Re: Badge

["Allan Williams" <allanw@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Ahhh... here in NZ there is the 318i with the 8valve engine, and the 318is
with the 16 valver. There is also a 318is Motorsport. It is a 318is sedan
(4door) with ALL the M3 body kit, M-technic suspension and M badges - ///M
318is. It's sorta weird, because there is no new 328i Motorsport. It also
costs half the price of the M3 Evo (euro)65K Vs. 128K.

>Date: Tue, 9 Mar 1999 20:06:55 -0800 (PST)
>From: Aaron C Liu <aaronliu@domain.elided>
>Subject: Badge
>
>Guess what, I was visiting in Taiwan two years ago, (and last year) BMW
>dealer there ACTUALLY sell the E-36 "///M 318is" (just like the E-36 318
>here, except it's 4 doors, M3 body kits, and of course the famouse ///M
>badge next to the 318is)  I asked the saleperson and they told me because
>people liked the M3 style very much but it's very hard and expensive to
>get the real M3 in Taiwan (to purchase a M3, it's got to be special order,
>and costs around US $85000 for the U.S. version M3, and cost US $95000 for
>the Euro. version M3) so for these reason, BMW in Taiwan asked BMW factory
>to make these 318is and put on M3 body kit before they ship to Taiwan.
>The engine is the same we got here in the U.S., so why they used the "is"
>for the 4 doors???? they told me the "i" is stands for injection, and the
>"s" stands for "sports" very funny hum.......anyway, there aren't lot of
>328 though, lots of reasons for that: more expensive, more tax, don't need
>that kind of engine for the small island--Taiwan, also another reason is
>that lots of Taiwanese people would prefer buying a Mercedes-BENZ rather
>than BMW (compared with the 3 series and the C class) but lots of 5, and 7
>series though....
>As myself, like the M3 style very much so I had M3 body kit on my car
>without the "///M" badge" and very proud that I am a happy ower of 328is

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