Speaking to Barney Halse

Owner, Classic Heroes, BMW specialists

You’re not buying a mega-fast car in an M3, you’re buying an amazing chassis with beautiful balance – it’s incredibly flattering. You feel like a touring car hero. And you’re getting incredible usability. I say buy at the high end of a lower spec rather then chase, say, a doubtful Evo. A quality 200bhp car is £40,000-65,000; the Evo 1 has small changes, but the Evo 2 was a major upgrade with 220bhp. That’s worth a premium – £70-100,000 – as are Cecotto and Ravaglia versions. The 2.5 SportEvo had 238hp and you’ll pay over £100,000. They have been popular for 20 years, and I love the way they dominated motor sport worldwide. They had over 1500 international wins!