bmw 333i

Sat Jul 22, 2006 3:52 pm

i was sifting through my old mags the other day and stumbled across a bmw 333i.aparently these were alpina cars for the south african market. it was a gorgeous red one with m tech 1 kit and something silly like 500 miles on the clock.Anyway is there any of these in the uk and do they have better performance than the 2.7 we were blessed with over here.Can any body shed some light on these cars . only 200 or so cars ever made.

Sat Jul 22, 2006 4:08 pm

what do you want to know??

this was a after hours project by Vic Doolan (a british ex pat) and berndt Pischetsrieder head of engineering at BMW SA.

the car was basicaly a 2-door 323 with the engine from a E32 732i saloon and a 5-speed dog leg gear box from a M535. all cars had ABS and 11.6 inch front discs, diff ratios were 2.97 or 3.07. the suspention was from a B6 3.5 and the exhausts were al made localy as alpina didnt make a RHD e30 with the M30 engine. 205-215 cars were made depending on who you talk to.

performance
197bhp@5500 rpm
211lb/ft@4300rpm

Sat Jul 22, 2006 4:15 pm

are there any of these cars in the uk if so has one ever turned up at a show and were they any good.also

Sat Jul 22, 2006 4:20 pm

in the BMW book i got the info from it doesn't say any thing about them be avaible in the UK only SA. i didnt even relise they existed till i read about them.

Sat Jul 22, 2006 4:27 pm

Found some info here : http://www.njh.u-net.com/333.html

Sat Jul 22, 2006 5:35 pm

i actually had a sit in one of these when i was in SA in 98. it was unfortunately a non runner as the gearbox was shagged (good old dogleg eh?). apart from that it was a nice car and the owner claimed it was quick and handled similar to his 325. i took a few snaps....ill try to dig them out

Sat Jul 22, 2006 8:33 pm

Make your own 335

Sat Jul 22, 2006 8:47 pm

Andy335Touring wrote:Make your own 335

yes andy.

the 333i wont be that fast to be honest. cool back in 1986 but just a oddball now.

pluck an m30 3.5 from a Ã‚£300 e34 535i. and fit in an e30. hand the arses to e30 m3"s and 2.7"s.

Sun Jul 23, 2006 1:54 pm

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44904

Some piccys.
The point is that anyone can have 335i But not anyone can have rare one off 200 made 333i. Remember thats not only engine. Its ALPINA.

Sun Jul 23, 2006 4:45 pm

they are not alpina's, they just were there advising and using alpina parts to make them work.

just like alpina helped out with the sport evo2 2.7's they got in SA

Mon Jul 24, 2006 6:41 pm

there are a few in the Uk, i know of one which AVA up in scotland turbocharged, its silver one and packing 400hp!!!

Mon Jul 24, 2006 7:44 pm

Kos wrote:there are a few in the Uk, i know of one which AVA up in scotland turbocharged, its silver one and packing 400hp!!!

yup i also know about this car kos is this the car sporting a e30 m3 shell ??

as ive seen 1 333i ever and it was under a e30 m3 shell at donnington show in 2003 i belive..

Tue Jul 25, 2006 12:07 pm

H35-IAN wrote:
Kos wrote:there are a few in the Uk, i know of one which AVA up in scotland turbocharged, its silver one and packing 400hp!!!
yup i also know about this car kos is this the car sporting a e30 m3 shell ?? as ive seen 1 333i ever and it was under a e30 m3 shell at donnington show in 2003 i belive..

i know the one you are on about, it was on e-bay a few years back. it was floating around birmingham area i think

the one i remember was in bmw car magazine, must have been in an issue from 1997/1998 maybe before, thay did a whole feature on these SA specials