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My first car handed down to me from my dad and the vehicle I learned to drive with. Mine was a 1990 and was the same color combo. Brings back memories.
Thanks for the post. In the 1980s, particularly the mid-late 1980s, the standard, non-M BMWs were considered the classic "Yuppie" cars. They were the favorites of that emerging Yuppie class.....the young, urban, professionals that worked mainly in the then-emerging computer and high-tech industries. I live near Tysons Corner, VA, in the D.C. suburbs....Tysons was a magnet for Yuppies and their BMWs back then, and there were several local BMW dealerships in the area.
I found the fact that the steering wheel didn't tilt because of the airbag funny. Lots of cars of that era with driver airbags that still had tilt wheels.
These cars looked so good. One thing I remember from this era was how the Mercedes models had a different sized passenger side mirror. I hated that on such beautiful cars.
These cars looked so good. One thing I remember from this era was how the Mercedes models had a different sized passenger side mirror. I hated that on such beautiful cars.
These cars looked so good. One thing I remember from this era was how the Mercedes models had a different sized passenger side mirror. I hated that on such beautiful cars.
Only the W124 and W201. It was designed that way for aerodynamics. Also to discourage passing on the right.
The redesigned 1998 Passat also had different sized side mirrors. Then in 1999 they were all the same.
Cool looking BMW. I'd have to say the clean and flowing lines of cars like that are some of the best, timeless designs ever.
I found the fact that the steering wheel didn't tilt because of the airbag funny. Lots of cars of that era with driver airbags that still had tilt wheels.
Some E32s of that generation were built with telescoping steering-columns, but, yes, the video is correct.....there was apparantly no tilt feature.
A least the E32's steering wheel didn't have those silly horn-buttons built into the spokes, and (properly) placed the horn control in the center of the pad. That was one feature on a number of cars back then that I was not thrilled with....the small buttons on the spokes for the horn. In an emergency, when you need to blow the horn quickly, most people instinctively go for the middle of the wheel-pad, not the spokes, which, when the wheel is being turned, are not necessarily where you expect them to be. That was one of the very few things I did NOT like about the otherwise exemplary Saturn S-series....their horn buttons were particularly poorly-done, roughly-finished, and sometimes even hung up a little being pushed up and down in their openings.
Oh I think this is sharper than even the E38. At least with the right BMW rims on it.
This is blockier than E38 which has made it age better. Stunning for a late 80s design.
I don't agree there, IMO the E38 is one of the best looking sedans of all time
Originally Posted by mmarshall
Some E32s of that generation were built with telescoping steering-columns, but, yes, the video is correct.....there was apparantly no tilt feature.
A least the E32's steering wheel didn't have those silly horn-buttons built into the spokes, and (properly) placed the horn control in the center of the pad. That was one feature on a number of cars back then that I was not thrilled with....the small buttons on the spokes for the horn. In an emergency, when you need to blow the horn quickly, most people instinctively go for the middle of the wheel-pad, not the spokes, which, when the wheel is being turned, are not necessarily where you expect them to be. That was one of the very few things I did NOT like about the otherwise exemplary Saturn S-series....their horn buttons were particularly poorly-done, roughly-finished, and sometimes even hung up a little being pushed up and down in their openings.
Thats actually not true. Those BMW wheels did not have the horn in the center of the pad, they had it at every spoke. You can see in this picture that the 4 spoke corners have those little nubs on them, that indicated the horn:
It wasn't until the next generation of steering wheels from BMW that you saw the center horn pad come back. Fact of the matter was it just took the industry some time to figure out how to integrate the airbag and the horn pad in the center of the car.
I don't agree there, IMO the E38 is one of the best looking sedans of all time
Thats actually not true. Those BMW wheels did not have the horn in the center of the pad, they had it at every spoke. You can see in this picture that the 4 spoke corners have those little nubs on them, that indicated the horn:
It wasn't until the next generation of steering wheels from BMW that you saw the center horn pad come back. Fact of the matter was it just took the industry some time to figure out how to integrate the airbag and the horn pad in the center of the car.
Perhaps I could have used a better term to describe it, but what I meant was that they are part of the one-piece pad that moves on its own.....not separate-action buttons that are set in holes in the spokes. Toyota, BTW, to its credit, was one of the the first manufacturers, in the 1990s, to completely integrate the center-pad-action with the horn. Athough I can't recall exactly what year, I do remember the Toyota reps at the D.C. auto show explaining how hard the company worked on that project.....and, for once, they were not BS'ing.
Anyone ever scroll to far and reply to the wrong thread?
Welp, it happened to me just now when trying to leave my comment here on this thread so I'm typing my reply again. lol
Anyway, these cars looked good then and still look good to me today.
11-14-22, 10:11 AM
1988 BMW 735 Retro Review
In the 1980s, particularly the mid-late 1980s, the standard, non-M BMWs were considered the classic "Yuppie" cars. They were the favorites of that emerging Yuppie class.....the young, urban, professionals that worked mainly in the then-emerging computer and high-tech industries. I live near Tysons Corner, VA, in the D.C. suburbs....Tysons was a magnet for Yuppies and their BMWs back then, and there were several local BMW dealerships in the area.
