by "functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
Published 11/03/2017 at 14:45
by "functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
Published 11/03/2017 at 14:45
Tags: DOTS
STARS: 9
I know this is a repost, but I got a lot more info on the car, so I’m including all that below. Please forgive my trespasses... etc.
This shop I drive by every day has some cool stuff from time to time. Lots of 911s, older BMWs, etc. I couldn’t help but stop and have a look at this, though. No idea if it’s for sale or belongs to a customer but no plate kinda says for sale.
I’d take this over an E30 M3 if for no other reason but to be different.
Also I gotta ask them about the 928 that’s been floating around there for a month at least.
I’m sure the eagle-eyed among you will find lots of other interesting things in the background. But my attention was all on this E30. I may stop and ask some questions tomorrow.
Small update:
I’ve since googled this car, and it seems that only
259 of these were ever made.
* 108 of the C2 2.7 were made, with just 52 more “Katalysator” (catalytic converter-equipped) produced by Alpina, according to alpina-archive.com. *OOPS I had originally assumed it was a B3 2.7 but the badge on the front is clearly a C2.
Update 2 (sad trombone):
I called the place just because I wasn’t sure I’d have time to stop when I go by next time, and they said it’s a customer car, not for sale as far as they know. So... my curiosity will not be satisfied, but at least I won’t be tempted to make a really bad decision and try to buy it.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Equipped with a bit more accurate info, I finally did some homework and it appears to be
this car
, which is interesting because it came from Alpina
as an automatic (GASP!)
but was converted to manual like so many ordinary E30's out there. Oddly, it’s since been listed as “mechanically unmodified,” which is hardly the case with a transmission swap. I guess it depends on your definition of
a catch
modified.
Here’s a little info on it from germancarsforsaleblog.com -
There’s
a lot more info
there if you care to read it. This does explain why someone pointed out the Japan license plate bracket (in my photo).
This same car was on Bring a Trailer while the ebay listing was active in early 2016, and then again - this time sold directly via BaT in January of this year. It sold for just over $35,000. That’s a deal compared to a comparable M3, for a car that’s way more rare, if that’s your thing. There are a ton of good pics on the second BaT listing, worth a look if you’re into these things.
Well anyway I’m glad I stopped for a look! Now I want to know what local person in my town bought this freaking unicorn. I don’t exactly live in a hotbed for cars like this.
I don’t know if I want it more now, or less. I do love it.
"If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent" (essextee)
11/02/2017 at 22:23, STARS: 4
I love those black rubber spoilers that 70's/80's sporty cars had.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
11/02/2017 at 22:29, STARS: 4
Me too.
"Junkrat aka Rick Sanchez: Fury Road Edition" (realasabass)
11/02/2017 at 22:53, STARS: 1
I knew someone with the interior out of one in his E30, but never seen a complete car.
"Spasoje" (Spasoje)
11/03/2017 at 00:04, STARS: 1
I notice this E30 was imported from Japan! The rear plate frame gives that away (and, to an extent, the front one too).
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
11/03/2017 at 01:07, STARS: 1
mmmm.............golf cart
"Gamecat235" (Gamecat235)
11/03/2017 at 01:09, STARS: 0
Is it a 2.7 or a 3.5? I’m guessing since it looks like a Japanese import that it’s a 2.7, but either is awesome. What a car to spot. Wow.
"kanadanmajava1" (kanadanmajava1)
11/03/2017 at 04:44, STARS: 0
It’s probably an European import as it lacks side markers and safety bumpers that the US models had. Maybe Alpinas weren’t even sold in US?
"duurtlang" (duurtlang)
11/03/2017 at 04:46, STARS: 2
It’s a 2.7. See the front grill badge.
"diplodicus" (diplodicus)
11/03/2017 at 08:20, STARS: 1
I wonder how much they want. These are pretty rare as far as I know.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/03/2017 at 09:12, STARS: 1
Indeed, it’s a 2.7. Sorry for the crappy pics, there’s a badge on the rear, too.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/03/2017 at 09:14, STARS: 1
I will most definitely have to stop and ask. I didn’t have time this morning, and in fact it had moved... which only means it’s either in the shop or the showroom.
They have a nice 2002 I really want. Also a ‘75 911 you can see in the background of one pic (you can see just the roof of the 2002 in the pic of the front of the E30.
This summer they had a red S52-swapped E30 M3 that looked race-ready, or at least track day ready. I like driving by this place....
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/03/2017 at 09:45, STARS: 0
Not sure, but apparently there were only 259 of this “B3 2.7" ever made... that makes it even more special than I originally thought.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/03/2017 at 09:46, STARS: 0
Interesting, but it is LHD. So... it started life somewhere LHD but spent some time in Japan you think?
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/03/2017 at 09:47, STARS: 0
Wow, I wonder how that even happens. I would think you’d do just about anything to keep an Alpina together, but then, there was that one on BaT recently that was swapped over ... I can’t even remember the details but it was a cluster**** as I recall.
"kanadanmajava1" (kanadanmajava1)
11/03/2017 at 10:12, STARS: 1
The real Alpinas have a VIN that tells that it’s not made by BMW. I don’t think that European E30s have a VIN plate on the dashboard so you can’t check this without getting under the hood.
But some of these were modified from regular BMWs and these probably aren’t included in the production numbers. I think France and UK didn’t get much E30 Alpinas that came from the Alpina factory. They got some locally modified ones. My friend had a E32 Alpina B12 5.0 that was just converted from a 750i. From the outside it looked like a genuine thing.
But in any case I like this thing. I wish it would have remained in Europe...
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/03/2017 at 10:22, STARS: 1
Well, I will just have to stop by this place and ask, I drive by four times a day anyway! From what I read, the B3 2.7 was the first example where BMW provided unfinished shells to Alpina, rather than Alpina buying completed cars and stripping them.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
11/03/2017 at 13:54, STARS: 1
MMMMM, 928
"MonkeePuzzle" (monkeypuzzle)
11/03/2017 at 15:19, STARS: 1
I really love the pinstriping!
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/03/2017 at 15:27, STARS: 1
Makes me want to alpina pinstripe my E46 wagon. Is that worse than putting on fake M3 badges? Or better? Doesn’t matter I don’t have time anyway haha
"Spasoje" (Spasoje)
11/03/2017 at 15:28, STARS: 1
Nope! When buying Euro lux cars, the Japanese tend to prefer LHD b/c of originality. As such, they predominantly order Euro-spec LHD BMWs, Mercs, etc. when buying new, instead of ordering RHD Japanese-spec equivalents.
"SpeedSix" (speedsix)
11/03/2017 at 15:30, STARS: 1
Quite a number of foreign cars, particularly European, are sold as LHD in Japan, where it’s apparently somewhat of a status symbol to have an imported LHD foreign car.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/03/2017 at 15:32, STARS: 0
That makes sense. It makes a lot more sense than our silly import laws, too.
Good spot on the plate bracket - it looks like you were exactly right! I mean, it’s
possible
that it’s another white 4-door E30 Alpina C2 2.7 in the Northeast with a Japanese plate bracket... but yeah. This is that car.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/03/2017 at 15:33, STARS: 1
Annnd it’s almost definitely a Japanese import, as you suspected! (see post update)
"SpeedSix" (speedsix)
11/03/2017 at 15:34, STARS: 1
because it came from Alpina
as an automatic (GASP!)
The last 500ish BMW Z8s produced were all modified by Alpina to become the Alpina V8 Roadster, with a regular Alpina-tuned BMW V8 engine and a 5-speed automatic, as opposed to the BMW M5 engine and 6-speed manual of the regular Z8, since their aim was to make a grand touring car out of a sports car.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/03/2017 at 15:35, STARS: 0
That makes sense. People here (enthusiasts, anyway) seem to get pretty excited about having a RHD vehicle, just for the novelty if nothing else.
"Spasoje" (Spasoje)
11/03/2017 at 15:43, STARS: 1
Thanks! I’m used to seeing those unique Japanese plate brackets, as Vancouver has been a hotbed for JDM cars for a long while. Partly b/c of Canada’s 15-year import law, partly b/c of the physical proximity to Japan.
But yeah, Japan and Europe have very similar standards, so cars can go back and forth w/o issue (for example: lots of UK buyers get JDM cars as well). I know there’s an effort to standardize safety standards worldwide, which would effectively end the 15 & 25yr import rules. Not sure what the status on that is, though, but it would be pretty damn awesome...
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/03/2017 at 15:46, STARS: 0
But why reduce the redline? Or was the whole cam profile, or all kinds of other stuff different, too? Probably yes.
"SpeedSix" (speedsix)
11/03/2017 at 15:48, STARS: 0
I suppose that was poorly worded - the Alpina merely featured an Alpina-tuned BMW 4.4L V8, instead of the M5-grade 4.9L V8.
Edit: edited original post to reflect
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/03/2017 at 16:11, STARS: 0
I gotcha. That Z8 is not ugly by the way...
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/03/2017 at 16:13, STARS: 1
Well, I can hazard a guess as to the status of anything that involves US cooperation with other worldwide standards at this time. I’ll stop there.
But that would be awesome, AND would probably save manufacturers a lot of money too.
"RT" (rt-p)
11/03/2017 at 17:14, STARS: 2
TL;DR gib now.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/03/2017 at 19:09, STARS: 1
Yep, nailed it