Re: 1981 supercar (archive)

Hi, l am a E12 M535i Motorsport enthusiast,
In the last 12 years l have been the proud owner of 3 E12Ms,my present one is the same vehicle that started me onto the 81 M5,s trail 12 years ago.I paid �4500 all those years ago and as l am only the second owner,l still get offered profit to part with it.
For those who do not know much of these superb vehicles here is a short discription: Approx 400+ vehicles ever built, The production lasted 12 months and was approx mid 80s to mid 81, The information l have is that there where only 140+ vehicles imported into the U.K.It was supplied with a whopping 217bhp(standard)back in the late 80s in the U.K that was staggering.It was fitted with a limited slip diff,and a Getrag 5 speed dogleg racing gearbox,full Bilstien racing suspension,and the list goes on,What it boils down to is a car that can safely run at 150+mph.The later model E28 M535i car was only a badge vehicle and not of the same high spec with 1000,s produced.l have owned one for a very short time and was not impressed at all,the only other 5 series with any spirit and will compete with the E12 M, is the E28 Alpina B series and the E28 MPOWER M5 Twin cam,the down side to these cars is the high cost of maintainance.All early Ms if not driven hard on sharp bends do tend to try and brake loose, tip to any E12 M owners is fit 205 tyres to rear and 195,s to the front,l have found the handleing much tighter.I would be interested to hear from other ex or present owners,and if l can give any advise as to same feel free to ask,l can be reached either at E12MTONIC@bmwcentral.com or psurestart@aol.com
See ya Have fun Paul.

First.... There were about 1410 E12 M535i cars built worldwide. It seems there were about 400+ RHD cars built and most imported to the UK (some to Australia I believe).

They are very good cars and handle very well. Not quite as quick as the later M5 but easily the equal of the later E28 M535i.

As for the competition... The Alpina B7 turbo is much quicker and has a higher top speed (155mph) compared to the E12 M535i top of 140mph.

You are right the E12 M535i is much cheaper to maintain than the M5 (or alpina) but if you have the money...... the M5 with more HP is quite fun.

The B7 turbo is close to the equal of the standard M5.

81 M535i
(2) Alpina E12 B7 turbos...

M535i info

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