Brand new in 1999, this AC Schnitzer S3 Sport CS Widebody Convertible (and breathe) was more expensive than an E39 M5. Today, it’s a rare and desirable E36 for anyone looking to make a statement...

WORDS Matt Zollo | PICS Gez Hughes

As far as names go, E36 M3 Evo AC Schnitzer S3 Sport CS Widebody Convertible is a pretty special one. Not the catchiest, granted, but definitely the most bombastically over-the-top. Just what the car deserves. But, er, what does it all mean? Well, ignoring the obvious bits, S3 Sport was Schnitzer’s moniker for its modified M3s (until the E92/3 ACS3 Sport came along) and CS Widebody was the tag given to cars with big, fat arches. Which makes this pretty much the most extreme E36 Schnitzer did.

Pretty much... but not quite. There was of course the ridiculously desirable CLS (and ridiculously wild CLS-II). And we can’t really talk about this car without mentioning the CLS because it’s pretty similar in terms of aesthetics and specification. As well as the same carbon-fibre front and rear wings, bumpers and side-skirts, it also has most of its mechanical upgrades: Schnitzer full system (actually made by Remus), coilovers (ditto by Bilstein), staggered 18-inch Type II split-rims (O.Z Racing) and a short-shift kit. There are some crucial differences between this car and the CLS, though.

The most crucial model in BMW’s line-up is here, the new F30 3-Series. We reported on it within News last month, and now we’ve driven it...

Words Chris Chilton  |   Pictures BMW

Six-cylinder power has been an essential part of the 3-series’ makeup since the E21 320 grew itself a couple of extra pistons back in 1977. But with the launch of the new F30 3-series, and specifically the new four-cylinder 328i, the six’s days look like they’re numbered.

Check out these numbers to see why: its 245bhp and 258lb/ft wastes the outgoing 325i’s 218bhp/199lb/ft effort, and all that extra torque plus a 40kg drop in weight means the 0-62mph time drops from 6.7sec to just 5.9sec.  BMW’s clever variable geometry turbo technology virtually eliminates lag, and just like the blown six-pot 335i, which continues, it never feels obviously turbocharged. It pulls hard, in one long lunge right round to the 7,000rpm limiter. And to top it all, at 44mpg, it’s nearly as economical as an E46 320d.

Shame it sounds about as interesting. Actually, if you grew up listening to the gruff, purposeful, noises emanating from an E30 318is or M3, then you might like it. But you’ll never mistake it for a six, and for some that’ll be a problem. The 328i just doesn’t sound like a car that costs £29k basic, and more like £39k in M-sport guise with options.

It’s hard to find a link between 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds and 51mpg, but BMW’s new 640d has bagged the pair. The dirty scoundrel. TBMW travelled to Wales to get a feel for it, over some unbelievable driving roads

Words Adam Tait   |   Pictures Total BMW

Trains make me feel sick. Especially these sleek-fronted Pendolino diesel-electric mile-munching versions that have no opening windows and travel at Mach 3 to make overall journey times appealing to people such as myself – who are weighing up the pros and cons of just using the car. But speeds of up to 125mph over these jittery tracks makes reading, or typing as I am doing now, a queasy business.

I’m travelling from London Euston to Llandudno Junction, which can be found at the most northern tip of Wales, to try out the new F13 6-Series Coupé. BMW’s new £60,000 luxury GT car – which in my current frame of mind, is somewhere I’d much rather be than this warp-speed carriage erratically carving its way north west.

Fancy a retro BMW but don’t fancy the cost of an M5 or 635CSi? We run through some of the alternative classics

Words Paul Wager   |   Pictures Total BMW

The world of classic BMWs is rather different from the average classic car scene: with their engineering heritage and focus on driving appeal, even the older BMW models are still able to keep up with modern traffic and stand up to the rigours of everyday use rather better than ’70s and ’80s products from the likes of Alfa Romeo and BL. They may rust like anything else made from mild steel, but you don’t find leaf springs, 1950s engine technology and lever arm dampers underneath the Bavarians.... and there’s not a Marina door handle in sight.

The problem is though, there’s a big difference between the M-badged range toppers and the prosaic entry level models, which as any retro BMW fancier will know, means that all the decent 323i’s and M535i’s have been hoovered up by owners building up retro performance weapons. Throw in the growing appeal of all things ’80s and it’s getting tricky to find decent examples of the more exciting models.

It pays not to get hung up on M badges and BBS cross-spokes though: just look a couple of rungs down the ladder and you’ll find plenty of options offering much more classic appeal than yet another old Jag or MG.

Here, then are our ideas for getting yourself some ’70s and ’80s classic BMW action without breaking the bank.