Highlights
- One of just 200 Design Edition E30 Cabriolets produced, including only 50 right-hand-drive examples finished in Neon Green
- Acquired by the seller in 2009 and subsequently resprayed and fitted with refurbished suspension and brakes
- Fitted with a custom-built 2.7-litre M20 straight-six and manual gearbox
- Stored under cover for the last eight years and requiring recommissioning before returning to the road
- MOT expired and will require a re-test
The Appeal
The E30 remains one of BMW’s most celebrated modern classics, admired for its handsome styling, compact dimensions and engaging rear-wheel-drive dynamics. For many enthusiasts, it represents the marque at its most straightforward and rewarding, particularly when paired with a manual gearbox and a six-cylinder engine.
This example is based on the exceptionally rare Design Edition Cabriolet, one of just 200 produced and among only 50 finished in distinctive Neon Green for the UK market. Acquired by the seller in 2009, it has since benefited from a respray and the installation of a custom-built 2.7-litre M20 straight-six, incorporating components from several period BMW models. Suspension and braking components have also been refurbished during the seller’s ownership.
A discreet Alpina-style ‘2.7’ grille badge provides the only outward clue to the car’s enhanced specification, preserving the understated appearance for which the E30 is so well regarded.
Having spent the last eight years in dry storage, the car will now require a degree of recommissioning before returning to the road, with the seller recommending replacement of the timing belt before the engine is started. For a BMW enthusiast, it presents an appealing opportunity to return a rare and distinctive E30 Cabriolet to active service.
Key Information
- Mileage: 129,713 miles (indicated, unwarranted)
- Country of registration: United Kingdom
- Technical inspection status: MOT expired on 15 April 2019
- Technical specs: 2.7-litre straight-six, five-speed manual gearbox
- Paperwork: Service manual, various invoices, V5C registration document, MOT certificates
The Detail
- One of 200 Design Editions produced, of which 150 were finished in Neon Blue and just 50 in Neon Green
- Additions over the standard model included M-Tex cloth seats with coloured piping and plastic edges
- Starting life as a 318i Auto, it now features a custom 2.7 straight-six and a five-speed manual gearbox
- Rare 15-inch ‘Style 10’ alloy wheels have been retrofitted
- Equipment includes an M-Tech 2 steering wheel, electric windows, electric mirrors, a trip computer, and a Panasonic CD stereo
- Upgrades include leather gaiters for the gear lever and handbrake, an E36 pattern handbrake grip, a walnut E34 gear knob, and a Z3-type gear lever
- Engine is an M20 straight-six built by the seller for a previous E30 and features crank, rods and pistons from an E28 525e, and the cylinder head, fuel rail, fuel injectors, and fuel pressure regulator from a 325i
- Rear axle has 3:64 open differential
- Miller MAF unit installed, which is suspected to be behind some of the overheating issues that caused the vehicle to be 'laid up’
- Stored under a cotton cover in the seller’s garage for the last eight years
- Pin dent above the fuel filler cap on the rear quarter panel
- Hood cover worn on the sides and rear window is opaque
- Interior described by seller as ‘good but a little dusty’, and the electrical equipment (door mirrors, heater motor and electric windows) will require ‘waking up’
- Car was running rich when laid up
- Purchased by the seller in May 2009 and refurbished the following year
- Resprayed by JAM Bodyworks in Lincoln
- Suspension refurbished with 325i Sport springs, Bilstein dampers, and polyurethane replacements for all bushes, with the exception of the rear axle carrier bushes
- Disc brakes all round with Green Stuff pads
- A replacement cambelt, water pump, and belt tensioner are recommended
- Seller notes that there is old fuel in the tank, but states that it has been kept connected to a CTEK battery charger
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