I Bought a Euro M90 Powered BMW E12 On Bring a Trailer to Drive Home Across the Country
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- čas přidán 16. 04. 2023
- Today is a video I have been very excited to make because I won this car on BAT a while ago and am just finally picking it up! One of my all time favorites, the first five aka the BMW e12 5 series. This one happens to be very cool because it is powered by a euro M90B35 High compression engine, fitted with euro bumpers, as well as an extremely rare Zender body kit. To make things even more interesting I flew out to LA to pick up my site unseen E12 and am going to be driving it home across the country to Chicago! This is the first drive, stay tuned for the trip to begin!
Want to support me and my channel? Grab the E34 road-trip merch here:
www.m3nameisjosh.com - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Nice one, fantastic car! I am restoring a early E12, but a orange 1974 520.
M90 is legendary motor. Supposedly, it was a test mule for the M88 engine development which is M1/holy-grail motor. Killer car.
M88 was also in the E24 M6
Absolutely awesome engine!
Ive got 2 m90s. One is in my e28 racecar 😉
@@namtar223 m88/3 came in the euro m635csi and euro e28 m5 . U.S. got the detuned s38 for the m6 and m5.
@@alvy1968 Correct
My first BMW back in 1992 was a 1977 530i E12. What a great car. So many good memories.
Dude, you’ve bought such a cool car! Absolutely loved the review and enjoyed your enthusiasm even more. Happy I found your channel, looking forward to seeing more of this! So nice to see such a different country compared to where I live. Keep up buying/driving these oldtimers. Greetings from The Netherlands.
Thank you so much my friend!!! I appreciate the support!!!
Awesome video! Love the beginning of the video the quality is perfect. Excited for the rest of the series!
Thank you man!! Yeah it was nice having a moving cameraman. Adds a cool dynamic
Those are some heavenly noises coming out of that car whatever that block is. Whatever has been ripped from it, it seems to be a very interesting car with great bones!
Congrats on your purchase!
I am a big E34 guy, in love with the early M20 and M30 ones. I'd really want a older BMW one day as well, if I have the space for one, would definitely be either a E9 or E12!
However really rare finding any that's not 50% corrosion here in Scandinavia. Will probably have to import from closer to the equator, like California. :D
Thank you man!!! Its a fantastic car!! These cars don’t last long where im from either in the midwest of United States!
Love it. Engine sounds glorious! Nice purchase dude! I kinda like the E39? wheels. Looking forward to this series Josh..
Hunter, top guy for ferrying you around in his tasty e34 😎👍
They dont look bad in it just a tad modern for what the car is! Hunter is an angel for helping me acquire this car!
glad to see your channel is growing. You deserve it! We will follow your journey :-D
Thank you my friend!!!!
Great buy! I've enjoyed every video of yours I've watched, keep up the good work!
Thank you Brent!!
Can’t wait to see what this turns into. It’s already amazing!
I know, i don’t even know where to turn!
Interesting pick up! That H&B turbo means Hardy&Beck of Berkeley CA. Famous for being some of the first BMW importers and then soon tuners. They are still “sort of” in business but just as a repair shop. I just actually bought a BBS inner barrel from them for one of my cracked vintage H&B wheels on my E24
They also probably provided a lot of those gauges.
Can’t believe you’re hopping in and driving home but you only live once! 💪👍
Thank you for this info Brian!! Thats awesome to hear!!!
@@m3nameisjosh464 Be safe! Oh also. I’m 90% sure those wheels are style 8s from the base e31s, right? Ironically my E24 came with a set just like this. They actually look great on E34s!
@@brianaust8897 E39 wheels, they have 74.1 hubs. My old e24 also had them lol
I misread the title, I thought you put a V8 or a big overpowered engine in which is a lot of strain for the e12 chassis , but when you popped the hood i realized, you essentially retrofitted a nippier engine in, that is a great choice as that engine is very reliable and loves to be driven high in the RPMs after 4k rm the car will fily just as it wants to be, you just got a subscribe to man♥
Thanks man!!! Absolutely right, after 4k rpm it flies!!
Congratulations! I want one, too!
Awesome car! I learn so much about other BMWs watching your channel. Keep up the good work!
Thank you man!! Glad I teach well!
Me too! Brilliant Channel
Very cool, love that color big time!
You guys are awesome I love Bimmer's great video. Hunter and you are the 💣 Can't wait to see more with you 2
❤️
I actually bid on this car and was considering making the cross country pick up trip back to NY! Very happy to see this video as I can live vicariously through you. Congrats and cheers!
I remember your comment!! Thanks for letting me win! FYI you saved yourself about $600 in maintenance to get it roadworthy of that trip
I bet you those are BBS wheels. Pretty valuable. Hold onto them👍
Update of the Bavaria. I had to drive one owned by my boss's daughter in '81-82. Steering wheel was like driving a bus! E28 was my fave in the day, but I didn't start buying BMWs until the 1989 E34 and have owned 8 5 series since. You gotta love the nice greenhouse with all the visibility. The E60's had the worst outward visibility and a semi Banglebutt. Now we are on the eve of the 8th generation 5 series coming next month with the G30 debut. Driving the E34 with Bilstein Sports and euro 7 series upper control arm bushings was so much fun on Angeles Crest, and that 5-speed M30 powered car with the Dinan software got 25 mpg running at 85 mph on the I-5 in the summer with the A/C on.
School bus steering wheel for sure on these early cars! lol. Did you see my most recent video? Funny enough I took a turbo Dinan 535i e34 up into Angeles crest I believe it was!
@@m3nameisjosh464 And probably the worst 5 series I had was the 540i - 6 speed manual. The 4.0 liter V8 [M60] left a lot to be desired and made the car way too nose heavy. The old 5 speed manual M30 powered E34 was perfectly balanced 50/50 - I tried spinning it on wet asphalt and ice and it was like a cat always upright pointing straight ahead. That 540 did a nose plant in th eguard rail on the 110-2 connector downtown LA one rainy day, did NOT have LSD - they claimed it was because ESC was incompatible, but both my E31's had both LSD and ESC .
@@gendaminoru3195 oh wow that is interesting. Lots of people regard the 540 as the best. Personally I am an inline 6 guy as well
@@m3nameisjosh464 Well, I think those are the E39 guys who had the M62 4.4 liter V-8, a much better engine and the car wasn't as nose heavy either. I would have liked the M62 powered Touring E39 with an M kit. But even today I ordered the inline 6 in the X7 since I don't care about 0-60 in 3.8 seconds and 5.6 seconds is fine for an SUV, plus the extra 4 mpg is meaningful for cruising range. Apparently the twin scroll turbos compensate enough and there's no difference in towing capacity like there is with the Mercedes GLS [450 vs 580]. I drove both and hate the Mercedes.
1:04 Aye yoo i SEE YOU my Boiii with the clean E34 the M parallels .🔥✨
Yesssssir!
Bought my E36 M3 off Cars&Bids. Flew out to LA and drove it back to Chicago. 212k on the clock. Great memories.
Its a privilege to get to spend the time to journey in these cars!!!
i absolutely adore E12s. "OG" Sharknose so to say.
Same here man! The OG 5 series!
Nice grab Josh. The early 5s are soul. Safe trip. If you're coming through Sacramento on your way back feel welcome to swing by and meet for a coffee. I'll bring my '91 535i 5spd -- blue on blue like the 525 you did recently.
Unfortunately that will be a ways out of the way for the route back to Chicago haha, but thank you so much!
Oh my heart 😍 Beautiful find! I had an E12 530i ('77, last year of production) some 28-odd years ago; it had the original analog clock (VDO?) where your digital clock is. IMHO, an analog clock -- if you can find a working one from a breaker -- has so much more character vs. a digital clock. Loved your vid, makes me miss the old girl sorely!
Thats awesome to hear! Id definitely prefer an analog clock haha. Digital doesn’t fit well
This vid brought me pure joy, haha. Reminded of me when I used to flip cars. Goodtime.
Happy to supply some joy🤝
Love the car,you guys are awesome. When is Hunter getting his own You Tube?
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a North American E12 version, with the chunky sidelights. I had a 1980 model with the M30 525 carburettor engine and manual gearbox. Very smooth and comfortable road cruiser. Mine was in Alpine white, with manual sunroof and dark blue velour interior with headrests front and rear. Fond memories of cruising through Europe down to Italy and France.
Chunky American sidelights are funny forsure! Haha but yes they are great cars!
Fantastic purchase. You bring up a good point on the drivability of these old cars tho. I daily my e34 and it's a great place to be in. Even having a newer F10 at my disposal to drive I chose to drive the e34 and have no problems or complaints. I've been in e28's however and they feel OLD in comparison so I can't imagine a e12
I agree. I had F31, now G21 and I keep coming back to my E34. To me those are peak car for that type of car and can totally do daily duty in today‘s traffic.
The E28 feels ANCIENT in comparison. I keep looking at E28 M5s, but I keep shying away due to how old the basis feels.
Thank you bro🤝 literally feels like a dinosaur😭
Woah, this is a fortuitous surprise as I just bought a '75 E12 528, Chamonix White with 123000 km (yes km) and a manual swapped trans, engine has been rebuilt from ground up TWICE. Your car is real special though, the M90 would make it fly. Congrats man. I hope you keep this one for a long time. Love the Zender boot spoiler. I really want exactly like that on mine but they're so rare and expensive
Thanks man!! Yeah i love this car a lot!
Nice car! That’s funny that’s the gas station I use when I go up the 15 freeway! I saw a bmw there just the other day in black. Lowered though
I remember a few old magazines with advertisements for zender products. So 1980's 😂😂😂. Ac schnitzer/hartge/alpina/ect ect all of the tuners had their ad campaigns on lock down haha.
nice...i enjoy E12 forever
Wow you are both so knowledgeable. Cool video love the car. When is Hunter getting his own channel? He’s great!
Ill try and convince him! Thank you!
Wow! I had one back in the early '80s My first BMW was 1972 2002ti and have had most of the BMWs over the years including all the M cars includind the E28 M5
I'm currently restoring 1973 2002tii in Agave green
Nice!! Which was your favorite??
This is so cool! Congratulations Josh!
Thank you Sean!!!
@@m3nameisjosh464 Josh this beauty ain’t no garage queen, but damn she’s hot! Can’t wait to see what’s next on your channel.
Very lucky owner ❤😂
Nice bmw
That is a good looking car.
Agreeed!
I dunno…kind of like the rims on it. Beautiful E12. Looks sooo much better than most of what BMW puts out now…
They aren’t bad, just too modern!
HI I have an E28 520i lux in Manchester ,UK . looks just like this do you use different numbers ,maybe im wrong .
your leaving my dream bro im wish your the best with this bmw :)
Thank you!!
I had a car similar to this back in the eary 90's. An e28 series 528i tuned by Hartge Motorsport. 3.5 high compression with Motronic, a big twisty header, and a close ratio gearbox. It was faster than a lot of Mustangs.
That sounds super awesome!!!
Great intro to the mystique of a sight unseen car! Curious about the missing block casting marks.
Thanks man! But early m90 apparently didn’t have the marks that the more common 635s m90s had!
Fire!
🤩🤩🤩
It could be Kastanienrot (chestnut red) but that's more of an orangy brown but could be Rubinrot (ruby red) or Granatrot (granite red). E12 535i's were European and South Africa but 1980 will be a Euro car. It might be a 4 speed 528i with a 3.5 fitted. H&B was Hardy&Beck in Berkeley - they were Alpina's US dealer until around 1981-ish. I think distributor 3.5's until late 1980 were all M90's. What number is on the head? Should end in 473. To think I bought a clean and running Euro 1981 M535i 20 years ago for £800 😂
Fantastic info here thank you man!! Ill check that out. My thoughts are the same, a distributor like that doesn’t exist on any b35s from US. And it is chestnut red by the way!
Do you still have the blue e12?
Hell yeah things sick
🙌🏼🙌🏼
Very nice
Thank you sir!
Fantastic find Josh and a great price. Trailer queens are nice and all, but drivers IMHO are the best. Nice enough to turn heads but not so nice you’re afraid to drive it. Loving the 80s BMW stuff lately.
Ever seen the movie Nothing But Trouble? Chevy Chase, Demi Moore - he’s driving an 83/84 733i. As a kid when I saw it I absolutely drooled. I don’t see a lot of CZcamsrs showing the 7 series much love which is a shame.
Thanks Robert! I couldn’t agree more!! Drivers condition cars are where its at!!! But i cant say Ive seen that movie! Ill have to check it out!
Well said!
Also check out Ronin if you haven’t. Host of awesome euro cars and some of the best car chase scenes ever. 7 min chase with an E34 M5 thru Paris.
Nah those wheels are fire on there, they fit right in.
Great Content.
Thank you man!
Cool car Hunter needs his own channel too
He definitely does!
Thank
Big M90 ting
Yesss
A fantastic model, especially with the front and side spoilers, only the front indicators would be more beautiful than the European ones. In the next video with this model we want you with hair and mustache clothing in full 70s style. Good job
Hahahahaha ill have to see what I can do about that!
15:35 The money shift is from 3rd to 2nd instead of 4th. Trust me I did it in my old ‘95 E36 M3 😂😂
😭😭😭😭
Hello from a fellow e12 owner! Ive got a '77 530I in Pennsylvania. Currently planning on making a youtube series on rust repair and restoration. (think like Ronald Finger) Looking forward to seeing this car around a bunch!
Awesome man! Good luck with it!!
M30B35LE is a SOHC engine which is based on the M88/1, sometimes referred to as the M90, is a lower performance, two-valve, SOHC version of the M88/1 engine. It utilizes the same block as the M88 and maintains the same bore and stroke, but borrows its head from the BMW M30 engine family. Typically identified by a white L painted on the block behind the oil filter housing and coolant water passages on the side of the block.
M88/1 is a Gr.4 Procar engine with 464 hp at 9,000 rpm while the M90 version has 215 hp at 5,200 rpm.
Found this interesting.
Yup spot on! It was made during BMW’s fun testing era where they decided to play around with fun engines
tbh, when it was just the Dakar and the Calypso regularly featured, never thought you'd become classic BMW man 😂
Always been a classic bmw guyB
Besides the 5 E34s I've had, I've also had an 81 Ford Granada (European kind) as well as a 80' Ford Fiesta Mk. 1 I had as a winterbeater.
Fiesta felt like a lightly motorized snowsled with probably around 35 hp left in it, it did feel like a car that could get cut in half, if I hit a traffic sign at the right angle, though it would never get up to a speed for that kind of damage.
Granada felt like a old American car, extremely comfortable with deep seats, but possible to get seasick in and it did not handle that well, but just had the most comfortable 80s ride, loved that car.
E34s in comparison, even from the late 80s feels as calm as new cars inside, though E34s often more comfortable riding than the new cars I've been in.
Guess how the spec. cards with 0-60, handling capabilities with Nürnbergring times exc. a big reason why car makers forgot what it means to make a great car D':
The jump from what was designed in the 70s and into the later 80s with computer simulations being heavily taken into the development process changed everything in a really short time.
Always make me find it so much fun to swap between these different ages of cars, as the contrast is so huge and it feels sooo freaking different xD
Wonderfully said man! Love to hear about other peoples car experiences. The jump from 70s development to 80s development has to be the largest change in the automotive world to date. It really is crazy
I had this from new....Only difference was that mine was green/grey metallic,(can't remember the name)
Agreed about hard-driven cars running more smoothly. They need the heat to prevent carbon deposits from forming and for the oil to reduce in density enough to be pumped to wear components. I feel the same about brakes, too - the moment rust deposits form on your rotors, they cheese grater your pads! If you hard brake it can keep the surfaces smooth, and smooth metals are more rust resistant.
Yesssir!! 10000%. The babied cars are all nightmares
@@m3nameisjosh464 German engineers EXPECT their drivers to have lead feet and design their lower displacement engines with oodles of headroom for RPM. Redline ain’t shit!
@@DevinFriske true that!!!
Have to say your camera man is VERY cute 🥰
epic
uhhhhh this was popping up on e12 groups some time ago from a guy with another pretty clean e12, cant remember if it had the turbo at that time
It floated around haha
🔥🔥🔥
Excellent. Never driven an e12-would love to. Maybe similar to e28's???
Pretty similar to e28s, but the age of the e12 really shows itself, just feels ANCIENT haha
Back in 02 I traded in a 1980 528i for a 1990 Chevy Beretta Indy pace car edition. Yeah, I was young and dumb 😂😂😂😂😂. I still miss that E12.
Mannnnn😫😫😫
If you could only have 1, would you pick an e34 540i or an e24 635csi as a summer daily?
Probably 540i tbh. I dont find the 80s cars to be great daily’s. Too picky and sensitive to environment, etc
E12 looks great. I must beg tho for you to do another video on the unopened 460 whp turbo m20 e30
My friend sold it dude:(((
New sub🙌
Welcome bro!
I had a 1976 530I and it was a really fun ride... Until it got water damaged and blew the head gasket :-(
🎉🎉🎉
I miss my 1987 535is 5 speed manual black diamond color
Such a beautiful car 😢
Agreed!
Nice pick up, you going to paint match the spoiler?
Eventually
Install some 1980’s or 90’s Recaro’s and you’re good. They have excellent lumbar and side bolstering support 👍
Already got some 80s seats for it!
@@m3nameisjosh464 you’ve got great taste 👅 n Beamers👍
I gotta say that’s a beautiful example of an e12
Its a drivers condition car but thats why I love it so much!
That’s why it’s perfect
They’re early e12 seats too.
I didn’t know they changed!
Keep an eye on the water temperature Guage. Too bad the Guage is mounted so low. Don't floor it.
In a few days I will drive back to Romania from Barcelona, Spain, about 2.400km in a E34, 525i NV which I just bought. The thermostat was blocked on closed, replaced it and bleeding the cooling sistem.
I am together with 4 children for the adventure. Planning to drive most on national roads.
Say a prayer for me.
Praying for you! Good luck my friend!!!
LOL. Listening to you kids going on about 90's cars being old. Funny. For years I drove only 70's and 80's Mercedes, I'm a Benz fan, not BMW. However. I do think the E12 is the best looking BMW ever, along with the 635. Paul Braq was a genius. Of course he learned his trade in Stuttgart where he was responsible for some timeless classics as well, like the 108/109 and Pagoda SL's etc. Nice car. Hope it work out like you want. Actually I like them so much that one day I might even consider trying to get on myself. One last note. I find your conversation about various engines "not moving" funny. You are Americans so of course you have no experience with what most of the rest of the world got in terms of engines. I'm from South Africa originally and when these things were new there were very few six's sold there. The vast majority were 518 and 520 four bangers.
i feel the same when I hear people calling 2012s “old cars”. Lol but yeah luckily our 5s never came with 4 bangers
Not sure how I missed all the episodes on this !
A good series you missed!
I was 17 and driving my folks long distance in the 518 with double stromberg carburettors. We had a tyre blow out and i didnt even know it. Just the slightly vibrating rear view mirror and the smell of burnt tyre alerted me that something was wrong. I had limited driving skills. Had i been in a lesser car who knows how it may have ended.
Thats wild!!
You can build that car into something wild, but let's be smart. That condition looks damn good. I vote, do not molest that car! Drive it on weekends please. Stay up on the leaks, all the way from the steering box, all the way to a head gasket repair/overhaul. What's up with coolant boss you mentioned in early part of video?
kugelfisher?
It will be well taken care of my friend! Most m90s come with a raised water passage on driver side. Is that what your referring too?
Hey BAT guys - I have been dealing with Rudy Dousset, over at BAT and was going to auction off a 2001 Series 100 in Thundercloud - I am the original owner - the car is 100% original no rust CA truck. It has no paint work. BAT told me it was one of the best examples they had seen in a long time - the interior is like new. All maintenance is up to date including a dealership oil change and new wipers yesterday - new tires last week. I was just informed by Rudy at BAT that because it has just gone over 200K miles they will no longer accept it at auction at this time - they said they have too many cars in the que and that maybe they would take it in the fall but didn't feel this was a good time of year - and that they were starting to turn down higher mile auctions - of course us LC guys know 200K is just broken in. I have run synthetic oil since my first oil change. I have all the paper work - it was purchased new from Valencia, CA Toyota. The LC is now located at my place in Santa Fe, NM. If anyone has any interest feel free to reach out to me - I would be pleased to share all the BAT photo's and provide the specifics. Best
Thats a shame to hear they are turning away higher mileage cars even if they are in immaculate condition.
Geepers! You must have fleet car insurance! How many cars do you have now? Cheers, George
Ive lost track George! Maybe 11? Hahah
Early E12 M535i's didn't come with the M90 block? What are you talking about?
E12 M535i absolutely came with m90b35. What are you talking about
@@m3nameisjosh464 At 4: 35 you state that early E12 M535i's supposedly came with not that block, i.e. the M90. I own an E12 M535i (car #18) and my car has the original M90, so your statement wasn't accurate. Maybe you didn't mean to state it that way in the video? I didn't understand what you were getting at. The earlier E12 motorsport specials that were done as one-offs did not always have the M90, although one 1979 car I know of that was a 525i vin # and was converted at Motorsport when new did have the M90.
@@adamwilson2203 oops, we seem to be confused here. Sorry I misunderstood your comment, in the video I meant to say early e12 M535’s M90 blocks looked different than the later 635 m90 blocks. Which might not be correct either, but basically what I meant is, Bert from the bimmerforums discovered that there is a variation of the m90, either early or late m90 that didn’t have the raised water passage and L stamp. So there is 2 types of M90 block allegedly. Does your M535 M90 have the raised water passage?? Lots of confusion on identifying m90s in the forums. Would love to hear from an actual M535 owner!
@@m3nameisjosh464 I see now. Edited my earlier statement since I was being a dick when I was replying last night. My experience with the M90 has been that the raised coolant passage is a factor but also the white "L" on the block. Before I rebuilt my motor years ago and painted the block, the white "L" was visible faintly on the coolant passage. I'm not aware of other variations on the M90 other than the later versions like in the '82 euro 635csi had an early version of motronic instead of L-jet.
Also in your video if you're going to drive the car aggressively keep an eye on that diff mount under the trunk. E12's are getting harder to locate so treat her nice!
@@adamwilson2203 yeah sorry I also came off rather aggressive haha. So quoted from bimmerforums- “The late M90, with Motronic, has the newer style intake manifold. There is a difference on the block casting being the early M90 has a raised water passage along the drivers side of the block along the freeze plugs.. The later M90 appears as a normal M30 block.” So i had it mixed up in video. But supposedly there is a difference in some m90 blocks. My block after further investigation doesn’t have the raised water passage or L, but does share the proper numbers associated with m90s in forums. And the diff mount on this car was luckily reinforced from its early days!
I had an e12 in the 80s. Great car, but the brakes were rubbish. Mine was a 4 speed 530i
Really the 4 piston front calipers are usually regarded as very good at stopping
Nice! Just delete the side blinkers, the Zender kit and put on some original Alpina wheels and you're done
Neat car, high compression & boost are "No bueno" together, so maybe it's had a swap or engine build?
Originally a turbo car in the 80s. Since then turbo stuff all gone and high compression engine put in
@@m3nameisjosh464 that definitely makes sense.
M90 boii
yesssir!!
Ohhww rear speakers , cool!? Thanks also they cut the car up !!
Think the 745i , came with a turbo , the M535i not, so it had to be a hybrid 😊
Yup 745i turbo and m90b35 NA, back in the 80s this car was turbocharged and now it wears an m90
👍👍👍
Body kit???? E28?
E12 zender
Классика 👍👍👍
josh: for my s52 e34 to not break down on the road with its brand new parts already i need to have half the engine in the trunk
also josh: i just bought this sight unseen e12 with a supposedly swapped engine and am going to drive it home
if the L is present on the block, man, m90s are cool though.
HAHAHHAHAH man that is so true. You got me there😭
ai really hope that you checked the oil level and coolent before driving the car
Of course
Those Scheel seats are actually not that rare in germany. But you‘d have to find a seller willing to ship a pair of seats to the US.
Interesting!