BMW M3 Evo

As I mentioned in the End of Term report on my Digi-Tec Smart Roadster Coupe (issue 079), I have replaced it with a car boasting precisely three times that car's 107bhp, and here it is, an AC Schnitzer-optioned BMW M3 Evo, resplendent in Techno Violet dark metallic purple. Inspired by Roger Green's buying guide to classic BMWs (issue 072), I decided that I should try and overcome my natural antipathy towards BMWs and try an E36 M3 Evo. The first one I drove was uninspiring with barely adequate performance, but I put that down to over-familiarisation with supercars and reassured myself that it was at least substantially quicker than the Smart it was replacing. I then set about finding one in Techno Violet, the only colour I considered, and kept an eye on a couple on Auto Trader's website. This one particularly appealed as it had a terracotta red leather Recaro interior as part of its AC Schnitzer options along with the 18in ACS Type II alloys, sports suspension and quick-shift kit. A brief test drive with the owner up in Norfolk surprised me as it felt substantially perkier than the first car I drove and it was in tidy condition for a 70,000-miler with a full service history and loads of receipts.This car had cost its original owner well north of £50K with all the options but I managed to haggle the price down to £11K (with the help of an envelope of readies) and was grinning all the way back down south. I have never bought such a high-mileage car before, but this 1998 late-model Evo was in excellent original condition with only nicely worn-in leather, a stone-chipped nose and a scratched windscreen betraying its age. Certainly the 3.2-litre, double-VANOS variable valve timing straight-six pulls strongly from its 700rpm idle and revs in a linear manner to its 7600rpm red line. Obviously, being a Yu-mobile, plans are already advanced towards improving power and handling. I might even be able to resume friendly rivalries with road test editor Bovingdon, who's planning his own M3 project car. All will be revealed next month...

Running Costs