1976 BMW E12 530MLE – Classified of the Week

It’s never a difficult task to find a classic suitable for our long-running Classified of the Week post, but every now and then the job is made even easier by something that just jumps out of the screen. Something like, say, this 1976 BMW E12 530MLE. It’s more than a car, this. It’s a motoring legend, it’s the car a great many enthusiasts deem to be the first proper M car, and it’s also got a blue velour interior. Blue. Velour. How could we not pick it this week? Okay, it’s £115,000 which is a lot of money, but can you put a price on something so rare and so special? Well, yes, £115,000 apparently. But we digress.

There are going to be two camps of people reading this. There will be those who are feeling an increasing fizz in their ‘special’ area as they look through the pictures, and there will be those of you with a quizzical expression, wondering what all the fuss is about? Well, let us enlighten you. The 530MLE was the work of BMW South Africa, who wanted to go racing in the country’s Modified Production series. To do so, they could have just slapped a roll cage in a 530 and called it a day, but that wouldn’t have been very competitive. So instead, it set about building a limited run of road cars that via the magic of homologation, would allow BMW South Africa to line up on the grid with something a bit more… spicy.

The rules stated that BMW South Africa needed to build and sell at least 100, so it’s thought it built between 105 and 110 MLE versions. Standard E12 525s were plucked from the assembly line in Pretoria before being whisked away to BMW South Africa’s secret racing facility. Here, the cars were gutted and cut to make them even lighter – 1,233kg if you’re wondering – the suspension was beefed up with Bilstein kit and thicker anti-roll bars, better brakes were fitted with four-piston callipers, all of which was hidden behind a set of sexy BBS 14×7 alloys. The engine got a hotter cam, Mahle pistons for improved compression, twin Zenith carbs and the whole lot was bolted to a Getrag 265 5-speed manual transmission, backed up with a Borg Warner slipper, naturally.

So what of the car in the images, the one you can actually buy? Well, it’s currently with Duke of London, having been brought to the UK in 2020 from South Africa by a very enthusiastic collector. Having ticked the box, as it were, it’s now being made available. Make no mistake, this is not an opportunity that is likely to present itself again any time soon. The car is in excellent condition, and has been maintained with little care for things like cost. The engine of this 530MLE has benefitted from a top-end rebuild, new seals and gaskets, new head bolts and a skim. The carbs have been swapped for Weber units (the Zeniths come with the car, don’t worry). The brakes and suspension have been overhauled, making them factory tight. New Powerflex bushes, too. New adjustable top mounts have been fitted, the wheels have been refurbished and a Schmiedmeann quick-shift kit has been installed. Delicious.

Finished in white, the 530MLE boasts the requisite BMW racing stripes, the deep chin spoiler, the ‘ducktail’ boot spoiler and the period correct black arches. It’s a lot to drink in, but save some room, because there is a veritable feast to enjoy on the inside. Blue velour, blue velour for days, wrapping the Scheel front seats and foam rear. We don’t know how many velours had to be skinned for this interior, but it was a lot, and it was totally worth it. It seems to have escaped the ravages of the harsh South African sun, and as such presents as well as it did in ’76. There’s an Italvolanti three-spoke, leather-trimmed steering wheel, wooden gear knob, period stereo and even a Fleetwood Mac tape. Happily, it’s Rumours so you can listen to The Chain while driving your 530MLE.

As you can tell, we’re quite enthusiastic about this car. But then, can you blame us? BMW South Africa has never been afraid to try new, bold, exciting things and this 530MLE is a glorious reminder of that. And it’s here, on UK soil, and it could be yours. A motoring icon, the grandfather of the legendary M5, and one that you’ll never see anywhere else. Miss it, miss out.