BMW 535i SPORT

Well I had put the 535 in the garage for the foreseeable winter months but I lasted about 2/3 weeks before I figured that I really just wanted to carry on using it. I know the previous owner only did about 1000 miles per year but I did that within the first few weeks of ownership and I know from past experience just how much old BMW hate sitting idle.

The first problem was getting up the steep driveway that leads down to the garage. The grass, mud and moss had covered the tarmac and track focussed Yokohama were always going to struggle to grip on a surface like that. Especially in 265's with a torquey 3.5! Thankfully some old bits of carpet and an LSD were just enough to get me going but from nowhere the straight six started to misfire. It would clear itself with revs (well kind of) but it was clearly unhappy. I then realised there was very little fuel in the tank and being on such a steep incline the pump was undoubtedly struggling to pick up fuel. Thankfully there was a petrol station just around the corner and £50 worth of V power soon had the 535i running sweetly again.

Right now I'm trying to decide whether to opt for lowered springs and shocks or coilovers? Ideally I want to drop the ride height by about 50mm but the added adjustability might be handy were I to go with coilovers? I'll probably have to go from 265 rears to something like 235 for the added clearance? Any suggestions are welcome.

I also got some pics from the guys that restored the bodywork a couple of years back. I knew the work had been done but it's nice to know it was done properly.

Hey Mark, I have "E34" BC coilovers on the E32 750i and I really rate them if that makes any difference. Lovely car and very rare these days!

Had an early start with the E34 yesterday and took a run up the Atlantic Highway to Bude to see my eldest son, his wife and their first child and my first grandson.

Half a tank of V power and a quick check of the fluids and tyre pressures showed nothing untoward and I headed out of Truro. I know that by modern standards the 535 isn't what you'd call fast but once up to speed it'll cruise along at an effortless 80+ and pull past 3 figures without breaking a sweat. It sounds good too, although I plan on fitting a Supersprint or Eisennman exhaust eventually.

It's funny but I always used to think of a BMW 5 series as being a large car but by modern standards it's much closer to a 3 series. I really like how the E34 feels on the road though and it's very E30 in feel really. Especially though fast sweeping bends, of which there are plenty down here if you know where to look. Although there's a little more body roll than I'd like it grips really well. Mind you, it's wearing staggered 10 and 9.5 x 17's with 265 and 235 Yokohama AD08R respectively so maybe it's no surprise?

A bit more power would be nice though. Whilst 211bhp lets the 535i reach a decent enough turn of speed you have to think about safe overtakes. On an uphill section a modern Ford pulled out on me and I lost some of the momentum that would have seen me past both cars had he had he taken a moment to look before pulling out to overtake himself. Instead I had to pull in behind him and follow more sedately than I'd planned. It's at times like that I think a Schrick cam, lighter flywheel and some head flowing might be in order? Mind you, ten minutes later and I'm having fun and just enjoying things as they are.

I spent the afternoon reading an old feature from a 1990 issue of Car magazine on their long term test 535i Sport.

Happy new year too! I can't comment on the Bilstein/Eibachs but I've really enjoyed my BCs. I haven't done too much on them yet and I'd probably say Bilsteins are a bit more tried and tested in terms of longevity, but I can tweak mine as I like... Like when I dropped it further last year...

Looks great.