Background

The E12 five series appeared in 1972 . It replaced the highly acclaimed "Neu Klasse" four door saloons such as the 2000tilux and 2000tii, the cars which had saved the company from financial disaster in the sixties. The Neu Klasse set standards that completely outclassed the competition, so did the E12.

At the time BMW was having incredible success with the 1602-2002 series of small sports saloons and was doing well with the big 2500/3.0 luxury saloons. The new five series was somewhere in the middle and was the first post-war BMW to use the now familiar three digit naming system. It used the same layout pioneered in the Neu Klasse saloons but with more modern packaging and styling. The later E28 looked extremely similar and wasn't discontinued until 1988!

Models

All E12s were saloons. The special 1980-81 M535i was the Motorsport divisions first saloon car and was a very hot beastie for its day, the first of a long line of super saloons.

All the four cylinder cars had rear drum brakes, the sixes had disc brakes. The braking system on the car is based heavily on that of the 2002.

US customers received the 530i initially. In order to pass EPA rules the car had the now infamous thermal reactor anti-pollution system. Economy was abysmal and thermal problems caused many cracked cylinder heads. These cars are to be avoided in favour of the US 528i or a euro-import.

Engines

The first euro models were the 520 and 520i based on the faithful

M10 four cylinder engine. A year later these were joined by the first Big Six E12, the carb 525 with 150bhp. In 1974 the range was broadened with the introduction of the smaller 1.8 M10 which five years later was also available with injection.

The M535i used the drivetrain from the E24 635CSi in a car that weighed 100kg less. It also had such racing car features as a final drive oil cooler, dog-leg gearbox and Recarro interior. In 1980 this car caused quite a stir. The little known 533i Motorsport was effectively a dry run for the M535i in 1978, very few were made and they are now ultra rare.

See the engine details page for power figures. US power figures for this car were quite a bit lower than euro figures and the cars were a little heavier. In addition the smaller engined models were never available in the US. If anybody had betterweight data please tell me.

The M535i and maybe some other models had the dog leg close ratio gearbox with first gear on it's own and second, third paired next to fourth and fifth.

Known Problems

The 1800 engine in this car can suffer badly from valve tick if badly adjusted.

Ensure cam belts on the M20 engines are changed every 50,000 miles.

Early M20 engines can suffer snapped head bolts. Be sure you have the newer style bolt with a Torx head.

US 530i models had the notorious anti-pollution thermal reactors. These gave a terrible 12-15mpg and caused cracked cylinder heads.

M30 engines can suffer from oil starvation on the camshaft resulting in damage. This is preventable with a new design of hollow bolt for the oil feed bar.

ZF HP 22 automatic transmissions can fail if revved strongly whilst in neutral or park.

The vacuum assist on the brakes can fail, especially on RHD cars. It's very similar to that on the 2002.

Carefully check fuel lines and tank for corrosion, especially where the filler pipe meets the fuel tank.

Heating can stick fully on or off due to faulty heater control valve on the M30 big six engine, not that expensive to fix.

Rear differential mounts were weak and must be checked. The M535i's was stronger.

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