AUCTION WATCH
BMW M 140 i 5dr Nav auto Price new £ 34 ,4 75. Price now £ 29 ,5 00
Hurry and you may just grab the last unsold BMW M140i, perhaps even a Championship
Edition, before stocks run out. BMW has stopped making it ahead of production starting on
its replacement, the M135i xDrive, in July. Can’t find an unsold M140i? Then have a go at a
pre-reg, such as the one we found. It’s a 2019/68-reg car in tasteful black with a paltry 150
miles on the clock (fingers crossed they’ve been gentle). There was only one available last
ti m e we l o o ke d , s o i t r e a l l y i s a c a s e of g e t i t w h i l e yo u c a n.
CLASH OF THE
CLASSIFIEDS
BRIEF
Mercedes-Benz A-Class LWB £ 990
It’s hard to know what would impress your friends because
I’m not part of your posse, but I do know that the only truly
groundbreaking car of recent times has been the first-
gen A-Class. Its unique ‘sandwich’ construction kept the
mechanicals separate from the passengers and gave a totally
flat floor, while the engine slid beneath the car in a crash, so it
wouldn’t intrude into the cabin and cause leg injuries. This LWB
version has tons of space for your mates. With prices being solow, you can take them – us? – somewhere nice. MAX ADAMS
Fiat X1/9 £ 4500
Why is the rip-snorting X1/9 groundbreaking? Because it
was the first truly affordable mid-engined car. It had grip and
incomparable handling and a Targa-topped body of immense
strength. It was great straight out of the box, but the thing to
do to it was tune the brilliant Lampredi-designed SOHC engine
(which was easily done) and then throw away everything
that added weight, starting with those hideous bumpers.F i n a l l y, fi t s o m e sti c k y t y r e s. T h i s fu l l y r e sto r e d 1 9 8 8 exa m p l e
is a gem. Wonderfully collectable. Tremendous fun. Truly
groundbreaking. MARK PEARSON
That Merc was a groundbreaker
that anticipated today’s EVs
with their underfloor batteries
and spacious cabins.
Amazed? They will be.
JOHN EVANS
Find me a groundbreaking car to
delight and amaze my friends for
less than £5000.
VERDICT
U S E D C A R D E S K D O E S B AT T L E
USED CARS
24 APRIL 2 019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 75
GET
IT
WH
ILE
YO
U^ C
AN
O ne of ou r num ber recalls, back in 1985, watching
his boss drive his gleaming beige SD1 into the
company car park, locking the car and, as he walked
away, glancing back to savour it s st ylish shape one
last time. Our colleague laughed then but he’s not
lau g hing now. What he’d g ive to have this 1986 SD1
3.5 V8 Vanden Plas, finished in Silver Birth and with a
blue velour interior, on his driveway now. It belonged
to a fiercely enthusiastic SD1 club member and has
an extensive service history file. It made £6600 at
auction, a snip for something so charismatic, stylish
and opulent. Worth a backward glance any day.
ROVER SD1 3.5 V 8