WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see whether a modernised 2005 car can be better than a new one The last time I ran a 2005-model-year long-term test car was, more or less, in 2005. But here we are again. This

(1998-2005)

Once they headed the company car parks of Eighties Britain, now these executive icons offer prestige, nostalgia and pure driving pleasure from £5k. But which of these trading-floor titans best rewards the shrewd classic motorist?

Could a fully optioned E30 325i be a budget alternative to a period M3? Alan Anderson thinks that it just might be…

£254,200 OTR/£282,000 as tested/£5,077 pcm WHY IT’S HERE: What has a hybrid makeover – and Mulliner buffing – added to the world’s best grand tourer? DRIVER: Ollie Kew TOPGEAR’S BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT

ASKING £7995 PRICE ENGINE 1796cc/4-cyl/OHC POWER 116bhp@5000rpm TORQUE ...