Six iconic BMWs are set to go under the hammer at a Creative Rides auction taking place in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Among these are two legendary E30 models, comprising a single BMW 333i from 1987 and two 325i S Evo models from the early 1990s.
Completing the Bavarian sextet is a 1972 BMW 3.0 CSL, 1985 M635 CSi, 1988 M5 (E28) and 2005 M3 CSL (E46). Also on auction are 27 other classics from various brands, including a 1958 MGA Twin Cam and 1940s Cadillac convertible.
But there is a million rand question hovering over the BMW E30s.
Will these locally-developed 3-Series models fetch more than that amount at auction?
The precedents have already been set, with a really neat BMW 333i having sold for R1.255 million in March 2023, and a 325iS having fetched R900,000 in late 2022 at another Creative Rides Auction - almost eight times more than its original list price when new.
Both cars are local developments with an interesting back-story.
The 333i was created because the first-generation M3 was only engineered in left-hand drive guise, thus making it unavailable to South Africans.
Undeterred, BMW SA teamed up with Alpina in Germany to create a local solution and the end result saw the 3.2-litre straight-six engine from the BMW 733i being shoe-horned into the engine bay of the E30-generation 3 Series.
The engine took up so much space that customers were forced to choose between air conditioning and power steering.
Only 210 examples of the BMW 333i were ever produced.
An even bigger legend in local drifting and spinning circles is the 325iS, affectionately known as the “Gusheshe”.
Originally built as a homologation car for Group N production car racing, only 500 of these were ever made.
They sported a 2.7-litre straight-six engine, featuring Alpina modifications, and an output of 155kW was achieved in the Evo2 version.
According to BMW, the 325iS could run from 0-100km/h in 7.5 seconds, which was truly impressive back in the day, and the top speed was listed at 225km/h.
Creative Rides CEO Kevin Derrick regards the 325iS as one of the great South African collector cult classics of all time.
“Driving an E30 325iS EVO2 in this country is surreal,” Derrick said.
“It turns more heads than any Italian supercar, and a chorus of ‘Gusheshe, Gusheshe’ from fellow motorists and pedestrians follows you down the road."
The aforementioned car will be auctioned this Thursday, March 27, from 6:30pm at the Creative Rides showroom in Bryanston.
IOL