1989 BMW E30 Alpina C2 2.7

The E30 BMW will forever be a symbol of the 80s, and everyone who was anyone was driving around in a 3 series BMW, it did everything right. It was great to drive and it was beautifully built, however for a chosen few who knew their cars, the Alpina variant was the car to have. You could argue that the options and mods weren't worth the £27000 price tag when new. Yet that misses the point, people bought an Alpina for the bespoke nature of the package, it's still linked intrinsically with the BMW DNA yet to a few it's even better.

Inside, the instrumentation, four spoke leather steering wheel, production plaque all attest to the owners taste and decency in choosing a model above the norm, this is a Q car of uncommon ability with mere mortal looks. The changes over a 325i Sport involved a change of crank on a 525 eta engine block to 81mm. Alpina reworked the cylinder head with larger valves and Mahle pistons and raised the compression from 9.7:1 to 10.2:1. Firmer suspension was added and geometry reconfigured to allow for the larger 16' alloys. The whole package works to because of the attention to detail; this car has a silken wallop that has to be driven to be believed.

Finished in Royal Blue Metallic with contrasting natural leather Recaro interior Alpina build number 8182 looks absolutely stunning. The vendor informs us that the gloss of its paintwork is deep, and its shut lines are reassuringly symmetrical and narrow and almost flawless throughout, less some minor stone chips. All of the de-chromed trim is in superb condition throughout, with no pitting or corrosion to be found anywhere and gives a beautiful shine against the rest of the car.

Inside, the E30 cabin is small but perfectly formed, dashboard ergonomics are brilliant and the vendor reports the dash to be free from cracks, all electrics are reported to work perfectly and all gauges show nominal readings. The Recaro seats are in superb order and offer superb excellent support on short and long journeys alike. It is reported that this car is a sensation to drive with the lusty straight six providing all the right noises with a torque rich mid-range, the auto box is reported to work beautifully and kick down gives superb acceleration accompanied by a determined rasping growl.

The original dealer hand pack is complete and has a service book with 23 stamps, reassuringly G88 OKP has been the subject of £3700.00 worth of recent expenditure with independent Classic BMW Dealer, 'Classic Heroes' and is offered with a full MOT and a warranted mileage of 94156 and as such offers complete peace of mind for its next lucky owner.

The biggest problem with classic Alpinas is finding one, RHD cars are particularly thin on the ground and have a fiercely loyal cognoscenti, this particular C2 makes a fine choice for fun, investment and ease of ownership.