This 1-of-7 80s BMW M Sport Survivor Untouched for 30 Years Was Only Built in South Africa

Yes! You read that right. The BMW M535i was the sports variant of the 535i. In South Africa, a scarce 'Lightweight' variant was developed (7-of-7). The BMW E12/8 M535i Lightweight Homologation saloon.

Only seven rare sports cars were produced for racing homologation for South Africa.

Johnny of the Late Brake Show recently discovered this rare homologation car sitting untouched in a home garage in Chorley, Lancashire, in the United Kingdom.

This time capsule belongs to Peter Harris. He stumbled upon the car in an auction in South Africa as a young engineer from University. He instantly fell in love with it, driving it for two years before it was shipped to the UK.
It's been 33 years since he bought this car. It's spent 31 of those years in storage. For reasons best known to Harris, it was never driven in the United Kingdom. The last time he turned on the ignition was between 1994 and 1995.

In 1972, the Bavarian automaker established the 'M' division, taking regular street BMW cars and enhancing them for the track. The result was pure driving bliss. The road car not only got racing bits but also benefited from the technicalities and modifications built for the track.

The E12/8 car was built in South Africa as a complete knockdown kit (assembled) for the market. According to Harris, the E12/8 BMW is an E12 body with an E28 interior.

Under the hood, it packs a straight-six 3.5-liter M90 engine (forerunner to the M30), good for 215 hp (218 ps) and 229 lb-ft (310 Nm) of torque. It came with a 5-speed manual transmission harnessing power to the rear wheels.
The manual transmission was a Getrag close-ratio sports gearbox with a dogleg first gear pattern, competition clutch, and a ZF disc-type LSD.

The last time Harris saw the vehicle was 12 years ago. A tree was growing right in front of the garage, an indication the car hadn't moved a nudge in years. Like any other Late Brake Show Barn Find episode, the idea is to get the car out of the barn and try to get it running.

Johnny consulted the expertise of BMW E12 guru Tony Chamberlain, aka Tony BMW, to help rescue the time capsule from its 31-year-old hibernation.

Chamberlain has quite an impressive resume. He's restored ten BMW E12/8 (as a hobby), worked on 1,410 units and owned about twenty of these rare 'M' cars. According to the guru, about 200 of these rare gems are left in the world.
True to Harris' word, the M535i BMW had a tinny feel on the exterior. There was minor wear on the seat, no sign of mice invasion, an excellent dashboard, and some mold on the door handles.

But perhaps the most itching bit on the unveiling was the engine's condition. It was superbly clean when they finally lifted the hood.

Chamberlain did the regular inspection routine, including checking the oil, pulling the plugs off, spraying some oil down the bores, and trying to turn the engine by hand.

Everything checked out on the M535i. But when they tried to turn the ignition, it produced a weird tapping sound, which the team later attributed to sticky valves.
After patiently waiting for the oil to penetrate the valves, the E12/8 roared to life for the first time in 27 years.

It's unbelievable how well-preserved the car was after sitting that long untouched in a garage. Harris also had a bunch of documentation, including a letter he received from BMW legitimizing his car details.

"The number of models produced was between 220 and 230, which took place in '82 and '83. The weight saving achieved was 60 kg. This vehicle was a winner in Group 1 Series in '82 and '83," the letter from BMW South Africa read.