In Austria, a rare 1979 BMW 5 Series E12 in 3.5i Motorsport specification has been listed for auction. The sedan was manually upgraded at BMW Motorsport before the appearance of the production M535i and the first M5. The car was valued at $83,783–106,125. This is reported by Classic Driver.
Rare BMW 5 Series became one of the predecessors of the M5
The car was initially a BMW 525 with a sunroof, but before being handed over to the first owner it was sent to the BMW Motorsport division. There, a 3.5-liter inline six-cylinder engine producing 218 hp, a sports five-speed gearbox and a limited-slip differential were installed.
The top speed of these versions reached 222 km/h. The presented BMW received Polaris Silver paint, Motorsport-colored stripes, and front and rear spoilers. The first owner registered the car on July 18, 1979.
The exact number of BMW 5 Series with a 3.5-liter engine converted by BMW Motorsport in 1979–1980 is unknown. According to the source, it concerns only a few dozen cars. The cars were built individually to order.
The interesting price of the BMW 3.5i Motorsport exceeds $100,000
In 1980, the production BMW M535i appeared with the same 3.5-liter engine producing 218 hp. Before the generation change, BMW produced 1,410 such cars, and in 1985 the first BMW M5 debuted.
The BMW 3.5i Motorsport offered for sale has had four owners. In 1993 it was withdrawn from service, and later the car underwent a comprehensive restoration. The car’s provenance is confirmed by a BMW certificate and documents.
The auction will take place on October 17, 2026 in Salzburg. The preliminary estimate for the lot is $83,783–106,125.