BMWs on the lake
Classic cars from across the globe will assemble on the shores of Italy’s Lake Como for Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este from 23-25 May 2025.
And this year, there will be something extra special for fans of Bavaria’s finest: Broad Arrow Auctions is hosting a BMW-only sale on 24 May.
The 16-strong collection comprises high-performance ‘M’ cars, rare roadsters and more.
Presented in chronological order, here are all 15 cars set to cross the block – plus a race-winning motorbike that was too cool to leave out.
1. 1939 BMW 328 Wendler Cabriolet (est: £213-298,000/€250-350,000/$283-396,000)
The BMW 328 is perhaps the Bavarian brand’s most famous pre-war model; the sleek two-seater established BMW as one of the finest sports-car makers in the world.
This Wendler-bodied Cabriolet was once owned by Rudolf Graf von der Schulenburg-Wolfburg, a high-up at BMW who was later president of the Automobilclub von Deutschland (AvD).
1939 BMW 328 Wendler Cabriolet (cont.)
In 1993, this BMW 328 was comprehensively restored before it was displayed at an event to celebrate the model’s 60th anniversary.
In 2009, it appeared at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
It comes with a Birth Certificate from BMW Classic, which confirms it still has its original engine.
2. 1958 BMW 507 (est: £1.7-1.96m/€2-2.3m/$2.26-2.6m)
Just 252 BMW 507s were built, which might explain why this Series 2 car is the most valuable vehicle in Broad Arrow’s BMW-only Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este sale.
The fact that it is a highly original, unrestored example that was owned by the same family between 1958 and 2004 probably helps, too.
1958 BMW 507 (cont.)
Until 2018, it was even serviced by the same mechanic who worked on it from when it was new.
In recent years, this three-owner BMW 507 has been used sparingly, accumulating fewer than five miles in the last seven years.
The V8-engined roadster has just 56,783km (35,283 miles) on the clock.
3. 1965 Elva-BMW Mk8 (est: £149-192,000/€175-225,000/$198-255,000)
Frank Nichols’ small, East Sussex-based outfit, Elva, became a force to be reckoned with on race tracks across the world in the 1950s and 1960s.
Various motors powered the firm’s racing cars, including modified BMW engines.
This Elva-BMW Mk8 is fitted with a 2-litre version of the Munich marque’s four-cylinder unit.
1965 Elva-BMW Mk8 (cont.)
It was delivered new to America, where it competed in the 1965 Road America 500, finishing 10th overall and fourth in its class.
In 1996, it joined Dr Julio Palmaz’s racing-car collection in the US.
More recently, it returned to the UK and was prepared for historic motorsport.
The Elva-BMW Mk8 has since competed across Europe, most recently at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting in April 2025.
4. 1980 BMW M1 (est: £383-468,000/€450-550,000/$509-623,000)
Apparently, BMW’s well-known slogan, ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’, was coined in the mid-1970s – and it certainly rings true for the mid-engined M1.
Famously BMW M Division’s first ground-up project, the M1 was the marque’s initial supercar offering.
This car’s earliest keeper was German record producer and singer Frank Farian, who also commissioned this M1’s Procar-inspired bodywork.
1980 BMW M1 (cont.)
Farian’s upgrades extended to the BMW M1’s cabin: he also added a full-leather interior and a Becker Mexico stereo, complete with a Clarion 150EQB graphic equalizer and additional speakers.
In 1990, the record producer transferred ownership of the M1 to his employee Erwin Schwedka, who kept it until 2008.
Since then, it’s been displayed at Salon Privé concours in the UK and had its bodywork restored by a specialist in Sweden.
5. 1981 BMW M1 (est: £404-490,000/€475-575,000/$538-651,000)
The second BMW M1 in the Broad Arrow Auctions sale is this white example, delivered new to Vijay Mallya, the businessman who later co-founded the Force India Formula One team.
The M1, originally finished in orange with a black-cloth interior, was first registered in the UK in January 1989.
1981 BMW M1 (cont.)
Vijay Mallya kept the car for 29 years, during which time he transported it to Dubai, in the UAE, and Alaska, in the US.
In 2016, shortly after the BMW returned to the UK, Mallya sold it to its current owner.
It has been registered in The Netherlands since 2019.
6. 1982 BMW 635CSi (est: £34,100-42,600/€40-50,000/$45,300-56,600)
This one-off prototype was a curious collaboration between BMW UK, Coventry-based MGA Developments and The Observer newspaper.
The latter gave financial backing to the project, which became known as ‘The Observer Coupé’.
The brief was a simple one: to create the world's first fully retractable glass-roofed grand tourer.
1982 BMW 635CSi (cont.)
The project cost £65,000 in 1982 and took the MGA Developments team less than four months to complete.
Following its debut at the British motor show in Birmingham, the vehicle was displayed at events across the world.
A limited production run never materialised and the unique BMW’s complicated roof mechanism was eventually replaced with a fixed-glass set-up.
In 2017, this 19,280-mile car was restored to the tune of £26,000.
7. 1987 BMW M3 (est: £76,600-93,700/€90-110,000/$102-125,000)
Here is the first of a trio of E30-generation BMW M3s that will cross the block at Broad Arrow’s 2025 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este sale.
This M3 was a black road car when it left the Munich works in 1987, but was later transformed into a Group A rally car.
The modifications carried out in the mid-2000s included a six-speed gearbox, upgrades to the four-cylinder engine, a full rollcage and bucket seats.
1987 BMW M3 (cont.)
This BMW M3 was campaigned by Italian outfit Planning Sport, based in Vicenza, from the mid-2000s to 2009.
It was sold to its current owner in 2014.
If the next custodian wants to compete in this Group A-specification BMW M3, they will need to apply for the appropriate certificates and licences, but the sale does include four spare wheels and a set of spotlights.
8. 1989 BMW M3 (est: £55,300-63,900/€65-75,000/$73,600-84,900)
This Alpine White II BMW M3 has 141,000km (87,613 miles) on the clock.
It’s an unmodified example of one of BMW’s greatest hits.
The E30-generation M3 was unveiled in 1985 and was essentially a road-legal version of BMW’s Group A racing car.
1989 BMW M3 (cont.)
The BMW M3’s 2.3-litre, four-cylinder engine used technology from the M1 supercar’s ‘six’, such as the four-valve cylinder head.
A raft of upgrades was introduced in 1988, including new front suspension, ventilated disc brakes and an intake manifold made of Kevlar.
9. 1989 BMW M3 Cecotto (est: £76,600-93,700/€90-110,000/$102-125,000)
This special-edition BMW M3 was one of 505 built to celebrate Venezuelan racer Johnny Cecotto, who competed on two and four wheels.
Following success on ’bikes, he switched to single-seater racing cars, then sports cars and Touring Cars.
In 1989, he won the Italian Superturismo Championship in a BMW M3.
1989 BMW M3 Cecotto (cont.)
This Misano Red example has covered 123,000km (76,429 miles).
Although the BBS wheels, body-coloured valve cover, revised rear wing and deeper front splitter (the last two taken from the BMW M3 Evo II) made the Cecotto Edition look the part, this limited-run M3’s modifications were more than skin deep.
The 2.3-litre ‘four’ was also uprated to 212bhp.
10. 1991 Alpina Roadster Limited Edition (est: £102-128,000/€120-150,000/$136-170,000)
The standard BMW Z1 is a rare gem, which makes this Alpina version a bit of a unicorn.
Just 66 Alpina Roadster Limited Editions were built, and this was the 29th.
It’s got just 30,000km (18,641 miles) on the clock and comes with its original Alpina handbooks.
1991 Alpina Roadster Limited Edition (cont.)
So, what’s different about Alpina’s version of the BMW roadster?
For starters, the Z1’s 168bhp, 2.5-litre straight-six’s capacity was increased to 2.7 litres, giving a handy power boost.
Then there was a plethora of visual upgrades, including 20-spoke wheels and Alpina’s signature side stripes.
This example also sports wheelarch extensions fitted by Alpina’s Japanese importer, Nicole Automobiles. It was sold new in Japan but was imported to The Netherlands in 2017.
11. 1999 BMW Z3M Coupé (est: £63,900-72,400/€75-85,000/$84,900-96,200)
This Cosmos Black Metallic Z3M Coupé remains almost how it was when it left the BMW factory more than 25 years ago.
It’s covered just 3512km (2182 miles) since 1999 and still has its original paintwork, Kyalami Orange Nappa interior and service books.
1999 BMW Z3M Coupé (cont.)
The next owner might want to invest in some new tyres, though, because the Dunlop SP Sports on this Z3M are also original, and dated 1998.
The first owner paid DM80,290 for this high-spec car, which was supplied with options including an electric sunroof, active speaker system and cassette storage.
12. 2000 BMW Z8 (est: £170-192,000/€200-225,000/$226-255,000)
This BMW Z8 is hardly pocket change, but it looks comparatively cheap next to the £1.7m-plus 1958 BMW 507 that’s also been consigned to this Broad Arrow Auctions sale.
Why the price comparison? The 1950s roadster, which is now one of the most coveted BMW models, inspired this turn-of-the-century sports car.
2000 BMW Z8 (cont.)
Designed by Henrik Fisker, the retro-styled BMW Z8 used the contemporaneous M5’s V8 engine.
It produces 394bhp, a match for Ferrari’s mid-engined 360 Modena.
This Titanium Silver example has belonged to the same owner since 2005.
13. 2003 BMW M3 CSL (est: £106-128,000/€125-150,000/$141-170,000)
The E46-generation BMW M3 was already a highlight in the marque’s early-2000s M Division line-up, but the CSL increased its desirability.
It had a lot to live up to: the lightened M3 took its name from BMW’s 1970s sensation, the homologation-special 3.0 CSL.
2003 BMW M3 CSL (cont.)
Just 1383 examples were built during the M3 CSL’s one-year production run.
In their quest to save weight, BMW engineers removed the standard car’s air-conditioning unit and radio.
This car’s first owner opted to have them reinstalled, though.
14. 2011 BMW M3 GTS (est: £192-234,000/€225-275,000/$255-311,000)
The M3 GTS was a successor to the track-focused BMW M3 CSL. It followed a similar recipe: more power and less weight.
It was rarer, too. Just 150 examples of the BMW M3 GTS were produced.
Engineers shaved 70kg (154lb) off the kerbweight and increased power to 444bhp. And yes, all of them came with brightly coloured Fire Orange paintwork.
2011 BMW M3 GTS (cont.)
Broad Arrow Auctions calls this example, the 126th built, a ‘museum-quality specimen’, and it’s easy to see why.
It’s covered just 40km (25 miles) since new and comes with an original, unused set of Schroth Racing harnesses.
15. 2020 BMW M2 CS (est: £59,600-68,100/€70-80,000/$79,200-90,600)
One of the latest in BMW’s long line of lightweight specials, the BMW M2 CS was a 444bhp send-off to the F22-generation 2 Series.
Power comes from a 3-litre, twin-turbo straight-six, plus the M2 CS received reworked suspension and new dampers to lift it above the M2 Competition.
2020 BMW M2 CS (cont.)
This car, finished in Hockenheim Silver Metallic, is equipped with BMW’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and carbon-ceramic disc brakes.
The rear-wheel-drive coupé is also fitted with the M Driver’s Package, which unlocks a 174mph top speed.
16. 2002 BMW R 1100 S BoxerCup (est: £12,800-17,000/€15-20,000/$17-22,600)
Finally, we’re hopping back to 2002 to take a quick look at this race-winning motorbike, which completes Broad Arrow’s BMW-only sale at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on 24 May 2025.
The former aircraft-engine builder’s first vehicle was a ’bike, after all, and two-wheeled machines are a big part of BMW’s history.
This BMW R 1100 S BoxerCup competed in support races at MotoGP and Superbike World Championship events in the early 2000s.
In 2003, rider Roberto Panichi piloted this ’bike to victory at Daytona, Le Mans, Mugello and Sachsenring, on his way to a third-place finish in that year’s championship.
If you’d like to find out more about this ’bike or any of the cars featured in this slideshow, click here to view the full catalogue on the Broad Arrow Auctions website.
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