The Unwavering Formula – Jonathan Deleeuw’s Malaga 3.0CS E9 Coupe

While it'd be nice to say most of our job here at StanceWorks revolves around time spent behind the camera and underneath cars, the reality of it is that a majority of it takes place right here, behind the desk. Between the photo editing and writing, as well as design work and website management, Andrew and I find that a decent portion of our work is introspective, focused on the job at hand, and the content we create. On the other hand, for years now, we've found ourselves unable to detach from the ebb and flow of the car community as a whole. We have watched trends come and go, and have kept a finger on the pulse of the community, sometimes despite our best efforts to disconnect from time to time. Aside from witnessing the fads, the crazes, and the flavor of the month, a number of unrelenting truths have embedded themselves into our day to day reality, and one of the most prevalent is that the classic cars we've come to love and adore are, slowly but surely.... well, not so slowly it seems... becoming collectables. That makes cars like Jono Deleeuw's E9 3.0CS more and more rare.

What makes Jono's E9 rare isn't necessarily the car itself. While E9s are, by any measure, relatively rare and rather special cars, it's Jono's choice to modify it that garners attention. As the values of the "Big Coupe" continue to climb, full-blown restorations become the standard. Changes here and there are expected, of course, but as things continue, low-slung E9s on flashy wheels will become a rarity, no doubt.

With that said, it's clear why Jono would make such a choice. Christian Heine's E9 feature is one of StanceWorks' all-time most popular, and it shares that top five spot with an E9 feature of my own. They all share something in common, and while it may seem formulaic, as they say, "don't fix what ain't broke."

There's something special about the mating of an E9 and the BBS RS - perhaps it's the pinnacle of design ideas from two companies that seemingly go hand in hand. For Jono's build, he began with a set of BBS RS262s and RS263s, measuring out to 17x8 et35 for the front and 17x9 et35 in the rear. With black centers and small lips, the set was relatively undesirable for what Jono had in mind, and as 17s, they were the wrong dimensions too.

Jono turned to Spinfab to source new halves, which in turn upsized the wheels to 18 inches in diamter, better filling out the rather large wheel arches of the vintage coupe. To bring the car to a proper ride height, Jono had custom coilovers built, which mixed and matched parts to do the trick, seeing as off-the-shelf options are few and far between. Even his shock options are esoteric; his rear units were sourced from a third-generation RX7.

Together, the wheel and suspension package perfectly compliments the car's character and grace. The beautiful burgundy-colored Malaga paint contrasts the car's brightwork, which is accented by the freshly polished wheels. Inside the car, a two-tone black and brown interior adds some wonderful contrasting colors. Its overall stature is sporty yet elegant, and Jono's car only helps to validate any reasoning behind the continuing climb in value of these beautiful BMWs. For our New Zealanders, keep an eye out for Jono's 3.0CS - it may be one of the few you get to see before they are all snatched up and restored to factory spec.