1976' BMW 5 Series

It is an absolute honour to offer this m530 motorsport limited edition, regarded by many bmw aficionados as the first proper bmw m car. This south african market only special falls in bmw holy grail territory.
bmw south africa had desire to go racing in the modified production series, so 100 road-ready homologation specials needed to be built. Between 105 and 110 mles were made, with donor e12 525 chassis’ being plucked off the production line at the rosslyn plant in pretoria.
from there they were hand-built into the 530 mle, with extensive holes cut and drilled into things like the parcel shelf, c-pillars and under the seats to bring the kerb weight down to 1233kg. Even the clutch pedal and boot hinges were drilled to save a few extra grams. The nature of the modifications also means than no two cars are identical.
the existing macpherson strut / semi-trailing arm suspension layout was enhanced with stiffer springs and bilstein shocks. Thicker anti-roll bars were fitted at either end.
as per the standard six cylinder e12 5-series, 280mm diameter ventilated brake discs were fitted up front. However, they were 3mm thicker than normal (25mm). regular 272mm diameter solid discs were used at the back. Special four-piston calipers were used all round along with 14 x 7-inch bbs cross-spoke wheels.
for 1976, the mle was special mechanically, too. The m30 engine received a hotted-up camshaft, higher-compression mahle pistons and twin zenith carbs. Raw figures sat at 147kw and 250nm (which is believed to be underquoted), while 100km/ h ticked over in 9. 3 seconds.
the gearbox chosen was a close ratio getrag 265 five-speed manual dogleg gearbox with a single-plate clutch and borg warner limited-slip differential.
to say that the mle was a racing success is an understatement. It won 15 out of 15 races in its first season.
special interior equipment fitted to the 530 mle included scheel front seats and a small diameter three-spoke italvolanti steering wheel. The rear seat was mounted to a lightweight foam base instead of a conventional steel frame. Much of the sound deadening was also left out.
the example we have available is nothing short of sublime. Bought from long term ownership in south africa by a serious uk collector in 2020. the car has been pampered since it’s arrival here and is accompanied by a sizeable folder documenting the meticulous works carried out.
this work includes (but is not limited to):
an engine refresh including top end rebuild, all new engine seals and gaskets, ancillaries overhauled as necessary, head skimmed, new head bolts
brake and suspension overhaul including dropping front subframe and rebuilding with powerflex bushes
k-mac top mounts and front and rear camber and caster kits
weber carburettor conversion and set up (original zenith carburettors are still with the car and included with the sale)
dino tuning with print out graph
refurbished original 14” x 7” bbs alloy wheels
schmiedmann gearbox short shift kit
the combination of the car’s factory delivered performance combined with the works outlined about result in a perfectly tractable but snarling, beast that is always ready to go and begging to be revved.
this ultimate bmw trump card will make the perfect addition to any discerning collectors fleet. As with all of our vehicles, we have a digital folder available on request containing more images, walkaround videos, pictures of the underside and scans of the service history. The car can be viewed by appointment at our west london showroom.