Skip to main content

Readers' Photos #88: BMW E3


In my not quite as humble as it could be opinion, the E3 is one of BMW's most handsome cars with lovely lines, perfect proportions and lots of glass, resulting in an airy, light-filled cabin.  Just look at today's example - photographed by the Special Correspondent for the ACT - and dare to disagree!  


Our subject car does hail from Canberra.  However, there is a Tasmanian link - more a segue, I suppose - to Tasmania.  In the late 1990s, motor sports identity and proprietor of the Special Vehicles Centre in Argyle Street, Hobart, Brent Willing, built one for his wife Gloria.  It was black, had a modified Commodore front spoiler, Volante-style wheels, a sports steering wheel (a Momo?), Recaro seats and - here's the kicker - a 253 cu Holden V8 motor!  It was very, very classily done; just a magnificent car.


Our Bimmer du jour would appear to be less of a sleeper than Gloria's beast and, whilst I was a big fan of her car, this one also has me a bit excited.  All indications, from its perfect original hubcaps through to the glossiness of its duco, suggest that it's a well-loved car almost certainly owned by an enthusiast.  The classic car rego does, too.    








U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

Photos by the Special Correspondent for the ACT.









 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

EJ or EH Holden? (Up-dated December, 2022)

EJ or the later EH? Several years ago, I posed the question:  Can somebody please explain the difference between an EJ and an EH Holden ute or van?  The response at the time wasn't overwhelming, so I did a bit of Googling and ferreting through my photos and came up with my own rough guide to EJ and EH identification.  Sedans and wagons are easy to tell apart ;  the EH's vertical rectangular tail lights are a dead give-away.  However, the workhorse versions of both models share the rear-end treatment of the earlier EJ, making it harder to identify one from the other.    No super obvious hints here. Or here ...  . It turns out that the main clues are in the placement of the front   H O L D E N   lettering and GMH lion emblems, the style of the radiator grille and the width of the vents in front of the windscreen, with all EJs - sedans, wagons, utes and vans - having one combination and the EH line-up having their own . So what exactly are those diffe

Vick Auto Prima Fiat X1/9 Brakes: An Owner’s Assessment

At the end of 2022, I fitted a set of Vick Autosport Prima front brakes to my mildly worked 1.5 litre Series 1 Fiat X1/9 . I was fortunate, having picked them up at a very, very reasonable price, brand new but surplus to the needs of a fellow X1/9 Australia member who had imported them from the US. The kit included: New single pot callipers , new vented rotors (standard X1/9 front rotors are smaller, non-vented items), DOT approved stainless steel brake hoses, and all the necessary mounting hardware. They are a value proposition, being particularly well priced compared to other manufacturers’ packages - even at RRP - with everyone I’ve spoken to saying they’re made to a high standard, too. Here's a link to a piece that I wrote about them at that time, including some costings: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-x19-gets-prima-brake-upgrade.html . Initial Assessment: I was a little underwhelmed by the brakes' performance, finding that although they had a tiny

Random # 301: Nanna-Spec KE36 Corolla

  Once upon a time - six or seven years ago, actually - there was a lovely pale yellow GC Galant station wagon getting around Hobart.  It was totally nanna-spec; its paint was umarked, the chrome work and hubcaps were immaculate, and its very original interior was pristine. Then someone stuck feathers in its dashboard.  Next, the windows were adorned with Tibetan prayer flags.  And a hubcap went missing.  And the the rear bumper was pushed in, mangling the bodywork behind it.  And a mudguard got dented.  And rust set in.   I fear for this sweet, innocent KE36 Corolla.  Somebody please save it before it's too late.  Nanna needs you to do it. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by GlamRock.