Monday 18th February 2013

Spotted: BMW 525e

BMW was doing the Efficient Dynamics thing way back when, the result being this rather lovely 5 Series

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The 'e' in the name of this E28 5 Series stands for the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, pronounced 'eta', which in its lower case form is used as a symbol of efficiency. We Brits can probably get away with telling mates 'it stands for economy'. Because long before everything became a blue-wotsit, BMW had a pop at creating a fuel-miser saloon car.

High compression, low revs, long gearing...

It was, and still is, a rather clever thing. A stroked 2.5-litre block was taken out to 2.7 litres (you see, even back then BMW was telling fibs with its badges) and a different head was selected with very small ports and valves and, from what I was once told, I think it used a 520i inlet manifold. The motor was redlined at 4,250rpm.

In the UK the car used a four-speed auto with very long gearing to squeeze extra miles from all that leaded gas. The upshot was 129hp, 177lb ft and, in normal driving, a car that would happily stay with a 528i and return over 30mpg.

I have a vested interest in E28 values, so I will now add some puff to increase their prices, something along the lines of that old chestnut "these rare vehicles are increasingly falling into the hands of collectors". Well, they're not really, but doesn't the E28 just look like a BMW saloon should? Shark nose, Hoffy kink, small enough to thread and yet big enough to carry adults.

...was the old-school Efficient Dynamics

This car appears to be absolutely mint. This impression is underscored by the fact the owner works for McLaren and has a hand in the P1 project. These are the most fastidious people on the planet. They make NASA engineers look like burger-flippers.

I also like his turn of phrase. "Either use it as a beautiful, stylish everyday car, as I have, or wrap it in cotton wool for the future." That seems like an excellent way to summarise this delectable piece of early eco-engineering.

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BMW 525e
Engine: 2,693cc 6-cyl
Transmission: 4-speed, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 129@4,250rpm
Torque (lb ft): 177@3,250rpm
0-60mph: 10.2sec
Top speed: 111mph
Weight: 1,326kg
On sale: 1983-1988
Price new: £14,750 (1987)
Price now: £3,200
[Figures from Autocar]

See the original advert here.

[James1972]

Am I right in thinking that Alpina used the crank from these as the basis for the C2 etc.
Nice old tool - torque for wafting and better economy with a nice sountrack.

[Krikkit]

30mpg doesn't seem all that impressive for such an extreme engine configuration, what was a standard E28 525 like?

[g3org3y]

That's quite strong money for an E28, albeit a lovely original one in good condition. I would have thought a manual box would be needed to make full use of the economy benefit tbh.

[Devil2575]

The E28 is, IMHO, the best looking car BMW have ever made.

I'd prefer a 528i/535i manual though.

[J4CKO]

Nice enough but why bother, get one with a bigger engine, I remember driving one of these back in the day and it was a bit sluggish, I had seen the 525 bit and was expecting a bit more, the exhaust always looked a bit strange on these as well.

[Moggie13]

The 525e was one of LJK Setright's favourite cars. Back in the day (this one's '85 registered), 30mpg from a 2.7 litre BMW was astonishing. At the time my Fiat Uno 55S (1100cc) would only give me mid to high 30's.

[New Scot]

J4CKO said:

Nice enough but why bother, get one with a bigger engine, I remember driving one of these back in the day and it was a bit sluggish, I had seen the 525 bit and was expecting a bit more, the exhaust always looked a bit strange on these as well.

My thoughts exactly! My Dad went for the 528i which was a real hoot!

Chris - surely you'll be buying this one for the period ICE?

[Gruber]

g3org3y said:

That's quite strong money for an E28, albeit a lovely original one in good condition. I would have thought a manual box would be needed to make full use of the economy benefit tbh.

I disagree on the value point. If it's as good as it looks, then it's very keenly priced. The values of the etas are definitely on the up and there's a lot if interest in them. And with only 80k miles on the clock, I doubt that one will hang around for long.

I share your view on the box though. Perhaps BMW thought people wouldn't understand the rev range and power delivery if they'd sold it as a manual.

[405dogvan]

A manual car redlined at 4K would be a pain-in-the-arse to drive surely?

You might eke-out a BIT more economy but you'd wear-out your left left and arm in no time.

The auto will be fine if the car is driven as the engineers intended - e.g. slow and steady.

If you operate the pedals like they're digital switches - this is not your car

[Amirhussain]

Devil2575 said:

The E28 is, IMHO, the best looking car BMW have ever made.

I'd prefer a 528i/535i manual though.

E34 was the best looking for me.

[g3org3y]

Gruber said:

I disagree on the value point. If it's as good as it looks, then it's very keenly priced. The values of the etas are definitely on the up and there's a lot if interest in them. And with only 80k miles on the clock, I doubt that one will hang around for long.

I share your view on the box though. Perhaps BMW thought people wouldn't understand the rev range and power delivery if they'd sold it as a manual.

I suppose it depends on what you want the car for.

It would be a shame to use it on a day to day basis, if that were the case a decent E34 5er would be superior in every way (imo) - am sure you could get a very nice example for 3k. f only for a w/e car, a E28 528i manual makes more sense verus the 525e.

Similar phenomenon seen with E30s at the mo. Decent original 316is/318is are getting priced quite high because of their condition. Question is, who are they going to appeal to? Too nice to use for a daily driver (esp if you consider the price) but also not exactly interesting enough to appeal to the weekend driver who would rather save up for a 325i Sport.

Oh, and I have that exact Blaupunkt stereo in my E30 cabrio (with OE telescopic aerial)!

[Dr G]

That looks lovely; there's a chap a few doors down from my parents' house with one of these and has owned it for as long as I can remember (very early 90s if not before).

[gjackson]

I remember my dad having to give up his company Celica for a 520i E28 after he was caught speeding for the 5th time in 3 months.

He hated it, thought it looked like a Lada Riva, had no steering feel and solid suspension, it was a run out 'de-chromed' Lux with M-tec everything thrown on it. It lasted 6 months

At the age of 11 I was just impressed we had a BM but thought it did look old fashioned when new. Time has been kind and they are beginning to look very nice.

[Gruber]

g3org3y said:

Gruber said:

I disagree on the value point. If it's as good as it looks, then it's very keenly priced. The values of the etas are definitely on the up and there's a lot if interest in them. And with only 80k miles on the clock, I doubt that one will hang around for long.

I share your view on the box though. Perhaps BMW thought people wouldn't understand the rev range and power delivery if they'd sold it as a manual.

I suppose it depends on what you want the car for.

It would be a shame to use it on a day to day basis, if that were the case a decent E34 5er would be superior in every way (imo) - am sure you could get a very nice example for 3k. f only for a w/e car, a E28 528i manual makes more sense verus the 525e.

Similar phenomenon seen with E30s at the mo. Decent original 316is/318is are getting priced quite high because of their condition. Question is, who are they going to appeal to? Too nice to use for a daily driver (esp if you consider the price) but also not exactly interesting enough to appeal to the weekend driver who would rather save up for a 325i Sport.

You only have to buy a copy of Practical Classics to see that people buy and cherish all sorts of odd stuff for all sorts of reasons. These etas are gaining almost cult status, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone bought it as their weekend toy.

Your 316/18 example is interesting. I bought an e30 320i as my daily driver last year. For me, at that time, "daily driver" meant a car to do about 4k miles a year in, largely pootling around London or short motorway trips. The little 320, considered by some to be the runt of the litter, fulfilled the role perfectly and I was very sad to see it go.

For what it's worth, I think a 525e would make a cracking daily driver. You could put 20k miles on that one over the next two years and (provided you look after it) get your money back at the end.

[Andy Zarse]

New Scot said:

J4CKO said:

Nice enough but why bother, get one with a bigger engine, I remember driving one of these back in the day and it was a bit sluggish, I had seen the 525 bit and was expecting a bit more, the exhaust always looked a bit strange on these as well.

My thoughts exactly! My Dad went for the 528i which was a real hoot!

I had one of the last E28s ever registered as a company car, E48 LRV was six months old when got it, a 518i resplendent in Zinobar Red.

Words cannot express how much I hated it. It was a beautifully built piece of utter st. Possessed of a 110bhp 1.8 engine it was gutless, and even with alloys and fat TRXs the wet grip was a joke. And once it got to its 95mph top speed (downhill, wind aft) it had woeful 3 series brakes to haul the monsterous weight to a halt.

A joke of a car, hopefully it has long been crushed.

[bob1179]

Krikkit said:

30mpg doesn't seem all that impressive for such an extreme engine configuration, what was a standard E28 525 like?

Well if you go back thirty years to when they were developing the car, 30 mpg is very good. 2.0 litre Sierras were only getting economy in the 20's.

I always liked the the 525e, the engine actually used longer inlet pipes in the plenum compared to the regular 2.0 M20 engine.

I really need another E28 in my life!

[Nors]

My brother had one of these for years, had head problems with it too iirc.

Nobody noticed - a 5 series that weighed just over 1300kg!

[will261058]

Nice E28 eta. There cant be many left in that condition!

[tomoleeds]

ok car in its day, now no reason to want one

[LotusOmega375D]

My school friend's Dad had a new 525e back in the day. Looked quite smart in black. Trouble was it followed on from his 735i (original E23 shape) so was a bit of a let-down performance wise. No thanks.