surprising_skoda
RMS Regular
OP
- Thread Starter
- #376
Let's dip back to 2013 or so. I bought a Cosmos Black BMW E34 540i 6-speed manual, one of the original 249 RHD saloons made, which had been turned by previous owner(s) into a fast track/road car. I continued with that theme, adding some other performance and aesthetic upgrade / rare parts, notably one of 50 M5 Limited Edition champagne interiors, making it a very fast road car, a bit hairy in fact with the final drive ratio I ran it with. The car suited it perfectly, what with scuffs on the rear quarters, stonechips all over, and being one of the most common colours and high mileage it was never going to be a candidate for being restored to factory.
Regrettably I sold that car, which is a long story oft-rehashed.
Let's fast forward now to 2018. A few other V8s had come and went, as had many other E34s, but this 540i/6 thing was still a massive niggle. Then, up popped an ad for one of the 62 RHD manual Tourings from a guy I knew from the BMW circles. I re-made that acquaintance and got talking about this Touring, a bit of a project but with a large amount of the remedial work done, needing only some things I could easily take care of. Much humming and hahhing ensued but eventually I made the purchase on the grounds of these things are so rare, I won't get another chance, and more than that, I won't allow myself to continue looking for one if I pass up the opportunity to buy a 1 of 1 car from someone I trust, within an affordable price range.
But, a touring could never replace a track car. Much less, being the only 1 of 1 made in Avus Blue, of only 62 ever made, with probably 50% long gone - despite being another high miler, I just couldn't allow myself to pop rivet arches onto it and strip the interior out. Not that I wanted to exactly - but I want to have the option. And it is just too rare. It needs to actually be restored, and used for what it is. A fast road load lugger - it was the perfect car for a few trips I made, and great at covering distance in a hurry - but you can't fit a BGW to a touring.
So I fixed that. A succession of very timely events resulted in finding and procuring, once again, one of 'the worst examples of the best cars' (TM). I can't recall where I heard that phrase, but I love it. My E28, my Impreza, and now my E34, are all terrible examples of desirable and rare cars, which really bugs some people and which is ideal for me. I can do what I like without worries about "ruining" a good example, and the purists can go moan about non-period correct tyres to someone else.
So, here, would you like to see my latest bundle of scrap?
THIS junk is one of the original 249 540i/6 RHD saloons, in one of the other most common colours, which has been used a drift car for the last half decade. It's passed through a couple of owners in that time, and I've followed it's progress around the UK and actually tried to buy it once before.
The bodywork is shocking. It's seen a wall or two and of course it's been subject to many drift-arena repairs, i.e. cable ties, but you know what, despite all that, it's not bent out of shape entirely, and I can't find any reason not to make it road legal again. A Zender front bumper came with it to match those riveted on Zender skirts (poor things), and the wheels will have to go, and it has BC coilovers and the bootlid is held on with pins. The interior consists of a couple of bucket seats, some gauges, and a hydraulic handbrake.
I love it. Coming soon: Fast road / track 540i/6, built exactly how I want it to be. Ugly, wide, no pretty just all function, nobody allowed to argue about it because at the end of the day this cars next stop was likely drivetrain donor for something immensely dull like an E30. This way, I get to keep one of these rare cars alive, and have the track focussed weapon I always wanted a 540 to be.
It really is having your cake, and eating it, too.
Except, no more cake is allowed. Bucket seats are a bit tight around the middle!
Regrettably I sold that car, which is a long story oft-rehashed.
Let's fast forward now to 2018. A few other V8s had come and went, as had many other E34s, but this 540i/6 thing was still a massive niggle. Then, up popped an ad for one of the 62 RHD manual Tourings from a guy I knew from the BMW circles. I re-made that acquaintance and got talking about this Touring, a bit of a project but with a large amount of the remedial work done, needing only some things I could easily take care of. Much humming and hahhing ensued but eventually I made the purchase on the grounds of these things are so rare, I won't get another chance, and more than that, I won't allow myself to continue looking for one if I pass up the opportunity to buy a 1 of 1 car from someone I trust, within an affordable price range.
But, a touring could never replace a track car. Much less, being the only 1 of 1 made in Avus Blue, of only 62 ever made, with probably 50% long gone - despite being another high miler, I just couldn't allow myself to pop rivet arches onto it and strip the interior out. Not that I wanted to exactly - but I want to have the option. And it is just too rare. It needs to actually be restored, and used for what it is. A fast road load lugger - it was the perfect car for a few trips I made, and great at covering distance in a hurry - but you can't fit a BGW to a touring.
So I fixed that. A succession of very timely events resulted in finding and procuring, once again, one of 'the worst examples of the best cars' (TM). I can't recall where I heard that phrase, but I love it. My E28, my Impreza, and now my E34, are all terrible examples of desirable and rare cars, which really bugs some people and which is ideal for me. I can do what I like without worries about "ruining" a good example, and the purists can go moan about non-period correct tyres to someone else.
So, here, would you like to see my latest bundle of scrap?
THIS junk is one of the original 249 540i/6 RHD saloons, in one of the other most common colours, which has been used a drift car for the last half decade. It's passed through a couple of owners in that time, and I've followed it's progress around the UK and actually tried to buy it once before.
The bodywork is shocking. It's seen a wall or two and of course it's been subject to many drift-arena repairs, i.e. cable ties, but you know what, despite all that, it's not bent out of shape entirely, and I can't find any reason not to make it road legal again. A Zender front bumper came with it to match those riveted on Zender skirts (poor things), and the wheels will have to go, and it has BC coilovers and the bootlid is held on with pins. The interior consists of a couple of bucket seats, some gauges, and a hydraulic handbrake.
I love it. Coming soon: Fast road / track 540i/6, built exactly how I want it to be. Ugly, wide, no pretty just all function, nobody allowed to argue about it because at the end of the day this cars next stop was likely drivetrain donor for something immensely dull like an E30. This way, I get to keep one of these rare cars alive, and have the track focussed weapon I always wanted a 540 to be.
It really is having your cake, and eating it, too.
Except, no more cake is allowed. Bucket seats are a bit tight around the middle!
.