Finally I found a true supersaloon again. It is an extraordinary M3 Limousine with the 3.2 litre engine and manual 6-speed gearbox. I found it in the very west of Spain this time and was tucked away in the basement of an appartement for nearly 5 years! It has only 56.000 km on the clock which was done by two previous owners. It actually never left the town it was first registered in august 1997. The car ofcourse is immaculate and all the keys and the servicemanual come with it. It is cosmosblack with black leather, has got the sunroof, 4 electric windows, klima, extended BC and was serviced extensively before we went for the trip to Holland. After having driven it for nearly 2.100 km back home I can only say that it is a very, very quick car indeed, very much quicker and racier then my B10 Touring but it became never uncomfortable and didn’t missed a beat. I am very happy with this purchase because of the rarity, the color combination, the 6-speed manual and ofcourse the low mileage!

 The family car has arrived! I just bought a very nice, in as new condition, Alpina B10 3.3 Touring with manual transmission. It is productionnumber 49 out of only 70 examples. It comes with the 3.3 engine which produces 280 horsepower and 335 Newtonmeters of torque. With this powerpack it accelerates in 6,7 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h and it reaches a topspeed of 256 km/h. Not bad for a 1650 kg sportscar! I must admit it is not as exciting as my previous B10 V8s Touring but it pulls good and makes good speed. The car came from its second owner who only drove 35.000 km in 5 years and stalled it in his garage always. The car is absolutely spottless. No dings, dents or scratches and the interiour is immaculate. Offcourse the car lacks the ugly roofrails, does have the original 19″ Alpina wheels with brandnew tyres, a glass sunroof, electric adjustable heated seats with memory, black leather, Alpina floormats, climatcontrol, xenon headlamps and some other features. Best thing though is that the car has only done 76.000 km! I am curious about how I will experience this car since it has a manual gearbox (I prefer an AT for daily use) and for how long I will keep it. My two girls at least can be driven around in comfort, style and speed now!

If you have read my previous posts you’ll know I am a big fan of the 3.2 straight six M-engine. Well, the M3 (with CSL Competition package) never arrived in my stable. Instead I bought the engine packed in a Roadster body, the Z4 M. With the summer ahead of us and an already excellent spring this car is just the car for me at the moment. With less weight then the E46 M3 and no complicated electronic fuzz it is an absolute madman. Throttle respons with the  ’sportbutton’ activated is extreme, the engine just wants to rev! Although the car is a bit wobly due to the stiff suspension I really like the loose end which is really easy to slide but also really easy to control. Even my girlfriend likes this car! I bought it from the first German owner who has only done 11.000 kms with it in 3 years. He had 7 other cars and was fast becoming 60-years of age so this very sporty car had to go in favor of a nice SL automatic… Since he was a German he orderd every possible option except for the cruisecontrol. He also had the car serviced before I bought it and even handwashed it himself!

It took me almost a year before I bought my third Alpina. And I never had the intention of buying an E39! But here it is and believe me, this is one fabulous car! If you have ever heard of the nickname ‘Der Hammer’ for the 500E then I can tell you it is the right nickname for the wrong car, boy, what does this Alpina hammer when hitting the throttle. The 4.8 V8 revs easilly and the output of 375 HP and 510 Nm makes it a superfast supersaloon (-touring).

The car came from its third German owner (original Fahrzeugbrief) and only drove as little as 101.000 km in its seven years young life. Buchloe delivered the car to its first owner in May 2002 after producing 8 other B10 V8s’s, so this example is production number 009. The car came in Alpina Blau Metallic II, full black leather, 16:9 Navi and all the other extra options. What I especially like are the lack of roofrails (I think those ruin the outlining of the car) and the hochglanz Shadowline. Ofcourse the previous owners were absolute fanatics (like me) so untill now I haven’t found any dent or scratch, absolutely no new paint (there are several very tiny stonechips) and the interior, enginebay and 19″ rims are in a new condition. The original Alpina leather map contains all the books and some invoices. The original key set and the remote control of the ‘Standheizung’ make the car complete. I am a very happy man!

After having had two Tourings I started searching for an Evo model, one with the 6-speed gearbox and other last production modifications.

Eventually I found this stunning example in Berlin. It is a two-owner car with the lowest mileage I have ever seen on a Touring: 103.000 km! The car is ‘Arktiksilber’ and has got all the available options so in that sense it is the perfect car for me. The black extended Nappa leather interior with electric and heated seats (with electric Lordosenstutz!) is in a new condition as are the 18″ Evo alloy wheels. The engine runs supersmooth and is very strong. I love the 6-speed gearbox and the bigger brakes are a major improvement to the previous serie. This one is productionnumber 860 out of 891 produced in total!

Wow, again a garage find in southern Italy. This time I found my dream M3 at the Island Sardegna.

Its first owner bought it in April 1998 and drove it only occasionally. After 10 years he decided to trade it in for a brandnew E92 M3 V8. But the dealer didn’t want the E36 and that’s when I took my chance. I bought a one-way ticket to Sardegna and drove the stunning M3 to it’s new home. The car was a bit lazy while it only had done 39.000 km of which the majority at low speeds. Luckily it had the 6-speed gearbox, alcantara interior, electric seats and automatic airconditioning which made the ride home very comfortable. Except for my M5 3.8 I never drove such a new ‘old’ car!

A year after I sold my first BMW M5 Touring, it started itching: I wanted an M5 Touring again.

In Germany I found this lovely Granitsilver Touring from 1993. The two previous owners had only driven 116.000 km in 16 years! The car came with the full package: twin sunroof, electric adjustable steering colom, electric and heated seats, automatic airconditioning, shadowline, black extended Nappa leather, original BMW Bavaria radio etc. The fully stamped servicebook, invoices and the original key set were available, ofcourse.

Next to my immaculate M5 3.8 I wished for an M5 3.6.

I found this example in northern Italy, in a small town near lake Como. The color wasn’t my first choice but the car itself was perfect in every way! It had covered only 69.000 km in its 16 years old life and drove like a one year old car. Besides the full extended black Nappa leather, it had the electric seats with memory, automatic airconditioning and a sunblind at the rear window. It isn’t as fast as the 3.8 but it drives very easy and comfortably.

An amazing discovery! A brandnew, 1994, single-owner BMW M5 with only 31.000 km!

I found this stunning example in southern Italy where its first owner bought the car in 1994 after being left in the garage of the local BMW-dealer for 2 years! The car was in every way perfect: Avusblue with Anthracite extended Buffalo leather, electric seats, automatic airconditioning etc. Driving the car home from Italy was a true fest, the engine very smooth and strong, the gearbox almost as thight as a new one should be, and no noise or vibrations al all.

My second Alpina, a rare B6 2.8 with 241 hp.

It was a nice car but not in showroom condition. It had covered 143.000 km when I bought it in Germany. It had productionnumber 015 and had the electric seats, airconditioning and a sunroof. Despite its mere 241 hp it drove faboulously, very fast, I believe as fast as my later E36 M3 3.2 6-speed!