E34 540iA - Bargin' in the RSA...
Discussion
It's Glacier-blue with black leather. Quite an unusual colour over here, and the trim combination is unique because most of our 540s were specced with grey leather from the factory. Judging from what I've seen in the very intriguing Smoker Barges thread, the UK got much more in the way of options from the factory. Our options were pretty much limited to heated seats and sunroof or no sunroof. So it's pretty well-specced with the full climate control, electric seats, etc. The history says it was ordered for the Director of some textile factory in Johannesburg, but it's spent the last decade down here in the Cape. Thankfully, not near the sea, so no rust worries.
I was actually looking for a 525i or 535i manual, but I came across this one on our local BMW forum, and it was 15 minutes from me. Turned out to be a good bet, because it was in fantastic condition, and had been cosseted by a true enthusiast.
1) Complete engine rebuild with genuine OEM parts and compression upped to about 11:1. It was all put back together like the day it came from the factory, every single clip nut and bolt.
2) Motorsport performance chip imported from Germany
3) Custom exhaust setup (decent one) and mildly ported heads - the exhaust isn't anti-social, but you can hear it, and it sounds absolutely fantastic at high revs, sending pedestrians scattering when one feels like being a Mister Toad Motorist.
4) Bosch Gen III Mustang injectors (Nice torque increase)
5) Euro ECU (for the chip) with retrofitted O2 sensors gives perfect mixture control - the SA-spec 540s don't have 02 sensors as standard, and they run rather lumpily compared to mine.
6) Xenon lowbeam retrofit to cure the woeful stock lighting. It's also got clear indicators all around. There are days where I look at it and think I should put the ambers back on, but the thought is fleeting.
7) Brand new brakes, discs, pads all around. Our 540i's came from the factory with the H31 hydraulic system for steering and brakes. No self-levelling, thankfully, but it's quite strange. There's very little in the way of brake feel, but they're fantastically effective brakes.
8) Electric M5 sport seats and leather upper and lower dash, door panels...basically, everything in the interior is covered in cow. It's very fragrant.
9) Professional shadowline trim blackout
10) Brand new Bridgestones original spec - they give it a wonderfully squishy ride, but it's still sharp enough. I'm ever on the lookout for a good set of OEM wheels, but Throwing Stars are like Rocking Horse droppings over here.
11) Brand new front shocks and related components
12) New rubber covers on the sideshafts, new battery, new bulbs entire car, new oil in gearbox, diff. That was a year and a bit ago. The gearbox has its temperamental moments, so I'll need to get it looked at again. Sadly, we don't have anywhere near the amount of 6-speeders other markets got. I'm not too bothered though - it's a great ride, and I'll just get my hands on an E39 M5 to solve any Spanish cravings.
13) Original CD changer and audio setup - we got the Becker Bavaria C 10-speaker setup. It's old-tech, but it's pretty good for what I use it for. Pales in comparison to the sound of the V8, though.
15 Colour coded bumpers (removed the black bits).
I need to get some proper photos done, as you can see.
but it's a fun way of driving about, even though I need to have a placard made that says "Yes - It's heavy on fuel", since that's the first question people always ask.
I was actually looking for a 525i or 535i manual, but I came across this one on our local BMW forum, and it was 15 minutes from me. Turned out to be a good bet, because it was in fantastic condition, and had been cosseted by a true enthusiast.
1) Complete engine rebuild with genuine OEM parts and compression upped to about 11:1. It was all put back together like the day it came from the factory, every single clip nut and bolt.
2) Motorsport performance chip imported from Germany
3) Custom exhaust setup (decent one) and mildly ported heads - the exhaust isn't anti-social, but you can hear it, and it sounds absolutely fantastic at high revs, sending pedestrians scattering when one feels like being a Mister Toad Motorist.
4) Bosch Gen III Mustang injectors (Nice torque increase)
5) Euro ECU (for the chip) with retrofitted O2 sensors gives perfect mixture control - the SA-spec 540s don't have 02 sensors as standard, and they run rather lumpily compared to mine.
6) Xenon lowbeam retrofit to cure the woeful stock lighting. It's also got clear indicators all around. There are days where I look at it and think I should put the ambers back on, but the thought is fleeting.
7) Brand new brakes, discs, pads all around. Our 540i's came from the factory with the H31 hydraulic system for steering and brakes. No self-levelling, thankfully, but it's quite strange. There's very little in the way of brake feel, but they're fantastically effective brakes.
8) Electric M5 sport seats and leather upper and lower dash, door panels...basically, everything in the interior is covered in cow. It's very fragrant.
9) Professional shadowline trim blackout
10) Brand new Bridgestones original spec - they give it a wonderfully squishy ride, but it's still sharp enough. I'm ever on the lookout for a good set of OEM wheels, but Throwing Stars are like Rocking Horse droppings over here.
11) Brand new front shocks and related components
12) New rubber covers on the sideshafts, new battery, new bulbs entire car, new oil in gearbox, diff. That was a year and a bit ago. The gearbox has its temperamental moments, so I'll need to get it looked at again. Sadly, we don't have anywhere near the amount of 6-speeders other markets got. I'm not too bothered though - it's a great ride, and I'll just get my hands on an E39 M5 to solve any Spanish cravings.
13) Original CD changer and audio setup - we got the Becker Bavaria C 10-speaker setup. It's old-tech, but it's pretty good for what I use it for. Pales in comparison to the sound of the V8, though.
15 Colour coded bumpers (removed the black bits).
I need to get some proper photos done, as you can see.
but it's a fun way of driving about, even though I need to have a placard made that says "Yes - It's heavy on fuel", since that's the first question people always ask.
Max M4X WW said:
Oh, those seats look immaculate! Have they been re-trimmed?
Yep - they were recovered just before I got the car, another selling point since most aged Bimmers over here look like they've been inhabited by wolves. The chap who owned it did them as well as the other leatherwork himself - quite the pro. With the seats and the leather dash it smells quite lovely. You get in and you're greeted by the fragrance of leather.
Thanks all.
Yeah, the dash was done by the previous owner - his attention to detail was what sold me on this car - all the little E34 bugs have been ironed out, for the most part, lol. The dash needs to be seen to be believed, looks so much better than in the pictures. It looks so factory that people don't notice it's aftermarket until I point it out.
Dunno how Euro models are specced, but our 540s and M5 got the leather lower dash and console, but the door panels (not the inserts, the actual panel itself), dash and places like the seatbelt holsters are in vinyl from the factory. The previous owner stripped all that and retrimmed it in Italian hide. It's definitely unique as no M5s were specced with Kompletledder over here. I just need a suede rooflining to complete the effect.
Yeah, the dash was done by the previous owner - his attention to detail was what sold me on this car - all the little E34 bugs have been ironed out, for the most part, lol. The dash needs to be seen to be believed, looks so much better than in the pictures. It looks so factory that people don't notice it's aftermarket until I point it out.
Dunno how Euro models are specced, but our 540s and M5 got the leather lower dash and console, but the door panels (not the inserts, the actual panel itself), dash and places like the seatbelt holsters are in vinyl from the factory. The previous owner stripped all that and retrimmed it in Italian hide. It's definitely unique as no M5s were specced with Kompletledder over here. I just need a suede rooflining to complete the effect.
I was bored yesterday, so I took a drive along the coast, about 170km in total. Averaged 13l per hundred, give or take (I don't know what that is in MPG). It was mostly a leisurely run, windows down and sunroof open, listening to the V8 burble reverberating off the cliff walls. It was one of those drives you can't help enjoying.
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