New! TG.com’s classified of the week

THE INTERNET: you're about to have something new and exciting foist upon you.

First, we need to give you a glimpse of life in the Top Gear office. Between bouts of keyboard hammering and tea, we do spend rather a lot of time browsing the automotive classified ads. Then bickering about which is best. 

But we want you to join our heated, often pointless debates. 

To kick things off, here's one from this morning: a trouser-tightening tribute to BMW's M division, which has just strapped three (THREE!) turbochargers to a diesel engine. In doing so, it's created the first car capable of 44.8mpg and 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds.

M's been on something of a roll recently - remember Jeremy's profound appreciation of its 1-Series? "It's a tyre-smoking mentalist... I haven't driven anything this sort of perfect since the original Golf GTI." High praise indeed.

But every 1M's been sold. And the frugal but fighty M550D's not out yet. So, it's time to go back. Way back. To 1980. And the first ever road car to wear an M badge. And by first we, of course, mean second - the inaugural M was a racecar with numberplates called the M1 (not be confused with the 1-Series M Coupe/popular motorway).

Spiritually, though, the E12 M535i is the M550D/1M's predecessor - it was as the first M car to be built in the modern vernacular (take ordinary BMW, make faster, apply badge). And we like it rather a lot. So should you.

There's a 3.5-litre six-cylinder engine in the front, close-ratio manual gearbox in the middle and drive at the back. Which is the very definition of driver's car. There's also Recaro seats, a limited-slip differential, big brakes, shouty racing stripes and a sporty plastic chinstrap.

Just 1410 of them were built, and this is one of ‘em - a softly antiqued example boasting "refreshed" paintwork, headlining "that could do with a clean" and "discreet high-output speakers". Lovely. How much? A paltry £5250.

Read more here

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TopGear.com does not accept responsibility for any car's condition, legality or general rubbishness. Buy second-hand cars at your peril. Then email editor@topgear.com and tell us about them.