ssbmw

Hi there. I was in a demo 1m 2 weeks ago here in Singapore. Very impressed with the performance (was in the passenger seat though). Typical M power car with lots of power and handling superb. I have to say found the suspension a tad 'hard' as well. Superb sound-track. I have driven a buddy's E92 M3 and I would say the performance is pretty similar. All in all a pretty cool car. A bit too small for me though. I think I prefer the dimensions of the M3.

Hi there, I could easily be biased here, as the owner of these cars is a close friend. However, being objective, I have never met a guy who is meticulous like he is when it comes to cars. I have not seen the CSL yet but I know his E39 M5 well- it is simply in like-new condition. I have seen cars that major dealers like TMBMW and JC have had on their yards that look sensational. They don't even come close to this vehicle. The owner is a bit of a freak- I doubt there are any people in this country who keep cars in the condition. The underside of this E39 M5 is spot-less. If you are keen on getting a E39 M5 in like-new condition, this has to be inspected.

Hi all, Been meaning to write about this for the last 10 days or so. I am currently domiciled in Singapore where they have the only designated BMW M power dealership in the world. I had heard that the centre was in operation 6 months or so and was running a promotional party that day to market their service centre. Little did I know that there were some other special surprises in order! When I turned up to have a 'scope' I was shocked -they had the recently unveiled F10 M5 demo on display! It had just arrived from Shanghai and was on display in Singapore for 4 days. It was stunning! Very nice in silver. One of the M power staff turned the engine on a few times - wow it sounded gruff and very aggressive. A lot louder than the E60 M5's V10. Commercially available late in the year, I wonder whether the cars off the production line will share the same exhaust note. What also amazed me though was the bright orange E92 M3 GTS on display. Apparently one of 20 in the world in RHD and Singapore snapped up 5 - at a price of $650k Sing Dollars (the taxes on cars here are exorbitant). This vehicle was kindly presented on display by its owner. Having befriended the Marketing boss of M for Singapore, he kindly let myself and my brother-in-law take the 1m out for a spin! What a car! Kind of 'butch' looking and with the performance to match. My brother-in-law at the helm, he was encouraged to 'go faster' by the M marketing guy (who was trying very hard for a sale) so he promptly did- hitting 215 km/hr on a 100 km /hr stretch of motorway. Since it was only one of 2 examples in the country, I thought it was a tad crazy as the traffic here is insane.....however...it was alot of fun -even in the passenger seat! Initially I thought what is the point of having a 1M- thinking this was just another way of BMW M to make money by filling a gap in their range. However, this car is fantastic- nicely balanced and very quick. If you are ever passing through Singapore, and have some spare time you may want to check out the BMW M centre. It is not very large, but they have some great cars, and there are ample M-power accessories for sale. They also had examples of X5m's and X6m's everywhere. They are located right next to Lamborghini Singapore. So I was in motoring nirvana for the day! Sorry no photos - I need to upload from my phone and haven't done it yet.

Hi MAtt, Did this ever sit on a m6? I seem to recall this plate on a E24 M6 many years ago...am I right or am I way off tangent? REgards, SS

Wow very interesting didn't know about this car. The M-cloth sounds very interesting. It is very hard to get you know (the cloth). A good friend has been valiantly trying to secure some for when his cloth falls apart on his 90' e34 M5. To no avail. It will be interesting to get the low-down on this car as I am curious to know whether the M-cloth was an option or done after-market.

Here is a photo of the Hawkes Bay 540is with my 8.

Hi Peter, just my opinion, but I think you should keep this car as it is. In NZ and Australia they have a cult-following due to the rarity. NZ did not get the 6-speed 3.8 M5's so this car was a near-enough alternative. There are always people looking for one of these. I have the break-down of all the 540is's in NZ somewhere. When I find it I will add it to this thread. Apart from your car and the red one currently in the Hawkes Bay area, I know of another red with black example that was sale at Global Prestige in Auckland 5-6 years ago. It had done approximately 130 kms and it had style 5 wheels and was in stunning condition. Not sure where that car ended up... There is also according to Stephan (the Swedish expert on the 540 6 speeds) a ultra -low k 540is somewhere in NZ. As of 18 months ago this car had only done 17,000 kms. In a collection somewhere?

Simon is right, a guy called Alex from Hawkes Bay bought a similar car in February. His car was a very straight example with complete dealership history and was a 94' with 230 kms on the engine. Completely original with Style 5's and body-kit, had the M-badge on the back (as delivered) but at some point one of the previous owners got over -enthusiastic and smacked M-badges on both sills and engine cover! I was shocked when I heard what he paid as he revealed it was a sub 10k deal!

Cheers mate! Once again great footage. See what you mean reagrding my old m6- it seems to wallow a little.

Hi Greg, Where was this car sold new?? Any chance it may be Singaporean? I am living in Singapore currently and I have seen a few M powered E60 and E63's and more than a few have after-market kits like Hamann, AC S, Breyton, Hartge, etc. Not that common comparatively in NZ. Real stealth looking machine. Bit like the black Dinan E63 645 that cruises around Auckland.

Hi Brent, Your car looked like it was going very well... I know you have a m powered E28- was the red E28 in the videos running a M30 or a M88 or S38?? Seemed like it was competitive...? How was my old M6 "BM M6" in silver going? I noticed on the 2nd video that you eventually passed it. I put brand new suspension on that old girl 6 months before I sold her. I have driven many M powered sharks and when I owned it it was a very quick car. Still got it or did you have it comfortably over this car?? As you may gather, I still have a soft spot for this car....

Wow I see that my old M6 was there - a car I owned for nearly 5 years in Polaris silver / Pacific Blue leather (with the plate BM M6)....for those of you who there, how was she looking? So as a matter of interest, what other M6's were there? Would have been there if I wasn't domiciled in Singapore.. Would have been so much fun....

Sounds like the back rubber has to be replaced? How much each side- $800+ each??? You wouldn't see too many units with these spec's sitting around in an average tyre centre....

Being a 80's guy, was always kind of partial to the 560sec. This car is type of thing you'd see turn up in a Miami Vice episode in the mid 80's. In fact, body-kitted Merc's (mainly AMG) were popular in movies too (like Black Rain). Kind of cool for what they are, but makes them a tad chunky- and this Koenig example is a tad excessive in my books..... Eye-catching though!

We just sold our 2006 3.0 X3 and we could never work out why they got such a bad rap by the press. The performance and ride was extremely good. We loved it- only thing which we didn't like was a weird creaking / rattle that emanated from the door area. Apparently quite common with them. I am sure the new X3 will be a fantastic truck..

I concur with your comments Phil. The owner is an enthusiast and has evidently loved this car (he also owns a restored E24 M6 and recently sold a E9 csi which he is re-storing for a friend of mine who bought the car off him). This is the cheapest facelift I have seen, and it is decently priced (he had $35k on it two weeks ago). Compared to a few cars marketed at $40k + recently, it represents great value. I have a few friends who have been discussing this car over the last few weeks. They too despise the two-tone leather. I could however live with it. My friend Andrew bought the blue M5 you were scoping for awhile (ex-owned by an Auckland lawyer). As you know it was a minter but you should see it now. Absolutely incredible. Big statement to make but in my mind arguably the best M-powered E39 in NZ. He has recently moved to Auckland from Wellington. It is in storage in Auckland. I know you love these cars - if you are interested, I could arrange for you to view this car. Regards

Cheers mate! Great information. edit: no need to quote the previous post

One of my buddies is a member but has been having problems adding posts, so I thought I'd help him. In recent times there have been discussions about the E24. My friend's example here has a 1988 BMW 635csi Highline. It is in utterly beautiful condition. As a few of may you know, prior to the E30 M3's success on the track in the 80's, the 635csi was BMW's track weapon. Icon's like Jim Richards who drove a black JPS 635csi in Australian races ensured this car was a success in the show-rooms as well. My friend AC has owned this car for over 10 years now, and apart from his family, is his pride and joy. The E24 was a commercial success for BMW and was sold from 1976 to 1989. In the final 18 months of production, BMW revised the car visually with revised bumpers and with a luxurious interior completely swathed in premium leather. His Highline is one of the last that were manufactured for the UK market, and is one of approximately 5 in NZ. His car is in the desirable Diamond Schwartz and has cream leather and rides on like-new Style 5's. With so many looking a tad baggy with age, it is a testament to AC to have a 23 year old example like his in stunning condition. adrian_80_X_80.bmp

Brent is right, from what I have gathered, only one 5 speed 3.8- an example in Avus Blue. Changed hands about a year or so ago for give or take around $20k with around 200,000kms of travel. Was living in Wanganui for quite a while. Is currently owned by a Bimmersport guy. The car was depicted in the show-room section once he bought it. I believe it is now being serviced at BM Workshop, grey Lynn. I think the plate was Miiiii, or something like that. Very rare car and in a very desirable colour.

Hi, pretty sure Jock's car was NZ new, and had the throwing stars. As far as I know there are at least three white ones in NZ- Jock's old car, this one, and my friend who has a very nice ex- UK example. All have pretty similar mileage.

I know this car quite well. Around 2000 I spent a bit of time playing Tennis with the son of the original owner of this car. Back then we would admire each other's cars- I had a 635csi Highline and I would drool over this vehicle. He bought it new in Sth Africa and he was very passionate about his M5. When he sold it it had around 120kms and he sold it for $30k around 2002. It was bought by an accountant in Napier who clocked up the mileage pretty quickly to the low 200's. I believe it has had 2 owners since. In my opinion, it is not as 'pretty' without the spoiler on the boot or sans T-stars, but this is how BMW Germany launched this car. It was meant to be the ultimate Q-car, and was meant to surprise you. When I lived in Germany, most of the E34 M5's in my town were de-badged as well ! I think the ones with the throwing -stars and rear boot-spoiler look a lot cooler (a friend of mine has a white example with exactly that, and it is hot). However, they are rare this way with the turbines, etc. The only other example I know of like this in NZ is a Sebring Gray example which I would see in Parnell regularly. Out of the 524 made in RHD, how many I wonder would look like this today? A friend of mine who was in the motor industry in the UK once said that once the t-stars were available, people were canning the Turbines to replace them with the t-stars as they looked better.

Pleasure Adam. E24's are my favourite BMW and love to help. Yeah I have a 840 Ci sport in Hell red. I would follow Brent's advice regarding the timing chain. I know of a NZ new M6 that blew a chain at 102,000 kms so the old 100,000 miles /160,000kms rule of thumb doesn't always apply. when I bought mine it had 180,000 km and the first thing I did was take it in to Ross at BM Workshop to get the job done. It gives you peace of mind. Regards,

Hi Adam Wouldn't worry about the wheels. I have seen some 86's with those wheels too (if they are indeed the metrics). If they are in fact metrics, BMW found that they were causing some problems (leaking and some corrosion issues around the bolts). Since they are comparatively rare, some prefer these original ones. If you want to make good money- Continental Europe is the place to sell it.

Hi Tony, Whatr colour were the M6's?? One possibly the black and cream leather example and the other possibly green? Those 2 are M6's I know of in Queenstown... Any pics? REgards, SS

By the way, I just noticed your car has the very early bolted metric wheels. They were later replaced around early 85 with a revised wheel without the bolts. As a matter of interest, what year of manufacture is this one? Regards