1991 BMW

Nearly 40 years on, its immediately clear how beautifully these cars have aged – unlike, some would argue, the Mercedes 500 SL from that era, a car that by comparison now looks chubby and clumsy, despite being so much more expensive when it was new (and despite having twice the engine capacity).

It is not unfair to say that this is the (perhaps joint) best 325i cabriolet we know. Having been in the same ownership for many years, the then owner, Adriaan, embarked on a passion-project to return his car to factory/concours condition, spending tens of thousands of pounds with Munich Legends to achieve a fabulous end result. By this point the ML team involved in the project had become fans of both the car and Adriaan, with his infectious enthusiasm and unrelenting eye for detail. The team were allowed to use their judgement and skill without any major financial constraints, which made the whole restoration such a pleasure for those involved. At the end of the project he presented the ML team with a hand-drawn commemorative illustration of the car, which still hangs in our parts department today.

Sadly, a few years later, Adriaan made the decision to return to his native South Africa, and had no choice but to leave his beautiful 325i convertible behind.

Fortunately for him and ML, a social media post of the car was picked up by another passionate BMW fan and much loved ML customer – a man who has to date owned well over 120 examples of the marque. John had fallen instantly in love with the 325i cabriolet, and the car was sold before it even hit our website.

John’s instruction to ML was then to take the car one step further, upgrading all the key components to Motorsport spec. Uprated springs and Billstein dampers were added, fractionally lowering the ride height (which was studied in depth, even adding subtle spacers to achieve the exact position desired) a sporty strut brace was added to reduce scuttle-shake, along with uprated, thicker anti-roll bars, the finishing touch being the upgrade to factory-supplied Alpina 20-spoke 16” wheels. The effect of these cleverly chosen modifications was immediate and remarkable. Body and tyre roll was decreased significantly, road holding, cornering ability, stability, and steering response was transformed. So whilst the car benefitted from vastly improved road manners, the true spirit of the car remained fully intact, with no observable downside. The rear screen on the folding roof had started to delaminate slightly, and so the complete roof was replaced with new one. Money was really no object. A period correct but modern Blaupunkt head unit was installed as part of a £4000 audio install which included integrated under-seat active bass units, upgraded custom-fit component speakers and Bluetooth/DAB and phone integration. The brief was simple – audio you can listen to at volume, with the roof down, at 80 mph. We nailed it.

What emerged was one of the highest spec, visually stunning examples of one of the most exotic cars of its era, useable as a daily drive but in high-grade collector condition. Literally no detail was overlooked, and we are confident that this example is one of, if not the very best of this model in existence (opinion formed from our 30+ years of specialising in these lovely machines).

Times and circumstances change, and having kept the car for a relatively short period of time, John found himself without the storage needed to care for such a perfect car – he reluctantly asked us to find a new home for the 325i cabriolet.

Mechanically excellent, with fabulous bodywork, an impeccable interior, brand new roof and excellent spec, this superb 325i cabriolet will grace any collection, as well as being very useable as a daily driver. There are no real issues with parts supply for these cars, making ongoing care and maintenance a pretty straight forward proposition – we think the e30s are among the most cost-effective classics you can buy, as well as being hugely enjoyable to drive and own. Just be warned – everywhere you go people will stop to admire this beautiful machine! If ever there was a car to put a smile on your face – and all those around you, this is it.

Of course our technical team still carry out their mandatory sales inspection, even though we know the car so well. There are no surprises – it is just a beautiful car in superb order.

For more information on this exceptional machine, or to book a visit – by appointment only please – contact our showroom team.