1989 BMW E30 M3 Johnny Cecotto

The pedigree of the original E30 M3 is obvious all the way from its race-bred four cylinder motor (designed to rev past 9000 RPM in race form) and dog-leg five-speed gearbox to those wheel arch blisters, designed, not to look cool on the Kings Road, but to accept slick tyres of up to 10in in width. The E30 M3 was the first purpose built saloon produced as a racing homologation special by BMW's Motorsport division. Introduced in 1986 as a road car, it dominated Touring Car racing throughout the World taking countless championships including the prestigious German, Australian and British titles, not to mention the World Touring Car Championship in 1987 and in the process quietly becoming one of the most legendary BMWs ever.

To celebrate the success of their factory driver, Johnny Cecotto, BMW produced a special edition of the M3 in 1989 for the European market. The car featured the new 2.3-litre S14 engine - capable of 215 bhp, the M3 Evolution II front and rear spoilers, an illuminated gear knob, 'M3' door sill plates and a plaque on the centre console. The car was available in 3 colours; Macao Blue Metallic, Misano Red and Nogaro Silver whilst different trim options were available for the interior. The UK market received the E30 M3 'Roberto Ravaglia' edition, which in essence was the same as the Cecotto model, save for the signature on the numbered plaque on the centre console. In total, BMW produced a combined number of 505 cars, 480 being Cecotto and 25 being Ravaglia special editions.

This particular example is a 'Johnny Cecotto' E30 M3, numbered 276 of 480 cars. It was supplied new in Gibraltar on 17th August 1989 by Bassadone Motors Ltd and was finished in Misano Red (colour code 236), featuring an Anthracite M-Technic cloth interior with contrasting Bison Black leather. Options ordered from new included; electric front windows, BMW sound system and air-conditioning. The car was first registered in the UK on 12th February 1991, and went on to have 3 owners before our vendor purchased the car on 15th January 2000 when the car had covered around 119,000km.

During his attentive ownership, our vendor has had this car maintained by marque specialists, Moseley Motor Spares, for which there are many invoices in the history file. After some time, the engineer at the aforementioned specialist decided to 'go it alone' and in doing so, set up AutoTech Performance Ltd in Telford. All maintenance duties on this E30 M3 were also moved to the new garage, and so we can confirm that this car has been looked after by the same engineer for the last 16 years. The last check-up was carried out in January of this year when both rear driveshafts were replaced.

Several years ago, the car was treated to a full respray, and we can confirm that even though our vendor believes in driving his pride and joy on a regular basis, the paint hasn't suffered as a result and still looks fantastic. The wheels were refurbished in April 2015 and remain in very good condition.

Contained within the history file are 17 MoT certificates, the latest of which expires on 19th January 2017. A BMW Europa service book and the BMW maintenance book is also present and shows 25 service stamps. Open the boot and you will find the tool kit, warning triangle and original unopened first aid kit still in place!

Being a 'sunroof delete' ordered model, this special edition M3 remains true to its motorsport roots. Supplied with a UK V5c bearing registration 'B3 ENN', a current MoT and lots of history, this usable and collectable car is now showing just over 202,000 km or 125,000 miles on the odometer, and who can blame the vendor for driving this M3 as was always intended! This 80's icon is now ready to be enjoyed by its next owner.