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Year of manufacture1993
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Car typeSaloon
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Chassis numberWBABE51090JG17980
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Lot number56
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DriveLHD
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ConditionUsed
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Interior colourBlack
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Interior typeLeather
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Number of doors3
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Location
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Exterior colourGrey
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GearboxManual
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Drivetrain2wd
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Fuel typePetrol
Description
French title
Technical control not valid
M3 look
227 000 km
Car to be serviced
At the end of the 1980s, BMW wanted to develop a car to compete with the trendy little bombs like the Volkswagen Golf GTi, Peugeot 205 GTi and Renault 5 GT Turbo. However, there was no question of copying what the competition was doing: that would be too expensive and the Bavarian manufacturer also liked to cultivate the difference. The range of the time began with the 3 Series E30, more bourgeois than sporty, and the very powerful M3 was far too expensive to compete on the GTi market. The Bavarian firm's management therefore decided to launch the 318i into the arena, upgrading it to 318is, for Sport. In terms of appearance, the car takes on some of the gimmicks of the famous M of Motorsport, front and rear spoilers and superb BBS rims. Under the bonnet, the 1,800cc M40 4-cylinder engine is upgraded to M42 specs, with a 16-valve dual overhead camshaft cylinder head and Bosch Motronic electronic fuel injection to produce a welcome 136bhp. With the advantage of rear-wheel drive over the small GTi, the 318is E30 "do the job" with 41,234 units sold between 1988 and 1991. The following year, the 318is E36 replaced it, with the same recipe, and the same M42 engine increased to 140 hp. The newcomer had grown in stature and changed its range, but its price tag still made it one of the most desirable sports coupes of its generation. Between 1992 and 1999, 191,053 units were sold.
The car presented here, in arctic silver metallic, was sold new in France in October 1993 in the Loire department by the BMW Saint-Germain Auto Sport dealer in Saint-Etienne. Its service booklet shows regular maintenance up to almost 150,000 km. The file then includes a large number of invoices justifying regular attention, but indicating that the car received a very slight shock to the left rear in 2005. The car, which appears to have been repainted, has been fitted with many of the M3 E36's specific features, including the headlights, lights, spoiler and - most importantly - the rims and interior with its sought-after buckets. The car, a real alternative to the GTi's of the time, is sold as is, to be serviced, with in particular some work to be done on the front axle (counter visit of the CT: shock absorbers and front suspension ball joints).
This car will be sold by auction by AGUTTES Auction House, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, on June the 20th, 2021.
The digital catalog is available by the following link
https://www.aguttes.com/en/catalog/113642?
Please contact us for any further details.
[email protected]
+33 147 459 301
+ 33 668 362 622