It’s exciting to have a straight-six, six-speed sports car back from BMW in the form of the Z4 Handschalter Pack. With its old-school powertrain and colour combo, it’ll likely be a hit with purists. But, truthfully, BMW’s sports cars have never quite hit the spot; all the best straight-six, manual cars with the blue and white roundel have had a fixed roof.
Whether it’s something rare groove like a Z4 3.0 Si, a cult classic like the 1M or a hand-built hero like the E34 M5, there are all manner of cars out there that show off BMW’s expertise very well indeed. Even with far from the best manual gearboxes ever made, there’s something about the more direct connection with a great engine offered by a stick and a third pedal that makes them very desirable. An auto just isn’t the same, as used values for equivalents will attest to.
In recent model generations, however, the case for the manual has become harder and harder to make. With the advent of dual-clutch transmissions for M cars and the very good ZF 8HP for the mainstream stuff, the six-speeds became slower and less efficient; you had to really want a manual gearbox to put up with one. In which case, older cars must be on the radar as well. The new BMWs were being designed with the autos in mind, because that’s what people wanted, and it showed.
Which all serves to make this 2016 340i even more interesting than most. Just imagine the selling dealer’s face when the first owner wanted white paint, oyster leather and a manual gearbox for their top-of-the-range 3 Series. It would be amazing to find another F30 like this one; on PH it’s currently the only six-cylinder petrol model of this generation with a clutch pedal. Equivalent M3s are just as rare, if not more so; being so seldom seen and almost forbidden because of how dominant autos became only increases the intrigue.
Somebody knew what they were doing here, for sure. In addition to the manual gearbox, this one also benefits from an M Performance exhaust and an ECU tickle from DMS, meaning 460hp. Or more power than an M3 Competition of the period. Next stop for the ultimate Q car F30 would surely be a limited-slip diff, then you could really get to work on the famously tuneable B58 3.0-litre…
We’re getting ahead of ourselves. It’s going to make a lovely thing as is, because the power is ample, the gearbox cool and the sound likely to be superb. This hasn’t been some high mileage hack, either, showing just 38k since new and with a full BMW service history to back it up. New pads have just gone on, too. Somebody (or perhaps a few people) have loved it, which makes sense because this is the sort of spec you’d really have to seek out - everybody else would be more than happy with the auto. No doubt it’ll find its next home with another BMW aficionado. The £23k asking price looks fair given what similar, standard cars are going for, and getting your manual B58 fix this way is surely cooler than in an M140i. Or, dare it be said, in a Z4 either…
SPECIFICATION | BMW 340i M SPORT
Engine: 2,998cc straight-six turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 326@5,500-6,500rpm (standard)
Torque (lb ft): 332@1,380-5,000rpm (standard)
CO2: 179g/km (NEDC)
MPG: 36.7 (NEDC)
First registered: 2016
Recorded mileage: 38,000
Price new: £38,125 (standard)
Yours for: £22,995
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