BMW 3 Series 1989 News

That is exactly where Salvatore Coco began and he has his share of breakdown stories. He loves classic cars, which is appropriate for an actor who is stepping back in time for the third series of Underbelly. This time Coco is Hammer, an enforcer with plenty of muscle, in 'The Golden Mile'. He describes the role, which sees him as a mate of Kings Cross identity John Ibraham, as "an awesome experience"."I am a bit of a car buff. I’ve always liked cars since I was a young boy. The first car I bought was a red Volkswagen Beetle when I was 19. Hasn’t everyone had one of those? It gave me more problems than anything but I was young and enjoyed tinkering and fixing things. Now I drive a silver BMW E30 – it’s an old car, a 1989 model. I’ve had it for 10 years. They’ll be a collector’s item, it’s a classic car. That particular model is one of the best BMWs – I believe. It’s one of those cars that just loves the road. I drive a lot between Sydney and Canberra and it absolutely loves it.""I’m pretty strict when it comes to people getting in my car. I don’t like people mucking around because the leather seats are the original seats. No one plays around in the back seat – and I won’t be playing around back there either.""I’ve got a lot of ‘breakdown’ stories to tell of late. In the last two years I’ve broken down at least five times. Recently, coming back from Canberra, I had forgotten to change the timing belt on the motor and I blew the head. So that cost me a lot of money and a two-night stay in Goulburn. One thing goes wrong and the whole car shuts down. I’ve got a list as long as my arm about breakdowns.""When I first bought my Volkswagen, I was working as a pizza delivery driver for Dominos. I was running late for work and the car just stopped. So I opened up the back of the Volkswagen to have a look at the engine and there was one wire from the coil to the engine which had burnt out. I was standing there trying to figure out what I could replace it with and I got an idea. I pulled a wire from one of the speakers, attached it and it worked. I didn’t even have a pair of pliers, I had to do it with my teeth. So I left it on there and drove around with one speaker working.""I once bought a new motorbike and the guy assured me it was all ready to go. It was beautiful. My friends and I decided to go for a cruise to the Central Coast. I got five minutes from home and it just stopped in the tunnel that goes onto the Anzac Bridge in Sydney. No matter what I did I couldn’t get it going. So I ring the bloke I bought it from and I took it back to the workshop. The fuse right up under the chassis had blown which tripped the fan, the fan overheated and blew the engine. All because of one silly, faulty fuse. Lucky it was still under warranty.""Sydney to Canberra is a great drive but I also love the drive from Sydney to Batemans Bay and Sydney to Yamba. That’s a very good drive.""If I make a few million dollars the first thing I’ll buy is a Ford Falcon XY GTHO Phase III. If I end up in some huge Hollywood blockbuster – I’ll buy two of them. I love Classics. I really, really love Classics."

Following in the mould of a swag of rivals, the new E93 3-series convertible has swapped its soft-top for a metal folding roof. A bold move maybe but technology has allowed such a move without the convertible suffering from obesity or the normal design trade-off of a frumpy rear-end. The fourth generation 3-series convertible is arguably the biggest design change to the model from the Bavarian brand which calls on over 70 years of experience in making droptop machines. It is claimed the three-piece roof opens and shuts in 22 seconds. There is a diesel four-cylinder convertible but it is unlikely to get a start in Australia. The Brisbane Motor Show will be the Australian preview for the ground-breaking hardtop only two weeks after the car was put through its paces at the international launch in Phoenix, Arizona. It will be available in showrooms here in March, soon after it becomes available in Europe and North America. Prices for the new droptop are $94,900 for the 325i manual ($97,500 automatic) while the red-hot 335i manual will cost $121,500 with the auto at $124,100. As in the coupe range there will be a choice of either the six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic. Breaking cover in Australia on BMW's Brisbane stand will be the rapid 335i twinturbo convertible along with a 325i version. There will also be a 323i which is the third and final variant to join the sexy 3-series coupe range after the release of the 335 and 325 last year. The preview of the 3-series convertible at the show is the second time BMW have used Queensland as a launching pad for important new models within the past six months. In a major shot-in-the-arm, the 3-series coupe press launch was held out of Brisbane before the car was shown at the Paris Motor Show. Other cars the blue and white badge has assigned for the show are a hot M6 convertible, the all-new X3 3-litre diesel, a Z4 M coupe and a 3-litre roadster, a 1-series diesel and a 750Li Individual. The awesome 335i will also be shown in a 3series sedan Individual.