518

[rh306]

...camping out in South London at the moment, quite a few festering turds locally, including a deflated 6.3. Quite taken by this little 'un though

[suedenim]

It is very nice indeed.

[pnd]

nice to look at but very slow and boatlike to drive.

[suedenim]

nice to look at but very slow and boatlike to drive.

All the more reason to keep the revs low, sit back and watch the rest of the world rush around you.

[verde]

Looks like a really nice example that does!

[Automaton]

Love these, and the nose negates the need for eyebrows.

[darkchild]

518's were sloooooooow but the 518i wasn't a bad car at all. There was a really nice silver/grey one on eBay a few months back that with a couple of hundred quid spent on it would've made a nice daily smoker.

[pacerpete]

Love these, and the nose negates the need for eyebrows.

Sorry, no matter what state your 'nose' is in, there is NO excuse for eyebrows !


A bahama beige E28 is indeed a thing of beauty, even as a boggo 518 miser model

[verde]

agree, putting eyebrows on an e28 should be punishable by a bullet in the cock

[pacerpete]

agree, putting eyebrows on an e28 should be punishable by a bullet in the c**k

You have been watching them DVDs Gert gave you !

[Automaton]

I admit had been contemplating a used pair, but seeing the vehement opposition and the raised brows will desist.
The 1.8L carb or injected is cool to just potter around town, unless one loves to race the lights or has a habit of leaving late. Here anyway we have to follow autorickshaws everywhere and doesn't matter whether you are in an M5 or astride a moped.

[Automaton]

The small steel wheel caps are cool. Everything looks original and unmolested. The rear tail light chrome surrounds are add ons?

[verde]

i beleive thats standard trim that. I pick my engine up tonight by the way so i can tell you what i do and dont need

[pacerpete]

I admit had been contemplating a used pair, but seeing the vehement opposition and the raised brows will desist.
The 1.8L carb or injected is cool to just potter around town, unless one loves to race the lights or has a habit of leaving late. Here anyway we have to follow autorickshaws everywhere and doesn't matter whether you are in an M5 or astride a moped.

I did not realise how rare E30s were in India till I read your posts. I realise, even to this day that India has a very 'protected' car market. Was it because the importation of foreign built cars was prohibited or they were taxed so high that nobody bothered ?

[mr_dink]

I admit had been contemplating a used pair, but seeing the vehement opposition and the raised brows will desist.
The 1.8L carb or injected is cool to just potter around town, unless one loves to race the lights or has a habit of leaving late. Here anyway we have to follow autorickshaws everywhere and doesn't matter whether you are in an M5 or astride a moped.

I did not realise how rare E30s were in India till I read your posts. I realise, even to this day that India has a very 'protected' car market. Was it because the importation of foreign built cars was prohibited or they were taxed so high that nobody bothered ?

Import tax on cars is, I believe, in the region of 100%!

[Speedtouch]

...camping out in South London at the moment, quite a few festering turds locally, including a deflated 6.3

Sounds intriguing. I take it you mean a Mercedes 300 SEL - any pics?

[pac1982]

Fairly tidy one on ebay at the moment, almost brought it but went for an E30 cabby instead

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-518i-C-Re ... 1e7b4d3f96

[rh306]

...camping out in South London at the moment, quite a few festering turds locally, including a deflated 6.3

Sounds intriguing. I take it you mean a Mercedes 300 SEL - any pics?

..all you can see is a tear in the tarpaulin, showing half of the 6 There's an E9 and (I think) an E3 tarp'ed up too.. The E3 is in a proper ghetto neighbourhood though, so I didn't hang around too long or investigate further

[Automaton]

I admit had been contemplating a used pair, but seeing the vehement opposition and the raised brows will desist.
The 1.8L carb or injected is cool to just potter around town, unless one loves to race the lights or has a habit of leaving late. Here anyway we have to follow autorickshaws everywhere and doesn't matter whether you are in an M5 or astride a moped.

I did not realise how rare E30s were in India till I read your posts. I realise, even to this day that India has a very 'protected' car market. Was it because the importation of foreign built cars was prohibited or they were taxed so high that nobody bothered ?

Import tax on cars is, I believe, in the region of 100%!

A bit of both actually.
It was a duopoly from the late fifties to the mid eighties.
Government pandered to the guys who sold Ambassadors and the guys who sold Fiat 1100s. And Royal Enfield and the Czech Jawa if you were looking for a bike. Or Bajaj Vespa or Lambretta if you were into bikes and scooters. And those two manufacturers each made sure that no other competition took root. Various attempts notwithstanding.

Now-a-days, it's a bit overwhelming, like looking for bread at Tesco. We were used to this or that.

Also, Forex was scarce in the controlled economy, so to curb imports high taxes made it impossible for anyone but the ultra rich businessmen and our version of the landed gentry, the maharajahs and nawabs.
The only option to import cars was to be an export house earning forex for the country. Or if you stayed abroad as part of the consulates, transferred residence or were a government body.

Then someone powerful had a brainwave and the third manufacturer was allowed. Suzuki in 1983.

In the meanwhile, the country was nuts about Mercs, if you had the money. Or Toyota, if you had money but didn't want to make too ostentatious a display of their often ill gotten wealth. How did they imagine they were being innocuous in a sea of Fiats beats me. The rest lumped it with Fiats and Ambassadors that were tweaked and 'modernised' micro inch by micro inch over 50 years.

The first time I saw an E30 was on a car mag cover with a young at heart Sheriff of Mumbai using his 325i as a track car. And that was amazing to see that he actually threw around the precious car on track for fun.

This car still exists, like I have mentioned elsewhere, with the Editor of a car mag. Maintained really well. And refused to acknowledge my emails and pleas to buy/see it, till I mailed him that I finally have one of my own, lower specced though it is.


Anyway, back to the 518. I love original cars. Classic cars even more. It is a bit like seat-of-the-pants flying in a Hurricane versus the modern fly-by-wire F117s, F22s or whatever. Hope someone picks it up.

[darkchild]

A chance to live the 90bhp carb dream!

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-moto ... to-content

[Speedtouch]

Anyone spot the mismatching numberplates:

EEL 13Y on the back, ELL 13Y on the front!

[rh306]

Anyone spot the mismatching numberplates:

EEL 13Y on the back, ELL 13Y on the front!

..what's one letter between friends

[Simon13]

i fancy an e34 518i, are they that bad, slow or sh!te on fuel?!

[pacerpete]

i fancy an e34 518i, are they that bad, slow or sh!te on fuel?!

An M43 518i shooting break is a fine chariot, 35 on a run and nice and simple. The hard job is finding one

[snakebrain]

i fancy an e34 518i, are they that bad, slow or sh!te on fuel?!

An M43 518i shooting break is a fine chariot, 35 on a run and nice and simple. The hard job is finding one

My bro used one of those as a work van in his house-building days. It's a bit gutlesss, but not the worst. Still feels like a very sorted car..

[Simon13]

so not really a lot slower and similar economy to an e36, hmmmmm. I mean the 4 pots are a good motor but theres no point thrashing them or revving much about 3500rpm because they don't move any quicker and use more fuel!

I've had this 318i a week, and its a good car but a nice e34 is a better more comfy old bank vault to smoke about in

[rh306]

...camping out in South London at the moment, quite a few festering turds locally, including a deflated 6.3

Sounds intriguing. I take it you mean a Mercedes 300 SEL - any pics?

...

[Speedtouch]

Indeed, it would appear to hint at a Mercedes 300SEL:

http://www.emercedesbenz.com/autos/merc ... -300sel-6/

[darkchild]

More carb goodness:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1984-BMW-518- ... 2c704eafa0

[rh306]

More carb goodness:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1984-BMW-518- ... 2c704eafa0

[Simon13]

I'm pursuing this.................


http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-moto ... tem-full-1

Fancy it over the current 318i

[anothere21323i]

...camping out in South London at the moment, quite a few festering turds locally, including a deflated 6.3

Sounds intriguing. I take it you mean a Mercedes 300 SEL - any pics?

..all you can see is a tear in the tarpaulin, showing half of the 6 There's an E9 and (I think) an E3 tarp'ed up too.. The E3 is in a proper ghetto neighbourhood though, so I didn't hang around too long or investigate further

An E3 you say. Now that we must have pics of. You show me yours and I'll show you mine!

[rh306]

Sounds intriguing. I take it you mean a Mercedes 300 SEL - any pics?

..all you can see is a tear in the tarpaulin, showing half of the 6 There's an E9 and (I think) an E3 tarp'ed up too.. The E3 is in a proper ghetto neighbourhood though, so I didn't hang around too long or investigate further

An E3 you say. Now that we must have pics of. You show me yours and I'll show you mine!

I didn't get a pic of the E3, could only see the outline under a tarp and half a steelie How are the projects coming along? I'm toying with the idea of changing the fleet a bit, maybe getting something air-cooled and cr*p and slow like a 914 or a 912E

[jas025]

...camping out in South London at the moment, quite a few festering turds locally, including a deflated 6.3. Quite taken by this little 'un though

This is not far from me on my way to work, it used to be parked on the road just round the corner from where it is now. There's a 190E parked close to where it used to be kept now - not sure if it's the same owner.

I'm tempted at times to ask if they ever want to sell it. A nice untouched example.

[anothere21323i]

..all you can see is a tear in the tarpaulin, showing half of the 6 There's an E9 and (I think) an E3 tarp'ed up too.. The E3 is in a proper ghetto neighbourhood though, so I didn't hang around too long or investigate further

An E3 you say. Now that we must have pics of. You show me yours and I'll show you mine!

I didn't get a pic of the E3, could only see the outline under a tarp and half a steelie How are the projects coming along? I'm toying with the idea of changing the fleet a bit, maybe getting something air-cooled and cr*p and slow like a 914 or a 912E

All good thanks - I weighed that E12 in but kept any decent bits for - they're yours whenever you want. I sold the E3 and the E24 too, but now have a VERY nice E3 3.0SI. One of the last on an R reg.

Forget the 912/4 idea - what you want is a nice 3.0 911. Fortunately I have one which will be advertised for sale soon. Only 55k km from new too......