What makes a m tec /sport

[terryphelan]

JBH: no air con. It has sport on the log book etc

[capri_rob]

Wouldn't worry then terry - give your local dealer a ring and get them to do a print off of the build spec if you want to be sure of what spec it was when it left the factory

[hubble]

The things we take for granted now on our cars. Electric windows Air Con etc.
an E30 back in 89' didn't come with a stereo. These were expensive extras. My sport was ordered with a 'Manual Aerial' option.
Not even Rear Head Rests. I added these later.

All these luxuries can possibly be had on any of your sub 6k new cars now. Heated windscreen, Heated mirrors, Heated seats, Heated Cock warmer if you want one. I mean Rear Head Rests in bloody Fiesta FFS? - It just looks stupid.

[pacerpete]

Oh and the main reason why the sport was offered as a uk only was that the LHD M3 proved to be unpopular and not a great seller due to LHD, hence the sport being introduced!

So, to clarify, the Sport was a BMW GB sanctioned, factory built parts bin lash up to cater for those whose budget and / or talent couldn't stretch to an M3 !

[Morat]

Oh and the main reason why the sport was offered as a uk only was that the LHD M3 proved to be unpopular and not a great seller due to LHD, hence the sport being introduced!

So, to clarify, the Sport was a BMW GB sanctioned, factory built parts bin lash up to cater for those whose budget and / or talent couldn't stretch to an M3 !

nailed it

[Morat]

only if it was added from the factory! As a real sport has sport written in the service book. What the log book states means f**k all

An interesting point. Were the MTech kits added in the factory or at the dealerships?

I would have thought that whatever you specified on the order form would come fitted at build stage from the factory. I don't think there were that many "dealer fit" options as such - maybe stuff like cassette holders and different ICE but more major stuff like bodywork and suspension would form part of the factory build.

MTech kits could be fitted at the dealers, but I don't know if the ones on a Sport were fitted there or at the factory. Electric windows (maybe just the rear ones?) and aircon could also be fitted at either the dealer or the factory depending on... well depending on God knows what, really.

[hubble]

Oh and the main reason why the sport was offered as a uk only was that the LHD M3 proved to be unpopular and not a great seller due to LHD, hence the sport being introduced!

So, to clarify, the Sport was a BMW GB sanctioned, factory built parts bin lash up to cater for those whose budget and / or talent couldn't stretch to an M3 !

nailed it

Morat and Pacerpete I strongly advise you both to retract such nonsense and offending remarks. Should you not, I shall challenge you both to 'Pistols at Dawn'

[Morat]

oh crap, we've had it now!

[hubble]

Or if you prefer the traditional method of fencing

[leeparkes]

but could any e30 be purchased with all the sport extras as options with everything except the word 'sport'?

If you purchased a 2door 325i and asked for all the sport extras, (ie the 'sport pack' or whatever they called it) it would be a genuine sport

thats a Birmingham sport!

[greentouring]

This Sport thing is quite a surprise, as I'd always thought they rolled off German production lines as an MTech 1 or 2. .........So bascially, it's a 325i with a load of optional extras.

I'm of course in no way trying to sully their following, and would love to own one myself, but doesn't this make their high prices seem a little over-rated? I bet even some Sport owners never realised these facts.........

And if BMW UK created the Sport, does that mean in Germany there are no Sports models?

If so, does any car that has some of the 'M' extras deserve to wear the 'M' badging, or only those with the complete package?.........

[hubble]

This Sport thing is quite a surprise, as I'd always thought they rolled off German production lines as an MTech 1 or 2. .........So bascially, it's a 325i with a load of optional extras.

I'm of course in no way trying to sully their following, and would love to own one myself, but doesn't this make their high prices seem a little over-rated? I bet their are even some Sport owners that never realised these facts

And if BMW UK created the Sport, does that mean in Germany their are no Sports models?

If so, does any car that has some of the 'M' extras deserve to wear the 'M' badging, or only those with the complete package?..........T

ONLY those with the complete package thank you very much! and rightly so too

[barryj]

This Sport thing is quite a surprise, as I'd always thought they rolled off German production lines as an MTech 1 or 2. .........So bascially, it's a 325i with a load of optional extras.

I'm of course in no way trying to sully their following, and would love to own one myself, but doesn't this make their high prices seem a little over-rated? I bet their are even some Sport owners that never realised these facts

And if BMW UK created the Sport, does that mean in Germany their are no Sports models?

If so, does any car that has some of the 'M' extras deserve to wear the 'M' badging, or only those with the complete package?..........T

ONLY those with the complete package thank you very much! and rightly so too

Did the 325i Sport come with any exterior (i.e. not just the badges on the steering wheel, gear nob etc) M badging? I thought this was reserved for the M cars (which the 325i Sport is not) like the M3 and the M5.

The comment about just being a 325i with loads of optional extra's is a funny one, as if you take it to the extreme then a 325i sport`is just a 316i with loads of optional extra's on. Whether a car is a speced up base model or a dealer model like a sport it is manufactured using a bare shell, a build sheet, and a parts bin.

The marketing from BMW dictates that they are viewed as being of higher value and this seems to carry on into 2nd hand car values as well. If I was looking for a sport I would want to find a genuine one rather than one that had been speced up or added to later in its life (I cant explain why though!).

[Simon13]

a proper sport left the factory with the kit,gearbox and LSD etc fitted from factory not some dealer retrofit tat like the vadar air con setups you see in some.

There are cars like this in Germany, Europe but they where never marketed as a sport. Just a 325i with a sport pakage as such with all the same parts fitted as ours. Also you could order this option on tourings and 4drs

The cabs where motorsport same as the tin tops but in funky colours and extented leather interiors

[Morat]

I would imagine that back in 1988 (or so) BMW UK were a bit miffed that there was not going to be a RHD version of the M3 and wanted a way to cash in on some of the M badge mystique. So, they got their very own M badged model with all the best optional extras for a performance biased three series. I think that it was a good idea, and coupled with the fact that the 325i is arguably a better road car than the M3 anyway, there's no great surprise that the sport took off in a big way.

Does it have the M division purity of the M3? Well, no - but most enthusiastic drivers who want an E30 these days would want the MTech suspension, close ratio box and the LSD, and who wouldn't say no to the maplights and other bits? So they are worth a premium over other E30s even if for no other reason than they have all the right extras.

A well kept sport is a beautiful thing (my jaw nearly hit the ground when I saw Hubble's) and definitely a car to be proud of. I also think that a little de-bunking of the sport now and again doesn't do anyone any harm and is always worth a giggle

After all, everyone knows that tourings are the top of the tree

[Simon13]

the bodykit's,sport box and suspension was developed by M-division

[hubble]

I would imagine that back in 1988 (or so) BMW UK were a bit miffed that there was not going to be a RHD version of the M3 and wanted a way to cash in on some of the M badge mystique. So, they got their very own M badged model with all the best optional extras for a performance biased three series. I think that it was a good idea, and coupled with the fact that the 325i is arguably a better road car than the M3 anyway, there's no great surprise that the sport took off in a big way.

Does it have the M division purity of the M3? Well, no - but most enthusiastic drivers who want an E30 these days would want the MTech suspension, close ratio box and the LSD, and who wouldn't say no to the maplights and other bits? So they are worth a premium over other E30s even if for no other reason than they have all the right extras.

A well kept sport is a beautiful thing (my jaw nearly hit the ground when I saw Hubble's) and definitely a car to be proud of. I also think that a little de-bunking of the sport now and again doesn't do anyone any harm and is always worth a giggle

After all, everyone knows that tourings are the top of the tree

All is forgiven

[Morat]

Never offend a man with tons of explosives in his shed ;)

[hubble]

Never offend a man with tons of explosives in his shed ;)

Quite Right Just have to be a little careful with my cigar....

[pacerpete]

the bodykit's,sport box and suspension was developed by M-division

'M division' , would that be Motorsport or Marketing ?

[murran]

concidering they knew the uk werent going to get m3s in rhd, it was a brilliant idea of bmw uk to stick all the good options available to them on a 2 door 325i as a package and market it/sell it as a "sport". to give the uk punters a better alternative to changing gear with your right hand and not being able to see to overtake!

[bss325i]

The body kits on sports were 100% factory fitted.

If you remove the plastic clips that hold the sill cover to the sill, you can see the the holes have a "factory" apperance and dont look like someones had a go with a drill and touch up paint.