Motorsports and Specials Timeline
| BMW Motorsport modified many 3.0, 3.3, and 3.5 liter models in the 1970's for VIP's in the company. These cars were generally created for senior BMW execs, factory race drivers, or very special customers. Becase the 5-series was the company's primary offering during a period when BMW Motorsport was assuming a more important role within the company, it was that car that had much of Motorsports concentration of effort. | |
| BMW Motorsport built a highly modified 5-series for the joint managing director of BMW G.B. It utilized the 3.0 liter engine (CSL spec with 305 degree camshaft), and also incorporated many suspension modifications. This is one of the best examples of the special Motorsport type production in the 1970's. | |
| This is the "early" version of the E12 M535i. Extremely rare and not a "true" model. It was a package that Motorsport put into 525 or 528 models. It received no factory nomenclature to boot. This car included the 3.3 liter big six (from the 6 & 7 series), close-ratio gearbox, 25% limited slip diff, Recaro or ASS front seats (please no pun, that's the company's name!), special Motorsport steering wheel, mud flaps, 14x7 BBS rims (extremely rare b/c they had Motorsport center emblems). Production was 100-200 cars. | |
| This is the first "street-production" car ever to emerge from the Motorsport works. Other than the M1 (the first official production M-car, but it was also racer), this car set the tone that Motorsport follows to this day. No more one-off, racing specials. These are truly special production cars. | |
| Alpina's first effort to make and sell complete cars using the E12 body style. These are 2.8 liter (B6) (200bhp) or 3.0 liter (B2) (230 bhp) motors suffed into E12 chassis with associated modifications to suspension, interior, and exterior trim. These were the first production Alpina's and were kept in production even after the introduction of the Turbo. | |
| Quite the monster. The B7 had a 3.0 liter turbo engine with 300 bhp and only 149 were made. The B7S had a 3.5 liter turbo engine with 330 bhp, and only 60 were made! These cars are numbered, documented, rare, and extremely special. All cars were lavishly equiped to handle their performance. :-) | |
| An exercise more in badge engineering than true M-performance. The E28 M535i had all the M special engineering, except for a true M-engine. Indeed, the engine was the same as the ones lifted out of the original M535i and later 6 and 7 series, but as competition increased, BMW decided to use this engine as more production oriented. Also, they wanted the M-cachet to add value to their cars. I consider these M-cars because all of the technology was derived from the M-skunkworks, even if it was production oriented rather than performance oriented. | |
| The Alpina B9 was available as a complete car with an Alpina tuned engine producing 245 bhp. These were also available as E12's. | |
| A continuation of the E12 B7S Turbo with the 3.5 liter engine. However the E28's didn't have the 330 bhp the E12's had, but only 300 bhp. | |
| Competitor to the Alpina B9 and BMW's own M535i. The H5 utilized a 240 bhp 3.5 liter engine, and the performance is similar to the M535i and B9. The H5SP had a 254 bhp 3.5 liter engine. These cars had packages which were extremely flexible. So long as the documentation is there, then they can be considered Hartge Factory cars. Otherwise the mods are add-ons, and the value isn't as much as a "new" Hartge prepared car. | |
| A 528i based car, formally catalogued. Schnitzer used a specially tuned version of the 3.5 liter engine, producing 245 bhp. The S5 was a complete conversion includign suspension, brakes, BBS wheels, and other equipment. | |
| Next to the Alpina B7 Turbo, the ultimate. Nothing more I can say....a true geezer-mobile. ;-) |
For more information on Tuner's of E12's, see www.e12.de.