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Richard Palmer Motors Norfolk LTD have been establised in the heart of Great Yarmouth longer than I've been in the car trade. Dave Mann and his sons run the garage, offering BMW and Opel Servicing, Conversions, Maintenance and Tuning to all passing trade.
Adjacent to the company Paul Mann deals in Car Sales and other Restorations, which are all sold on at decent prices. You can contact the garage directly for enquiries at 188 Northgate Street, Great Yarmouth, NR30 (01493 332313). Now lets talk about the car! This BMW has had my attention for a few months now, having visited the garage a few times already. I remember driving past and seeing this car I had to get a closer look. I can't believe how clean it is! It looks like a 100% standard BMW out of the factory, but with the added lunacy of a 4.0 Litre V8 :O
The noise from this car is gut wrenching. It is SATANIC!!!! The exhaust tips look stock but do not let them deceive you. Workmen on South Quay (Great Yarmouth) had stopped and were STARING, MOUTHS AJAR as I thundered past. This engine makes a serious racket at full throttle, and and I made use of it... I cannot believe how smooth this car drives for such a big engine. Cruising around is effortless. Power steering works as BMW intended - all interior functions work perfectly. There are no warning lights or errors on the Instrument Cluster as you would expect in a Conversion Project. The seats are still in good nick, nothing inside the car screams ''modified'' or ''budget''. It really is a charmer and I am enjoying myself this morning. First destination a nearby Petrol Garage for some BP Ultimate. Ashley Steward runs this Petrol Station with his family, with Kirkley Run Tyres and Wheels behind the garage (three locations locally). You can buy any combination of Midrange or Leading Brand Tyres and accessories from any of these service stations. They are all behind his BP Garages and can be found by searching in Google. Now the BMW has a decent amount of Fuel, I think I'm going to make use of my time driving around some well known B-Roads. I cannot convey in words the noise this car makes. It isn't too loud, but on full 'chat' it draws attention from EVERYBODY. Driving along The Seafront got some major gawps from onlookers. I think I should drive this to Chester.. I wish! The Chassis Tight as fook! Seriously sturdy, and old cars aren't supposed to feel this good. I was expecting the odd squeak or rattle but no untoward noises whatsoever. This vehicle has done under 50 miles in the past two years, and the time and labour gone into it are evident from the attached images. Steering is agile. Very point and shoot. It is continuously surprising as it just seems to let me do whatever I want, without interference! My mind is in synchronicity with the tarmac and this BMW makes the connection seamless. A dab of throttle sends it sideways, but it is easily controllable with the Limited Slip Diferential. Roundabouts are strictly for sideways action! Two days later I drove an BMW M4, and comparatively there isn't much difference regarding driving comfort and Brake Pedal feel. Some things don't need to change, and BMW created a good base for this project to be made! The Body A Charmer... Everybody (even haters) secretly love the E30. Its like a MK2 Escort. You might not 'want' to like it but you sort of have to! I think for the age they are still a cool looking car. From the amount of looks I received I would say its still a stunner after all these years. Maybe its an aquired taste like Desperados or Guiness, but if I was asked to look after this car for a month I wouldn't say no. The Throttle Jesus f@*k! F@*k Jesus! Holy S#£! I try not to swear in the reviews but this thing is FUCKING LAIRY! It just pulls and PULLS and I'm like ''where does it rev to?'' to which Paul answered ''I don't know lol''! This car is heart warmer if you love driving. Its an emotive machine and you would have to be bonkers to say this car isn't special. It is a phenomenal feat from the guys at Richard Palmer Motors Norfolk LTD, but after seeing their work on the Classic Ford's I didn't expect anything less. The Exhuast Loud when needed, respective under part throttle. This really is a perfect car. Similar to driving a Porsche 991/modern Cayman with Sports Chrono, or a Ferrari F430/458 Italia, it demonstrates quiet and LOUD without the need for an exhaust flap! Very similar to the BMW E36 Compact that I owned. I fitted a 1993 E36 325i Vanos Engine, and that was perfectly quiet on cruise, but quite loud at W.O.T. It drove similarly to this, although without the soul destroying torque that this V8 puts out. What can I say? I really do like this car, and wouldn't have gone back so soon if it wasn't for the fact I had to get to Cheshire for a Remapping job at Revitupuk. This car is crazy fast! CRAZY FAST! To any members of the general public who were terrorized with how I drove this Car, you will be safe in the knowledge that it is going back into storage. A shame I know, but if you owned a car like this I'm sure it couldn't be a daily hack either. I don't know.. maybe it should be! Just thinking about this car makes me giggle like an idiot! Massive thank you to the garage for arranging this review for me. Has it got more torque than a Naturally Aspirated 911? Or does it just put the power down better? All I know is, a well built BMW will always impress me. Nicholas Lawrence //ON CARS email -> nick@on-cars.com |
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