BMW's addiction for niche filling appears to know no bounds. How else do you explain a
four-door version
two-door coupe
that was itself derived from ... a
four-door saloon
3 and 5 Series GTs
meanwhile occupy a thin sliver of ground for those who can't quite choose between an estate and an SUV. And want their indecisiveness embodied in a taller, uglier hatchback that's neither one nor t'other.
Crashed saloon to Touring mule in six months!
Back in the 80s of course, things were rather different. BMW offered saloons in small (
3 Series
5 Series
) and large (7 Series) and the coupe (
6 Series
) for those who fancied something a little racier. Simples.
But for Max Reisbock, that wasn't enough. A BMW engineer, he simply wanted more space to for family paraphernalia 'as conventional cars were too small'. Without an estate in the line-up, what would he do? Build his own and present it to company bosses, of course.
Starting with a written-off E30 saloon, a $13,000 budget and all the modifications 'in my head', Max set to work. Six months of welding later and the first E30 Touring prototype was ready. Following a positive reception from friends, it went in front of the BMW board and made production almost unchanged three years later.
The Touring story is a heartening one, a series of events that simply couldn't happen today. The irony of it all is that, after being created from a desire for additional space, subsequent 3 series Tourings has often been criticised for a lack of room...
