Number of cylinders: 6
Service history: Present
Registration number: N-511-VN

BMW 1-Serie 135I 135i Cabriolet M-Sport, 2012. 61,783 km, service books from new.

When BMW launched the first 1 Series back in 2007, quite a few people raised a sceptical eyebrow. A compact BMW with rear-wheel drive, short overhangs, and that signature long bonnet, purely because a straight-six had to fit lengthwise underneath. Practical? Barely. The rear bench was a punishment and the boot was more of a gesture than a promise. But anyone with the faintest idea of what BMW was once actually about understood it instantly: this was the smallest, last purely analogue rear-wheel-drive baby BMW you could still buy without raiding your savings.

And then along came the 135i. And later, for the true hedonists, this one: the 135i Convertible.

A quick word about that engine, because with this example that is what it all comes down to. The early 135i had the fabled N54, the twin-turbo that tuners still say their nightly prayers to. This 2012 example belongs to the later series with the N55: a single twin-scroll turbo, smoother, more modern, and good for 306 bhp on paper. In practice you notice it mostly in the moments you forget you are driving BMW's entry-level model. This one doesn't drive like a little car. It drives like a car that really has too much power for its own good, and that is precisely what I love about it.

The story continues on our website, where the full file is kept as well. 108 photographs including the underside. The service history, scanned in full. The Carfax report. Paint thickness measured panel by panel. The original factory brochure to page through.

Every car here follows the same route: first pre-market, then the showroom, and finally the live auction on our own site. What changes is the way you buy, not the location — once a car has arrived, it stays with us in Katwijk. This one is in the showroom and you are welcome to come and see it, no appointment needed. You buy it here at a fixed price: no bidding, no waiting. Our showroom in Katwijk, 30 km from Amsterdam Schiphol, is open Mon–Fri 9–18 and Sat 10–17. Call ahead and it will be standing ready, with someone free for you.

Within the EU no customs duty arises on this purchase. Registration tax and registration costs in your own country are not included. We supply the export documents and assist with the registration. The price shown is the full price for collection in Katwijk. We arrange insured door-to-door transport worldwide, cost quoted per destination beforehand.

Prefer a different colour or specification than this example? Tell us what you are looking for — another BMW we can often find through our network of marque specialists and collectors, outside the listings. Have one of your own: we buy exceptional cars outright, classic or modern.

Our showroom measures 6,000 m², with over 150 cars under one roof. You are just as welcome if you are not buying — walk around, take your time and enjoy the cars; sharing the enthusiasm is half of it.