Hi folks
I'm relatively new to this forum but here goes...
I'm New Zealand born and bred and have had a passion for BMWs of all types. All this started back in the early 80s when a friend of mine bought a series 1 E12 525 which he very kindly let me drive on a number of occasions; 12 BMWs later you can safely say that I'm hooked! Anyway, that first E12 left a lasting impression on me and I have been scouring the for sale ad's off and on for a number of years now. Well a couple of years back the one pictured below appeared on a local website needing a "dedicated" home. Long story short, it had belonged to an elderly gent who had passed away in the early 80s and had left it to his wife. She used it periodically up to about 1993 then stopped using it and just left it sitting in the garage. When she passed away the ownership passed to her grand-children. It wasn't their cup of tea so at the exchange of some cash it became an occupant of my garage.
So, essentially I have a 1973/74 NZ new E12 520, 2 owners and only 113 000 km on the clock! The car really does look as if it has come out of a time capsule, original paint, albeit with some crazing and fading here and there, right down to the coconut fibre seats and VERY 80s carpet. This car is so basic, it didn't come with a radio or boot light or tachometer or even rear seat belts! Needless to say, having been off the road for a number of years all of the rubber has shrunken and cracked, fluids evaporated and brakes seized. The engine will fire but will not run continuously. The only rust I can find is a couple of bubbles in the return seam of one of the rear doors. If you look at the various photos none of the usual rust-disasters are looming at all.
Some of you are probably wondering what my plans are; well if there are any purists reading this - please leave now.
Don't panic! It's not getting a Lexus V8 transplant or anything like that! What is happening is that I'm "upgrading" it to be reminiscent of a 530 MLE/535 Motorsport/Alpina B7. I know this sounds like a tartan designed by a committee but the approach I have taken is - what if you had one of these cars in the 80s and went through the various catalogues, aftermarket suppliers etc. and bought bits to "hot" up your car to be reminiscent of the higher powered versions of the day? As you can see from one of the photos, I have amassed a number of performance bits, H&R springs, Bilstein shocks, Alpina front and rear spoilers (new) and other sundry appearance items. The donor for the suspension sub-frames and engine will be a 1980 635i (pictured) as well as sundry items like seat-belts and lights from other donors. The wheels it is shod with are sports options from an early E28 but I also have some 16x8 Ronals, similar to Alpina from a racing 3.0 Csi. The original wheels, which I still have are basic steel with the 2-piece chrome inserts.
If the purusts are still reading, fear not as BMWs are a bit like LEGO in that there will be very little alteration of the bodywork but rather just componentry swaps overall. Everything that comes out of the car, seats, engine etc. will be wrapped and stored; I hate throwing things away!
Anyhow, it's early days yet so please enjoy the photos and stay tuned! Oh, by the way, many thanks go to tonybmw who I've corresponded with in the embryonic days of this project and needless to say provided endless inspiration. Cheers Tony!
Regards to all
Ken.
All original!
Series of shots showing rust free boot and wheel wells.
The interior is so desiccated that the sound-deadening material just pops off!
My engine is running at 7 0'clock!
Sunroof comes with a fashionable zip.
Boot light - never been fitted with one.
Ok - there is some "damage".
"Donor" car
All boot linings present and in excellent condition.
Some of the "goodies" ready and waiting to go on/in the car.
I'm relatively new to this forum but here goes...
I'm New Zealand born and bred and have had a passion for BMWs of all types. All this started back in the early 80s when a friend of mine bought a series 1 E12 525 which he very kindly let me drive on a number of occasions; 12 BMWs later you can safely say that I'm hooked! Anyway, that first E12 left a lasting impression on me and I have been scouring the for sale ad's off and on for a number of years now. Well a couple of years back the one pictured below appeared on a local website needing a "dedicated" home. Long story short, it had belonged to an elderly gent who had passed away in the early 80s and had left it to his wife. She used it periodically up to about 1993 then stopped using it and just left it sitting in the garage. When she passed away the ownership passed to her grand-children. It wasn't their cup of tea so at the exchange of some cash it became an occupant of my garage.
So, essentially I have a 1973/74 NZ new E12 520, 2 owners and only 113 000 km on the clock! The car really does look as if it has come out of a time capsule, original paint, albeit with some crazing and fading here and there, right down to the coconut fibre seats and VERY 80s carpet. This car is so basic, it didn't come with a radio or boot light or tachometer or even rear seat belts! Needless to say, having been off the road for a number of years all of the rubber has shrunken and cracked, fluids evaporated and brakes seized. The engine will fire but will not run continuously. The only rust I can find is a couple of bubbles in the return seam of one of the rear doors. If you look at the various photos none of the usual rust-disasters are looming at all.
Some of you are probably wondering what my plans are; well if there are any purists reading this - please leave now.
Don't panic! It's not getting a Lexus V8 transplant or anything like that! What is happening is that I'm "upgrading" it to be reminiscent of a 530 MLE/535 Motorsport/Alpina B7. I know this sounds like a tartan designed by a committee but the approach I have taken is - what if you had one of these cars in the 80s and went through the various catalogues, aftermarket suppliers etc. and bought bits to "hot" up your car to be reminiscent of the higher powered versions of the day? As you can see from one of the photos, I have amassed a number of performance bits, H&R springs, Bilstein shocks, Alpina front and rear spoilers (new) and other sundry appearance items. The donor for the suspension sub-frames and engine will be a 1980 635i (pictured) as well as sundry items like seat-belts and lights from other donors. The wheels it is shod with are sports options from an early E28 but I also have some 16x8 Ronals, similar to Alpina from a racing 3.0 Csi. The original wheels, which I still have are basic steel with the 2-piece chrome inserts.If the purusts are still reading, fear not as BMWs are a bit like LEGO in that there will be very little alteration of the bodywork but rather just componentry swaps overall. Everything that comes out of the car, seats, engine etc. will be wrapped and stored; I hate throwing things away!
Anyhow, it's early days yet so please enjoy the photos and stay tuned! Oh, by the way, many thanks go to tonybmw who I've corresponded with in the embryonic days of this project and needless to say provided endless inspiration. Cheers Tony!
Regards to all
Ken.
All original!
Series of shots showing rust free boot and wheel wells.
The interior is so desiccated that the sound-deadening material just pops off!
My engine is running at 7 0'clock!
Sunroof comes with a fashionable zip.
Boot light - never been fitted with one.
Ok - there is some "damage".
"Donor" car
All boot linings present and in excellent condition.
Some of the "goodies" ready and waiting to go on/in the car.
Fortunately they hadn't developed a taste for wiring.
