo chap previously mentioned IRL and features in his videos but he's the most incredibly informative and learned person in all things JDM. Incredible attention to detail in his videos (I think he was actually a Mitsubishi or Subaru rally mechanic in the nineties/ early 2000s?)

@nefarious standard 318i Lach Silver Touring.

and my sleeper 335i Touring with the M30 b3.5 big six engine from an E34, M-Tech 2 spoiler kit, 40mm lowered sport suspension, purple tag rack, Mazda RX7 four pot caliper brake upgrade for the front, Custom stainless steel exhaust system from Kevin at Zero Exhausts Bethersden. :D

I have crackle black manifold and rocker cover to go on plus a black leather interior which I am repairing, using Furniture Clinic products.
Before

After

Before

After

‘Kinell, that thing’s a scorcher!

How does it handle with the massive M30 up front?

Not to bad the four pot brakes made a difference, almost 10% better efficiency on the MOT test rollers :) I don't go too mad in it.
Best 0-60mph with a draggy app box was 6.9 seconds and that was with a bit of wheel spin in first and second as it was damp, 20-60 is the sweet spot I have stayed with a few E36 M3's in that range the low down 300nm torque make it really easy to drive.
Just have to be careful in the wet ;)

I do have a new 40mm lowered set up to go on it then the suspension on that will be swapped over to the 318i :)

So rad! Sleeper e30 touring is deffo a bit of a dream car.
Always thought this was sick!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvA-BKvbrfM

Yes that one is some serious power compared to my paltry 220bhp, saw it on YouTube last year and in the flesh at the Classic Car show at Earls Court this year just before lockdown :)

220bhp in a car that weighs 1200kg would be fine by me! Especially when it looks like that. And you've got 2, lol.

The white one is undeniably bonkers.

mine is about 1420kg :)

Needs more BHP then! ;-)

excellent post and what a great pair of cars. no wonder you are beaming in the photo with the window down. good work dude.

Never mind the MPG, Smiles per Miles SPM :D

& @nefarious if only enough for me for now I still have my old 325i M20 lump out of my old one that I hope to build as a 2.8 stroker for the 318i ;)

Yes it's all about the SPM for sure

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/193753236936

Just imagine all the girlfriends you would have.

I'd rather have a harem of balding, overweight men, so looks perfect.

In the trunk?

Ha, would rep.

It's a lovely looking thing. Although any time I see an old car like that, I can't help but imagine how catastrophic it would be if you hit a pedestrian - not that hitting pedestrians with cars is a jolly affair in any circumstance.

And christ it looks massive.

I had the 318s touring, bet you are jealous ;)

Fucking shit as an estate car, after having a volvo estate...but the BMW was cheap wish I kept it longer as it increased in value but needed the cash. Not as fun or easy to oversteer as the e34 2.5.

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1189415

This has been up here for months, bloody covid means I couldn't go down and road trip it back.....

Speaking of estate cars ^^

https://youtu.be/O3KmcAO5Xmc

that car has the hoyle irs/coilover suspension from fisher services in sydenham...

[edit - it used to!]

Watched that earlier.

Fell for the same trick with his electric mini video a while back... watch 75%, decide I want one, they mention the price, get depressed.