The 530 MLE was the model that preceded the M5.
After a year of restoration, BMW South Africa revealed its latest classic project car as a limited edition “homologation” special developed especially by BMW Motorsport for South Africa.
The restored 530 MLE had its first showing at BMW Group Plant Rosslyn in the company of four BMW Group South Africa employees who were on hand to built the original more than four decades ago.
Restored by Luis Malhou of Custom Restorations, William Mokwape, Walter Mahlangu, Jacob Matabane and Cassie Calaca provided their input during the vehicle’s restoration process.
“It is not only the 530 MLE that was exclusively produced at this plant,” said Johan Mouton, Director: Technical and Logistics at BMW Group Plant Rosslyn, speaking at the unveiling event. “Legendary cars such as the Gusheshe – the second generation BMW 3 Series (also known as the E30) – in particular the 325iS and the South Africa-only 333i, rolled off the assembly line at this plant more than 30 years ago.
“The BMW 530 MLE at the time demonstrated how competitive sporting events were the ideal setting to impress the motoring public with the performance of new vehicles, said BMW Group South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa CEO Tim Abbott.
“The success of the 530 MLE was a pure example of ‘What wins on Saturday sells on Monday’, and it paved the way for BMW South Africa as a sporty brand and a serious motorsport contender in the country. To this day, M remains the most powerful letter in the world!”
After years of searching, BMW South Africa in 2018 acquired one of the only BMW 530 MLEs known to have endured beyond its 70s heyday. Car number 100 came with a particular pedigree – it was owned by race driver and the racing 530 MLE’s team manager Peter Kaye-Eddie, and its engine and chassis numbers are a matching set.
Unique in the world, the Rosslyn-produced vehicles saw weight-reduction measures that included bodywork and pedals drilled by hand, manual windows with no air conditioning, and Mahle wheels.
The condition of the 530 MLE when BMW restorers acquired the car.
History of 530 MLE
When BMW South Africa wanted to go racing in the mid-1970s, the company sought out famous racing driver and BMW Motorsport head Jochen Neerpasch. Shortly thereafter, two of the first generation 5 Series (E12) race cars were prepared to compete in the flagship Modified Production Series in South Africa.
The BMW 530 Motorsport Limited Edition (MLE) rolled up to the starting line in the Modified Production Series in 1976.
Fifteen wins from 15 consecutive starts followed, and BMW stamped its authority on the racing series with three championship titles in three years. The 530 MLE was the most successful racing 5 Series in history when it was retired in 1985.
To qualify for entry, however, BMW South Africa had to sell 100 road-going versions of this first generation 5 Series, known as the 530 Motorsport Limited Edition (MLE), to the public.
Developed by BMW Motorsport as a limited edition “homologation” model for South Africa, 110 units of the Type 1 were produced in 1976, while 117 versions of the Type 2 rolled off the production line at BMW Group Plant Rosslyn in 1977.
The six cylinder engine was a factory tweaked version of the same engine found in the 3.0L, boasting figures such as 197hp, 277Nm, a 208kph top speed and a 0-100kph sprint time of 9.3 seconds. It proved to be an early step of BMW’s ventures into track-oriented cars for the road.
South Africa enjoys a long history of rare and storied BMW special editions. In 1973, BMW Group Plant Rosslyn was the first BMW plant established outside of Germany and several models were specially built for the local market until 1990. A growing list of these have been restored by BMW South Africa in later years, including the cult classic BMW 333i.
