80 BMWcar
OUR CARS
It is with a heavy heart that
I report that Maggie is no
longer part of the Stiling fl eet.
I’ve owned her for about three
years now, and she’s been
a fabulous car to enjoy on
a sunny summer’s day – so
much grace and surprising
pace, and such a rare sight on
today’s roads. Every journey
was an occasion, and a
reminder of when BMWs were
somewhat rare and special
machines.
But, sadly, with my fl eet
now reaching 10 cars, rather
inevitably space has become
a real problem. Consequently,
a minor clear-out was
required. In the end, I’m
happy to report that the sale
was painless. An enthusiast
from Nottingham called me
at 1.30pm one Sunday,
despatched his colleagues
immediately, who duly arrived
at 4pm. Then, by 4:30pm,
Maggie was gone and on her
fi rst long run for a while.
She now resides in a private
collection of other BMWs,
alongside an E38, two E36
M3s, an M6 V10 and an E31
8 Series. I’m sad to see her go,
but pleased that she’s in good
hands, and will be appreciated
for years to come.
It’s been a bumper month
for the 230i, though, with
its monthly mileage topping
2,000, and the car’s also justELLIOTT
STILING
2017 F22
230i M SPORT
COUPÉ
1983 ALPINA
B9 3.5 (E28)
I ended up having to use Duct
tape to keep the rear window
closed while I battled to
change the microswitch.I had installed while it was
languishing at BM Sport. In an
ideal world, I’d have stuck with
a classic, Blaupunkt or similar,
but their functionality is
somewhat restricted. So I had
a look around for something
that looked relatively old, but
off ered modern connectivity. I
eventually settled on a Classic
Car Stereo (classiccarstereo.
co.uk) Classic 200 DAB unit,
which off ers (as the name
suggests) a DAB tuner in a
retro-styled head unit. The
one I opted for will also play
music from a USB, and can be
hard-wired for an iPod. Most
importantly, though, it also
features Bluetooth for audio
streaming and phone calls.
I have to say it works very
well indeed and, while at
£259 it was quite expensive,
I’m delighted with it. It looks
suitably retro when switched
off , and the only clue that it’s
not from the period of the car
is the LCD screen that lights
up when it’s in use. Originally
the E3 came with just one
speaker, mounted in the top
of the dashpod, but my one
has had a pair of speakersfi tted to the rear shelf.
The one on the dash has
defi nitely had it and I think
the ones on the rear shelf
could be improved upon
considerably, especially if I
can fi nd some retro-looking
grilles to cover them to
complete the period theme.
I’m holding back on replacing
them though as, along with
the seats, they really should
be on the back burner while
I save up for an engine
rebuild! Oh, the joys of classic
motoring, eh?
Bob HarperLeft: Changing the rear window’s microswitch was one of those more-awkward-than-expected jobs which, in the end, I
wished I’d entrusted to an expert. Right: I sourced a replacement microswitch for £50, from Ocean, in Plymouth.