1998 I was a computer consultant driving all over DFW delivering computer equipment was part of the daily routine. My car was a gorgeous 1991 BMW 318is.
For some reason I convinced myself that I needed a car suited better to my job of delivering hardware and spending hours and hours a week in traffic. When I traded in my 318is I didn’t realize it would mean a decade of SUV driving. 10 years later I’m still driving a SUV. There are benefits of an SUV. I enjoy being able to tow my boat. I enjoy not being limited to the pavement and I like the utility that the extra cargo capacity that a SUV affords.
Today’s blog isn’t about the laments of my still driving a SUV, it is about a great little car that BMW sold in the early ‘90s.
In 1991 the “is” in 318is meant something. If you were lucky enough to have an “is” BMW it meant that you were driving the sport edition of that model. For the 318 it meant you got the BBS wheels, Recaro seats, body spoiler kit, decklid spoiler and a more aggressively tuned suspension. In later years BMW would stick an “is” on the back of any 2 door without really any other consideration to improve the base car. Sometimes it simply meant that a car had 2 doors.
The 318is wasn’t a particularly powerful car. It did wear the badge of the most powerful naturally aspirated 4 cylinder on the market with a whopping 138hp. Now the most powerful 4 cylinders on the market have 100 more hp than the 318 did and that is without a supercharger or a turbo.
The 318is was a special car. It was one the best looking examples of the E30 3 series. The car always looked sharp. The interior looked sporty. And most importantly, the car was fun to drive.
Today the 3 series has ballooned into a larger car. I think the spiritual essence of my old 318is is actually alive and well in the new BMW 1 series, but the BMW 1 series is a whole ‘nother blog, that will be written sometime in the near future.
